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In this episode of the Dominate Ductless Podcast, we sit down with Al Fagundes—owner of A. Fagundes Plumbing & Heating in Tyngsboro, MA—to dive deep into what it takes to build a family business, serve a diverse community, and stand out in the ductless revolution. Al’s infectious passion for people and his relentless focus on doing things right shine through in this candid conversation.
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“We’re not here just to fix HVAC—we’re here to solve problems and build relationships.”
“The most important tool? Your ears. Listen to your customers.”
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
Mike: Welcome to the Dominate Ductless Podcast, where we tell the stories of entrepreneurs who are building their businesses that are focused on ductless heat pumps. I’m Michael Puccio, the owner of Dominate Ductless, and I’m excited today to have a long time friend and business owner, Al Fagundes from Al’s Plumbing and Heating. Al has two locations, one in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and the second one is in Nashua, New Hampshire. Good morning, Al, how are you?
Al: Morning, how are you?
Mike: I’m great. Thank you. So, tell the audience a little bit about yourself and how you got started in the HVAC and plumbing industry that we’re in today. How did it all evolve?
Al: Well, my brother took it as a trade in Greater Lowell High School, back in ’93. So what ended up happening is, he kind of got his feet wet, and he was out there doing the work, and he asked me to go help him with a side job, which was putting in some baseboard heat. So I went with him. I was like, oh, this is pretty good. He paid me cash. I was like, oh, I felt rich.
Mike: How old were you?
Al: At this time, you know, we did this job, and I was 16.
Mike: Not that old, okay.
Al: Little 16 years old. And so I said, alright, I’m going to take the high school to be in carpentry, possibly, or to be a chef or something like that. And I decided to do plumbing. So I ended up going to school, graduated in ‘99. I had a few co-op jobs in between, and then I ended up being in the plumber’s union in Boston for three to four years. I did that, got my license, and I decided that I wanted to learn the residential side of it. I was doing a lot of big projects, working on the Big Dig, a lot of wastewater treatment plants, and I decided I was ready to learn the other side of the business, going back to residential, which I started in. Did that for a while for a couple of shops. And then I decided in 2003, just like anybody else, right, they go in the business, they think they can do it better than their boss or whatever it was.
Mike: That’s the entrepreneurial spirit.
Al: You know, I did that. My brother and I, we kind of went our separate ways after a few years. I bought him out, and I took over, and here we are today with 25 employees and two locations.
Mike: That’s fantastic.
Al: Yeah, it’s been a ride so far.
Mike: When you started on your own, was it just you in the truck, or did you have a helper at the beginning?
Al: So I’ve always worked with my dad, so my dad was working for me, and he was semi-retired, but he was there helping me out. So it was basically two guys in a truck, running around, doing work, and eventually, we started to grow, pick up a helper, and apprentice, and build from there.
Mike: And you, over the years, what challenges or key lessons did you learn as you’ve grown from that two guys in a truck to 25 employees, two locations?
Al: Biggest thing that I’ve learned, and I always try to pass this on to other people is, you know, treat people how you want to be treated. You know, hire slow, fire fast. That’s a very tough lesson to learn in this business, because sometimes you hold on to people, thinking they’re going to come around, but they never do. It’s also important to invest in your guys. Give them an opportunity to grow and succeed, give them the tools, education, training, whatever it is. They feel like they’re part of the team. They’ll stay, they’ll work hard. It’s like a big family.
Mike: I couldn’t agree more. That’s a common thread I hear from great contractors – the family atmosphere. How do you cultivate that?
Al: Honestly, it’s communication. You know, we’ll have monthly safety meetings. We always have, you know, cookouts, you know, just random stuff to bring the guys together outside of work. I genuinely care about the guys that work for me, their families, their kids. Treat them like your own family, and they’ll do anything for you.
Mike: Is there anything you do now, that you wish you’d known to do back at the start?
Al: Yeah, how to actually manage people. I was a plumber who owned a business, not a business owner who happened to be a plumber. I was working in the field, running jobs, and running the business at the same time. Eventually, I had to make the decision to come out of the field, focus on growing the business, learning how to delegate, learning how to run numbers, how to communicate with customers and staff. That transition was tough.
Mike: That’s such an important shift. I see a lot of folks struggle when they’re ready to step away from the hands-on and just lead. Was there a moment you knew you had to make that transition?
Al: My wife was actually a big part of that, pushing me to work more on the business. I was coming home so late, the kids were getting older, missing out on school stuff. I got to the point where I just couldn’t do it all. That’s when I started to hire office staff, a service manager, dispatcher, people I could trust.
Mike: That’s great. Did any of those new roles create more challenges? Sometimes, you put a new position in place and it’s not what you thought.
Al: Absolutely. We had to go through a couple dispatchers before we found the right fit – it’s all about finding people who buy into the company culture, that family feeling. Same thing with service managers. Often, they’re good at the trade, but managing people is a lot harder.
Mike: Let’s talk about your customer base. What makes your market unique?
Al: Our market is really diverse—there are Portuguese, Spanish-speaking, Cambodians, and, of course, English speakers. We have people who own triple-deckers, multifamilies, older homes, all the way to brand new construction. So, we had to learn how to communicate with every different type of customer. Sometimes we need to send in the right guy who speaks a certain language.
Mike: That’s huge – that level of service really sets you apart. When did you first get into ductless systems?
Al: We started ductless right around 2010, 2011. We began by doing a few single-head systems, but as the technology evolved and we learned more, we started to see how perfect ductless was for our older housing stock – no ductwork, or maybe you can’t get typical AC into certain spaces.
Mike: And how did you educate yourself and your team to become ductless experts?
Al: I went to a lot of manufacturer trainings—Mitsubishi, Daikin, Fujitsu. I made sure my team went as well. If you want to be the best, you have to keep learning. We keep up with new technologies, refrigerants, installation techniques. We also do a fair bit of online courses now.
Mike: What’s your favorite part about selling and installing ductless systems?
Al: Seeing the customer’s face once the system is done and working—that’s the best. People are always amazed at how quiet and comfortable their home becomes. Plus, the energy savings! They get their first electric bill and call, “Al, this is amazing!”
Mike: That’s got to feel great. Is there a particular job that stands out as especially memorable?
Al: Yeah, last year we did an old Victorian style home. It had oil heat, no central air, and the family was miserable every summer. We put in a multi-zone ductless system and they were thrilled. Their energy use dropped, the house was finally cool in summer, and warm in winter. The customer sent us a thank-you basket from Italy six months later!
Mike: That’s fantastic. What’s the biggest challenge when selling ductless to a homeowner?
Al: People sometimes think, “It looks weird on my wall,” or they worry about cost. So I walk them through all the benefits, the long-term savings, the comfort improvements. If they’re concerned about how it looks, we talk about placement, or show them different types of units.
Mike: Do you use financing options or incentives like rebates to make it easier for homeowners to say yes?
Al: Absolutely. We stay on top of every rebate program in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Mass Save, NHSaves, whatever’s out there. Financing has been huge recently—let’s face it, a full ductless install is an investment. Most people don’t want to pay all at once. So we work with different lenders, get their payments low, let them start saving energy right away.
Mike: Jumping to your team again, do you train your technicians on sales skills, or is that something you only do yourself?
Al: No, I want my team to be comfortable talking to a customer about why they need the product, explaining the features in terms the homeowner understands. We don’t train them to “sell” but to educate and help. Most people just want to be listened to and to know we care.
Mike: That’s awesome – that consultative approach really builds long-term relationships. Outside of technical ability, what do you look for when hiring new team members?
Al: Attitude, all day. I can teach anyone technical stuff. But I can’t teach respect, work ethic, honesty. If they have that, I’ll invest in teaching them the rest.
Mike: Al, that’s huge—and honestly, that’s why your business thrives. Last question for you: For someone just getting started, in any trade, what’s your best piece of advice?
Al: Show up. Be honest. Don’t cut corners—do the job like it’s your own home every single time. Keep learning, and never get cocky. That’s when mistakes happen.
Mike: That’s a perfect note to end on. Al, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing your story, your insights, and for being such a great example in our industry.
Al: Thanks, Mike. I really appreciate it. If anyone has questions, I’m always happy to help.