Surfin' Plumbers move inland

BRADENTON — The Surfin' Plumbers is headed inland.

In a news release, the company announced it will open a third location, its first outside Florida. The company plans to expand to Franklin, Tenn., on June 1. The residential plumbing company currently has locations in Bradenton and North Port.

The Franklin location is near Nashville, founder Tab Hunter's hometown. Hunter says despite being inland, the new location will continue the company's branding of its plumbers wearing yellow Hawaiian shirts, khaki pants or shorts and driving brightly colored service vehicles with surfboards racked on top.

“Our brand is sticky,” Hunter says. “When people see our trucks, they always ask, 'What is that?' or 'Who are The Surfin' Plumbers?' I think that people who don't live on a coastline find the brand more appealing. If you think about it, [the Sarasota-Manatee] area is not known for surfing, but the brand still resonates.”

Hunter bought Pritchard's Plumbing in 2010 and rebranded it as The Surfin' Plumbers. Prior to that, he was an executive with Clockwork Home Services, which acquired his Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and One Hour Heating and Air franchises in 2006. Hunter got his start in Nashville, when in 1992 he opened and grew Tab Hunter Plumbing.

The Surfin' Plumbers serves Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties. Click here to read a Business Review profile of the company.