By FRED KRONER
It’s not about money.
It’s not even about finding something to do.
It’s about people. It’s about community. It’s about doing what feels right in your heart.
It’s really about Chuck Thompson coming out of retirement and getting back into a business where he devoted more than three decades of his life.
Come Monday (March 6), Thompson will again be employed in the heating and air-conditioning profession.
The former P & P owner (before retiring in 2021), Thompson will join forces with Tim Culver at a workplace he owns that has been known as Classic Plumbing for the past 13 years.
Culver’s business is being rebranded as Classic Plumbing and Air. Thompson will be an integral part of the transition as Classic offers HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning) sales and service for the first time.
Independently, Culver and Thompson had similar thoughts circulating in their minds.
“When P & P closed (in the spring of 2022), I saw that Mahomet needed a locally-based, family-owned HVAC company,” Culver said. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Mahomet needed us to put together an HVAC side.”
For Thompson, that was his area of expertise. He was well aware of the void that existed in the community as Williamson Plumbing and Heating had also previously closed their doors after more than a century of operation.
“Numerous (former) customers had contacted me about getting back in the business,” Thompson said. “I hadn’t planned on it.
“I’m almost 68 and I can’t do work like I used to.”
The people who had reached out to Thompson were more than individuals for whom he had done work in the past.
“After 27 years (with P & P), customers become friends,” Thompson said. “You see them a couple times a year, and you visit.
“I feel like Mahomet deserves to have a hometown heating and air-conditioning business.”
Thompson, however, hadn’t seen a way forward.
“I’d been praying what to do and how to do it,” he said.
In early February, Culver made contact.
“It was an answer from God,” Thompson said.
Culver got more than he was bargaining for when he called Thompson.
“I originally thought he might know someone else (to recommend),” Culver said. “I didn’t know he would want to come out of retirement.”
Thompson, who has been spending time with five grandchildren who live in Central Illinois as well as volunteering at Camp Kiwanis and the Cornbelt Fire Station for almost two years, wouldn’t have left a more leisurely life to work for just anyone.
He and Culver had met on different occasions when they were at the same job site, Culver for plumbing and Thompson for HVAC.
“Tim is a guy of integrity,” Thompson said. “We worked together on some jobs, and we talked while trying to stay out of each other’s way.
“I saw the quality work he was doing. We had a working relationship.”
It got to the point, Culver said, where a strong trust and confidence was created.
“I told people who needed HVAC to see him, and he told people that needed plumbers to call us,” said Culver, who became a fan of Thompson’s mastery of his specialized craft.
“I call him Mr. Thompson,” Culver said. “I said, ‘We’re not peers. You have a level of expertise and maturity that I will never have.’”
In particular, Culver liked that he saw many of his own traits in Thompson, such as a no-cutting-corners approach.
“He always followed through and did what he said he would do,” Culver said. “He was the first man in the office in the morning and the last to go home. And, the first to answer the phone after he went home.
“It’s a level of taking care of responsibilities that is unparalleled. I see Chuck as an amazing individual. P & P was a pillar in Mahomet that people trusted. I want to preserve his legacy and make sure Mahomet residents get a fair and honest product.”
Culver said that being particular in his hires will pay dividends down the road.
“We have the most professional, kindest and knowledgeable people in plumbing,” Culver said. “It’s not just about doing work.
“It comes down to the right people who can answer questions and allow customers to make decisions in a no-pressure situation.
“We want people of character, people of skill and people that work well in a team setting.”
Thompson’s duties for Classic Plumbing and Air will include serving as a sales manager and estimator. He expects to immerse himself in the work.
“When we get a lead, I will do the first sales call,” Thompson said. “I intend to go out with the service guy and put my face back out there.”
Culver has hired an installer, who starts work on Monday (March 13), and he expects to hit the ground running.
“We’ll begin bidding projects,” Culver said, “and be prepared to install beginning March 13.
“We’ll have another HVAC who will install the product. I want (Thompson) to focus on the process and the product.
“He will usually be the first person people talk to. He will be on-site to see that the work is done properly and, after the work is completed, he will do a walk-through.”
Thompson said there will soon be less uncertainty in his days.
“Before it was, ‘What do I do today?’” he said. “This has given me a purpose and a little more focus.
“I don’t want to work 50-60 hours a week, but I’d like 30-40 hours and to give back to the community that has been so good to me.”
Culver understands the need to have a life away from work.
“I want to respect the boundaries and be respectful that he has other commitments,” Culver said. “This is a once-in-a-career opportunity for me.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to have him to lean on when I face decisions.”
Thompson is ready to be busy.
“Hopefully we can regain some old (P & P) customers,” he said.
Thompson said his new job will help him deal with the frustrations which have languished during the past year.
“I was surprised that the company I worked so hard for (for 27 years) was gone within a year-and-a-half (of his retirement),” Thompson said. “It was a little heartbreaking.”
While his business will become more diverse, Culver said one of the staples he provides will remain a fixture.
“We offer a two-year warranty on plumbing work, which is the best in the area, and we will offer that on HVAC as well,” said Culver, who is anxious for the expansion to take place. “Everything the last 13 years has been building to this moment.”
Thompson, meanwhile, has one job from which he has yet to retire. He is one of the people responsible for the fireworks displays held annually at Lake of the Woods.
This year will mark his 42nd year of involvement. Organizers have gone away from fireworks on the actual holiday again this year and opted for a display on Friday (June 30), instead of the following Tuesday (July 4).
