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MANSFIELD — Spanning from Mansfield to Las Vegas, the Goettl family has been in the home repair business for more than a century.
While the Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing franchise locations aren’t owned by the families that started them, Mansfield’s shops are still operating out of the same property from which they started.
The patriarch Karl Goettl emigrated to Mansfield in 1912 from Yugoslavia and started Goettl Brothers Plumbing Shop with his brother John.
Karl’s son Herman, who died in January, continued the family business with his son and grandson.
Herman’s son Karl Goettl Sr., 62, has worked in the family business for four decades and learned the trade as a teenager. The business offers heating, cooling, plumbing and general repairs.
Karl Goettl Jr. recently started his own LLC operating from the same office as his father. The property on South Mulberry Street is where the business first started in 1919 and where it still operates out of an updated facility.
“My dad always said it’s good to stay small,” Goettl Sr. said. “There’s plenty of businesses that are big and prosperous, but we like where we are and we help each other out a lot.”
Goettl Sr. said he takes care of most plumbing calls and his son handles more roof and spouting work. Each of them completes heating and cooling services.
“We each help each other out on stuff,” Goettl Jr. said. “Technically, we are separate businesses — he can do most things himself and I can do most things myself — but it’s nice to have a partner on the bigger projects.”
Goettl Jr. said the team’s priority is customer service.
“We want to take care of people’s issues without any problems,” he said, “and make sure people are happy with our service and comfortable with us in their homes.”
Goettl Jr. and his wife, Ilea, are working to expand the Goettl Brothers’ presence online and on Facebook. The father-and-son team usually takes service calls between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but Goettl Jr. said they can be flexible.
“If someone’s furnace goes out at night, I’ll try to get out there,” the 30-year-old said.
Goettl Brothers serves Richland County and the surrounding areas. Staying close to home was an incentive for Goettl Jr. to start his own business.
“I did commercial work for over four years at a bigger company and I got tired of going out of town all the time,” he said. “Growing up in the family business, it’s hard to shake that.”
Goettl Jr. said his younger brother might join the father-and-son team in the future.
“I think Grandpa would be happy to see that it’s still operating and family-owned,” Goettl Jr. said. “Before he passed, I talked to him about going on my own, and I think he would be happy that we’re trying to keep it going and using his tools.”
Goettl Jr. is the fourth-generation family member to work at Goettl Brothers. He said his 18-month-old, Edwin, likes to copy his handiwork at a toy workbench.
“Anytime I’m working around the house or something, he wants to be involved,” the father said. “But even when he gets older, we won’t put pressure on him to take the business over. You’ve got to find your own niche and interests.”
Goettl Brothers aims to offer quality and affordable plumbing, heating, spouting and sheet metal work, while honoring the Goettl name and trade.
The business is offering free estimates through April 12 to celebrate Goettl Jr.’s launch. To contact Goettl Jr., call 419-989-8102. Goettl Sr.’s phone number is 419-989-3420.
My Great Grandma Thomas was the sister of the Goettl brothers. I love hearing about their history. I honestly know more about the brothers (Bill and Gus) that moved out to Arizona and improved the swamp cooler. They had Goettl Air and Goettl’s Metal’s until i believe until the late 60’s. Although they sold the business, the new owner’s kept the name.
I was wondering if an Adelaide Goettl was a member of your family? She interviewed me for a job at ThermODisc in 1983. She was such a pretty and classy woman.