“ They worked together that way for about 20 years. In 1970, my brother, Joseph Magnolia, got involved in the business. He became the youngest master plumber in the Washington Metropolitan area, and once he’ d developed his technical skills, he also took an active role in running the business.
“ I went to the University of Tampa, in Florida, and eventually we bought Leonard out of the business, so that my father, brother, and I could share ownership. My father retained a 50 percent share, while my brother and I picked up 25 percent each.
“ From there, the company continued to grow. It was still a relatively small operation when we stepped in. We had about 50 employees and remained a local business. Sadly, my father passed away in 1982, and after that my brother and I took over the entire company. We’ ve continued to grow at a steady rate— we now employ over 400 people and have diversified into construction services.
“ We’ re one of the most versatile plumbing and mechanical contractors in Washington DC. We apply our skills in a variety of different ways, and our portfolio of work is very
diverse as a result. We can offer stormwater management services, sewer system support, and building utility maintenance, new construction for plumbing, mechanical and site utilities. We really do it all.
“ On top of that, we are fully equipped to service any systems or machinery that we install. This means we can offer lifetime support to our customers, which makes us a pretty unique company.”
Specialist services
Simultaneously staying true to its roots, and branching out beyond them, Magnolia Companies offers a range of specialist plumbing and mechanical services. As John details:“ We do plumbing and mechanical work, including installation, emergency services and site utilities. We also offer internal and underground services, with 10 utility crews available for work throughout the Washington DC area.
“ We operate a large plumbing division that specializes in stormwater management. This involves municipal pumping, which essentially means taking the stormwater, separating the oil and water, and redirecting the debris.
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