What Does "Locally-Owned" Really Mean?

Many businesses across the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industries tout themselves as “local” to drum up business, but what do they mean by that? And how do you, as a customer, determine if these businesses are telling the truth? We don’t just say things like “family-owned” and “locally operated” to pay lip service—Here are just a handful of ways we proudly embody what it means to actually be a local business! 

We Live and Work in the Community We Serve

The Rentmeister family has been providing HVAC and plumbing services that cater to the community we live in for over 70 years. In fact, the Syracuse Heritage Museum was started by the Rentmeister family in their home! We’re proud to be a family-owned and operated company that provides for 40+ outstanding employees. 

We Refuse to Be Bought Out

For some businesses, the words “locally-owned” are just a sales tactic to take advantage of consumers who care about supporting their community. A number of local Utah businesses in our industry have been purchased by large corporate private-equity firms, while keeping their original name to keep up the “locally-owned” facade while up-charging and deceiving customers. The Utah Plumbing and Heating Contractor’s Association, of which we are a member, has compiled a list of them here: https://uphca.net/2023/03/30/locally-owned-operated/. Rentmeister remains a 3^rd generation, family-owned and operated company with roots in this community.

We Participate in Our Community

Each year our employees volunteer their time and effort to sponsor the Syracuse Heritage Days Annual Pancake Breakfast. In recent years, we’ve helped raise funds to support the Utah 1033 Foundation to preserve the memory of fallen local peace officers and the North Davis Project Illumination to uplift our community through mental health education. We have sponsored four different high schools, two junior high schools, two elementary schools, Syracuse Arts, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and youth sports programs. We have also donated several heating and cooling systems to community members that would otherwise not have heat for the winter. We continue our efforts daily through our active participation as members of the West Davis Chamber of Commerce, which strives to support this community through local business. Our own Ryan Rentmeister taught at Davis Technical College for over 18 years!

We Participate in Our Industry

We care about helping not just our community, but our industry as a whole, thrive. We are active members of UPHCA®, the largest and only independent subcontractor association representing the plumbing & HVAC industry in the State of Utah. We are also proud participating members of the Rocky Mountain Gas Association, the Utah Plumbing and Heating Contractor’s Association (UPHCA), the Utah Home Builders Association (HBA), and the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission (UBCC). In addition, we are members of both the ACCA® (Air Conditioning Contractors of America) and NAHB® (National Association of Home Builders) ensuring that the Utah State codes, building laws, and regulations are in-line with industry standards for commercial and residential safety and health. We’re proud to have five ACCA® certified designers on our staff when many HVAC companies don’t even have one.

When you choose Rentmeister for your plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and other home service needs, you’re supporting a genuine family-owned, local business. Plus, our commitment to keeping it in the family and doing business the old-fashioned way saves our customers money (and potential headaches) on all services and equipment. We are so thankful and honored to be a part of this community, not just a business located here. We look forward to continuing to serve for many years to come.