VINCE & TREY GIGLIO
Universal Plumbing 2705 Linwood Ave, Shreveport, LA 71103 (318) 631-3844
Tradition. Values. Service. These are the hallmarks of business for Universal Plumbing in Shreveport.
The second and third generation fatherand-son-duo of Vince and Trey Giglio work hard to continue these facets of business that Vince’s father, Vince Sr., instilled in him so long ago. “My dad started the business back in 1946, and so I came into the business when the old school plumbers were just starting to go out,” Vince said. “With the trade, we try to instill some of the morals and respect of the business that an employer should have, which a lot of that is lacking in the industry. We work with morals and respect, and that’s a lost art.” Universal Plumbing began 69 years ago in a small shop. “To think that this company has opened the door every day since 1946 is pretty impressive. The business started in a garage over on Park Avenue where Galilee Baptist Church is now, then moved to Texas Street, and then moved here,” Vince said. They have been in their location on Linwood Avenue for 50 years. Universal offers professional plumbing service including repair, remodel, addition and installations. They serve the Northwest Louisiana region, with licensure and capabilities to serve all of Louisiana and Texas. Universal is a multi-faceted company with licensure in mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building construction and municipal/public works. Vince’s son, Trey, has expanded the business with his level of education and licensure. “I knew I wanted to do something that could make the company better. I realized there was something that I could do to add value. I knew I wanted to go into mechanical engineering,” Trey said. He attended Texas A&M University and received a degree in mechanical engineering but also holds six master trade licenses within the state of Louisiana, and his father is very proud of his accomplishments. “Trey is unique in that he was top in class at school and received special honors, but he also holds a lot of licenses from the state of Louisiana. For his age, he’s probably the first person to hold that many licenses in the state,” Vince said.
Trey’s education creates the opportunity to expand the service they offer their customers. “Not only can we do these larger-scale projects, but we can also do design build work and create all the blueprints in house. Then we can go out and perform the work we design, which streamlines the process. We can do everything under one roof,” Trey said. “We are one of the only companies in the state that has our combination of licenses. That makes us pretty unique in the variety of work we can do. Today we are very much a multi-faceted company. We still do residential service, we do commercial service, we do commercial new construction and we do utility work. We are also licensed to do your conditioning, electrical work, and building construction. We don’t practice in all of those areas, but we are licensed in them in case one of our projects runs into other trades, we are still able to do them,” Trey said. Universal Plumbing provides the best service to the Shreveport-Bossier City area. “We are very community-focused here in Shreveport and proud to be here. We volunteer a lot of time in organizations, including the Independence Bowl, which we are very heavily involved in. We are also involved with the Military Affairs Council, and we do a lot of work with the Barksdale Air Show,” Trey said. “We are also heavily involved in Holiday in Dixie through the ambassadors program.” Universal Plumbing has also received praise in the industry. “We were named Small Business of the Year by The Forum in 2010, and in 2013, we were named the Re/Max Real Estate Vendor of the Year,” Trey said. “In 2011, we went on to be named the Louisiana Business of the Year. We are pretty proud of that and went down to Baton Rouge to receive the award, which is given by the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, and the governor actually signs and presents the award. In 2010, we were in Business Week magazine as a Top 100 inner city company. They recognize the fastest growing inner-citybased companies in the country,” Trey said.
“The service industry has a reputation that we strive to dispel every day. The reputation is that of not being reliable, or trying to gouge the customer, and so we’ve got to go in there and prove that we are not that stereotype of a company that a lot of people have in their brains when it comes to calling a contractor. Having those recognitions help us.”
For the Giglios, owning and running Universal Plumbing isn’t just part of the family history, it’s something they have built as a family legacy -- together. “It’s a great relationship. We focus on two different areas of the company, so that we have our hands involved in every aspect of the operation. We complement each other well. We have different strong points in different areas, so where one is weak in one area of the other makes up for. It makes for one solid foundation for the company,” Trey said. Vince is proud of where the business has gone and is looking forward to the future. “We’ve been dedicated to this company from the old school that has been essential to this company’s success, and it started with my dad. I took it up to another level after my dad had it, and I took over, and now Trey will take it up to a level above this. I think that’s how this is supposed to work -- tradition from back in the day and keeping those values going,” Vince said. For more information about Universal Plumbing, visit their website at www. universalplumbingco.com or call 631- 3844.
