His business was in danger of closing. But this owner was driven to make his father proud.

Richards Plumbing Repair was chosen the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in Category III for businesses doing between $1 million and $2.5 million in annual revenue.

The full-service plumbing company, founded in 1980 and located at 4608 26th St. W. in Bradenton, has been owned by Richard Krause Jr. since 1996.

Richards specializes in repair and remodel work for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal clients.

The company has 19 full-time and four part-time employees.

“In 2006, my father, and business partner, passed away. At that time the company consisted of only him and I and he was the license holder. So I was in danger of having to close the business,” Krause said.

“I immediately signed up for the state plumbing contractors exam and a test prep course. While running the business and providing for a growing family, I studied harder than I ever had in my entire life and passed the test on the first attempt. But that was just the first hurdle,” Krause said in his small business award application.

The next hurdle was surviving the Great Recession.

“It was not a good time to basically restart or reinvent a company, but I wanted to make my father proud,” Krause said. “Through the largest recession of our time, Richards Plumbing Repair grew from one person with no license to now employing 23 people from our local area and doing over $2 million in gross sales a year. We have been recognized by the Bradenton Herald’s Reader Choice awards seven times now and have made a positive impact on our community.”

For 2018, Richards Plumbing Repair has branched out into larger municipal and industrial repairs, expanding the backflow department and offering more grease trap installation and services.

Richards is also purchasing a small family-run business, Chuck Crossan Electric, and will become Richards Plumbing & Electric.

“Our company’s mission is to provide our clients with a fast, efficient and overall high-quality plumbing service that they don’t hesitate to recommend to their friends. I believe in an ‘old school’ approach to the plumbing business where the technicians are encouraged to take pride in their work, workplace and trade. Word of mouth should be our driving force because it is the highest compliment a business can receive,” Krause said.

Under promise and over deliver, he said.

Richards has moved to a virtually paperless system where field technicians use iPads, making them more efficient through the built-in GPS, work day calendar, parts list and email.

For more information about Richards Plumbing Repair, call 941-748-2275, or visit richardsplumbing repair.com.