Testimonials
The fire sprinkler, HVAC, and plumbing business was started by three men almost 30 years ago. Today, CFO and COO Mark Evans hopes to carry on his father’s legacy of a growing business.
Mark Evans was in high school when his father started Protech Mechanical Contractors, Inc., in Landisville, along with two other men.
At that time of its founding, Protech specialized in plumbing and fire sprinkler system design and installation. Protech later added an HVAC division in 2004 to expand the services offered to its growing customer base.
Now, almost 30 years later, the fire sprinkler, HVAC, and plumbing business serves commercial clients within about an hour of their location. And Evans, who initially passed on being part of the business to pursue his law degree, is one of four new owners, three of who are related to the original owners.
“I was proud of the work my father and the others had done to start their own business,” he says. “One of their first hires is still an employee here, and we work with many of the initial clients they brought into the business. I think that speaks well of the foundation they laid and the type of business they were able to build.”
Changing Hands
It was early 2020 when discussions of succession first came up. Evans and the other new owners started looking for financial intuitions to help finance their plans. They decided to move forward with PeoplesBank to finance the ownership transition. He went on vacation to catch some spring training baseball and came back to the COVID-19 lockdown.
“It certainly changed our plans at that moment,” he says. “Other things became a bigger priority, like making sure we could weather the pandemic.” When they reached a point where they were ready to pick back up the succession plan, PeoplesBank was there for them — again.
“PeoplesBank gave us the professional guidance we needed, as well as the financial security to know that we were going to have a successful succession plan,” Evans says.
Now, he’s focusing on the long-term outlook for the business, getting creative in how to attract and train new talent and working on continuing the legacy of his father and his partners.
“No matter what lies ahead, I know we have a trusted partner in PeoplesBank to help us,” he says. “That empowers me to focus on what’s next.”
Are you interested in learning more about how PeoplesBank can help your business? Talk to one of our Financial Mentors today via a video call and let us help you achieve your dreams and reach your goals.