Bee's plumbing and heating, in business here since January of 2017, was looking for a permanent headquarters and when the Tug Inn at 2216 SW Orchard St showed up in listings, owner Ben and Meliss Bandel were overjoyed. It's a central location in West Seattle and by working with an adjacent property owner they acquired the space and took over just last week. The former owners of the Tug were out of state and in their 70's but it was being run by their nephew who told the Bandel's that he'd like to see it come back at some point in the future if a suitable location can be found.

In the meantime, Bee's has taken over the property and is using the former bar as a warehouse for plumbing parts. The Bandel's have plans over the next two to three years to replace it with a 3 story building that will house their entire operation.

If that sounds ambitious it is more than likely accurate since the company has been growing fast. They went from two trucks when they began to seven trucks now and 20 employees serving the greater Seattle area with heating and plumbing service and installation 24 hours a day.

They bring 7 years of prior experience in plumbing company operations to the task. They specialize in residential plumbing with a little light commercial work, focusing on the service side.

"What I like about the plumbing business is that it meets one of the most essential human needs," said Ben, "It's the preventative medicine before you have to go to the doctor. Having clean water to drink and having your sanitation needs taken care of properly really matters."

He believe in "Doing the right thing and fixing the problems permanently so they never come back."

Ben is also a teacher and trainer taking on apprentices in a program that might last six or seven years as they learn all the aspects of the industry. Plumbers are hard to find now," said Melissa,  'qualified licensed plumbers we would like to hire. We are really picky and only want to hire the best. But if someone has a resume they want to send over we will always look at it." 

They feature American Standard furnaces and Navien tankless water heaters. "Everything we install is tried and true. It's been tested by numerous plumbers for ages."

They must be doing something right because they have 134 reviews on Google and are rated at 4.8 stars which speaks highly of their reputation. 

Bee's has been growing fast by keeping customers happy and doing high quality work. They plan to keep things buzzing for a long time to come.