Sterling Plumbing

What Sterling Plumbing does

Sterling Plumbing Inc is a Southern California residential plumbing contractor founded in 1965 and headquartered at 3111 W. Central Ave., Santa Ana, CA. The company installs plumbing, gas, water, and waste systems for new-construction residential projects and provides ongoing maintenance, repair, and 24/7 emergency service to homeowners, with service coverage across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties plus the Temecula area. Its enterprise customer base includes national homebuilders such as Lennar, KB Home, PulteGroup, K. Hovnanian, Shea Homes, D.R. Horton, and Meritage Homes, alongside architectural partners such as R.A. Architects, while a separate direct-to-consumer channel serves individual homeowners with service requests submitted via phone or online form.

The business model is straightforward trade-services revenue: new-construction installation contracts with builders, plus maintenance, repair, water-heater servicing, water filtration, water treatment, and greywater installation jobs for homeowners. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and quotes are issued on request; plumber compensation is disclosed at $20-$30 per hour for 3+ years of experience, indicating a labor-cost-anchored service model. Sterling is 100% employee-owned through an ESOP, with each employee becoming eligible for ownership after 1,000 hours worked. The technology footprint is minimal: a website, contact forms, and direct phone/email channels; there are no proprietary software platforms, APIs, or AI capabilities. Note that an industry source references a "Sterling Plumbing Group" acquired by Kohler Co. in Q2 2024; company history explicitly flags that entity as distinct from Sterling Plumbing Inc, so it is not included in this analysis.

Name

Sterling Plumbing

Legal name

Sterling Plumbing Inc

Website

https://sterlingplumbinginc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sterling Plumbing Inc is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) Southern California plumbing contractor, founded in 1965 and based in Santa Ana, that installs plumbing, gas, water, and waste systems for national homebuilders and provides 24/7 maintenance and emergency service to homeowners across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Plumbing Services

NAICS

Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (23822), Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (238220)

akta.pro primary industry

Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting (IMAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pipe Installation, Repair & Repiping (HSAOAAAB), Mechanical Piping, Pumps & Hydronics Maintenance (BPABACAB)

Keywords

• Residential plumbing installation
• Plumbing maintenance services
• Emergency plumbing repair
• New construction plumbing
• Water filtration systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Plumbing Installation Services: New construction plumbing installation for residential builders. Includes design, installation, and warranty support for plumbing systems in new home builds.
2. Maintenance and Repair Services: Ongoing maintenance services including tankless water heater maintenance, water filtration systems, greywater systems, gas systems, waste systems, and water systems. 24/7 emergency service available.
3. Home Systems Installation: Installation services for tankless water heaters, water softeners, water conditioners, reverse osmosis systems, greywater systems, and other home plumbing infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sterling Plumbing Inc designs, installs, and maintains residential plumbing systems for new-construction homebuilders and homeowners across Southern California. Its core work covers gas, water, and waste systems, with supporting services for tankless water heaters, water filtration and softening, reverse osmosis, greywater recycling, and 24/7 emergency plumbing response. The company operates as a licensed plumbing contractor with field service teams deployed throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties.

Product overview

Sterling Plumbing Inc is a service-based plumbing company offering a unified portfolio of installation and maintenance services for residential builders and homeowners. Core offerings include plumbing systems design and installation, supported by complementary maintenance services for tankless water heaters, water filtration systems (including softeners, conditioners, reverse osmosis, and under-counter systems), greywater recycling systems, gas systems, waste systems, and water systems. The company provides 24/7 emergency plumbing services and positions itself as a warranty-team partner for builders throughout Southern California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plumbing Systems Design and Installation
• Tankless Water Heater Services
• Water Filtration Systems
• Greywater System Services
• Gas System Services
• Waste System Services Services covering ABS systems, pipe expansion, backwater valve installation, and drainage stoppages.
• Water System Services Services for water pressure regulators, anti-siphons, tub and shower installations, re-circulating systems, and shut off valve maintenance.
• Emergency Plumbing Services 24/7 emergency response for nonfunctioning waste, water, and gas systems, available across Southern California.

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kohler Co.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Kohler Co. acquired Sterling Plumbing Group in Q2 2024, making Sterling a subsidiary under the Kohler portfolio of kitchen and bath brands. This acquisition is part of Kohler's broader growth strategy in the plumbing industry, alongside their other major brands like KOHLER, Moen, and Kallista.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing: Goettl is a regional plumbing and HVAC service provider operating across the Southwestern US (Arizona, Nevada, Southern California). Comparable to Sterling as a Southwest-focused residential plumbing and HVAC service company, though more diversified across HVAC and different geographies.
• Service Champions Heating & Air Conditioning & Plumbing: Service Champions is a Southern California residential plumbing and HVAC service company serving Orange County, LA, and Riverside/San Bernardino counties. A direct regional competitor to Sterling with comparable homeowner-focused plumbing service and emergency offerings.

Broad incumbents

• HomeServe USA: HomeServe is a national home services and home warranty provider that dispatches plumbing repair work to a network of contractors across the US. Adjacent to Sterling as a buyer of residential plumbing service demand, with overlap in water heater and emergency repair categories.
• Neighborly Inc. Neighborly is the parent company of Mr. Rooter, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, and several other home-service franchises. Relevant as the umbrella organization whose plumbing brands compete most directly with Sterling's residential service line across the US.

Direct peers

• Benjamin Franklin Plumbing: Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is another Neighborly franchise focused on residential plumbing installation, repair, and drain cleaning with a strong emphasis on punctual, on-time service. Comparable to Sterling in customer base (homeowners and builders) and core residential plumbing service portfolio.
• ARS / Rescue Rooter: ARS operates multi-state residential plumbing, HVAC, and drain cleaning service businesses including the Rescue Rooter brand. Comparable to Sterling as a directly competing plumbing service provider serving both homeowners and new-construction customers in California.
• Roto-Rooter: Roto-Rooter is the largest US residential and commercial plumbing service franchise, offering drain cleaning, plumbing repair, and water-damage restoration. Comparable to Sterling as a direct residential plumbing service competitor, though it operates at national scale versus Sterling's regional focus.
• Mr. Rooter Plumbing: Mr. Rooter is a Neighborly-owned residential and commercial plumbing franchise with a similar maintenance, repair, and new-construction installation offering. Directly comparable on customer segment (homeowners and builders) and service mix to Sterling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sterlingplumbin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-plumbing-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sterling Plumbing