L.J. Kruse Company

What L.J. Kruse Company does

L.J. Kruse Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned plumbing, HVAC, and new construction services firm headquartered in Berkeley, California, in continuous operation since 1916. The company serves residential and commercial customers across nine San Francisco Bay Area counties (San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Sonoma, and Marin) through three integrated service lines. Plumbing Services covers drain cleaning, leak detection, sewer line repair and replacement, repiping, garbage disposal, faucet and toilet work, and commercial plumbing; HVAC Services covers AC and heating repair and installation, boiler services, and commercial HVAC; New Construction Services covers design-build, plan-and-specification project delivery, BIM/computer modeling, and maintenance agreements. The service department operates 10+ technicians dispatched from a LEED Gold-certified facility at 920 Pardee Street, with phone-based and online scheduling. Technology is conventional for the trade: drain camera inspection, hydro jetting, acoustic and infrared leak detection, trenchless pipe bursting, and BIM-based project coordination.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional services on a transactional and project basis, augmented by a subscription-based Membership Plan tier (Plumbing $150, Furnace $200, Boiler $280, HVAC $280, combined "The Works" packages $300-$380 annually) that delivers scheduled tuneups, priority booking, and 5-15% discounts on repairs. GreenSky financing is offered for higher-ticket jobs. Customer acquisition relies on local SEO (Google Business Profile with 200+ reviews), content marketing through the company's blog, Facebook community engagement, and a community partnership with the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society. No software product, mobile app, or public API is offered; the business is a pure regional field service operator.

The firm is led by fourth-generation family members Nathan Kruse (CEO, also on the NORCAL MCA Board), Benjamin Kruse (VP/Project Manager, University of Vermont BS), and Will Kruse (VP/Service Manager, Boston University journalism degree). David Krue (former President 1986-2015) serves as Chairman; Andy Kruse (former President 2015-2022) sits on the Board. The company is a member of Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Local 342 and holds California contractor license #405523 covering plumbing (C-36), HVAC (C-20), and boiler (C-4) work. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company is an independent, family-owned private entity with no external parent, private equity ownership, or subsidiaries.

Name

L.J. Kruse Company

Legal name

L.J. Kruse Company

Website

https://ljkruse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

L.J. Kruse Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned plumbing, HVAC, and new construction services firm founded in 1916 in Berkeley, California, serving residential and commercial customers across nine San Francisco Bay Area counties through field service, membership plans, and design-build project delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plumbing & HVAC Contracting

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600)

akta.pro primary industry

HVAC & Refrigeration Contracting (IMAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plumbing & Pipefitting Contracting (IMAFALAC), HVAC Installation, Service & Repair (IMAIABAA)

Keywords

• Plumbing services
• HVAC services
• Residential plumbing
• Commercial HVAC
• New construction plumbing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Plumbing Services: One-time and recurring plumbing services including drain cleaning, leak detection, sewer line repair, repiping, garbage disposal, faucet replacement, and toilet repair. Revenue generated from service calls, repairs, and installations for residential and commercial customers.
2. HVAC Services: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services including AC repair, AC installation, furnace repair, boiler services, and commercial HVAC. Revenue generated from service calls, repairs, installations, and replacements.
3. New Construction & Remodeling: Commercial construction, engineering, BIM services, and design-build projects for new construction and remodeling. Revenue generated from project-based contracts.
4. Membership Plans: Annual membership subscriptions offering peace of mind with scheduled maintenance, priority booking, and discounts on repairs. Options include Plumbing Membership ($150), Furnace Only ($200), Boiler Membership ($280), HVAC Only ($280), and combination packages ($300-$380).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

L.J. Kruse Company provides residential and commercial plumbing, heating, cooling, and boiler services across the San Francisco Bay Area. The company delivers repair, installation, and maintenance work through union-trained technicians dispatched from its Berkeley headquarters, and also performs new construction, design-build, plan-and-specification, and BIM-supported plumbing and HVAC projects. Annual membership subscriptions and GreenSky-financed payment plans are offered alongside the core service work.

Product overview

L.J. Kruse Company is a family-owned plumbing, heating, and cooling service company offering a comprehensive suite of residential and commercial services. The core offerings consist of three integrated service divisions: Plumbing Services (drain cleaning, leak detection, sewer line repair, repiping, fixture installation, and commercial plumbing), HVAC Services (AC repair/installation, heating repair/installation, boiler services, and commercial HVAC), and New Construction Services (design-build, plan and specification projects, BIM/computer modeling, and maintenance agreements). The company also offers subscription-based Membership Plans providing annual maintenance benefits including tuneups, inspections, and priority booking. Financing is available through a partnership with GreenSky. The portfolio is delivered as service-based offerings rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plumbing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Every service dispatch donates $3 to Berkeley Humane Society
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Berkeley-East Bay Humane SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership where LJ Kruse fosters rescue dogs every Thursday and donates $3 for every service dispatch to support homeless animals. Company has been fostering pups for over a decade as part of their community outreach.
• Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Local 342coreOthersLJ Kruse is a proud member of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Local 342. The union provides ongoing training, education, and support to ensure technicians are equipped with the latest skills and knowledge for top-quality service delivery.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lee Company: Family-owned regional mechanical services firm in the Southeast offering residential HVAC, plumbing, and new-construction services. Directly comparable in family-ownership structure, multi-trade service mix, and project-plus-service revenue model.
• Roto-Rooter: National plumbing and drain-cleaning service franchise with a comparable residential and commercial service model. Closest direct competitor to L.J. Kruse's plumbing and drain-clearing core, with overlapping technician-dispatch economics.
• ARS / Rescue Rooter: Multi-brand residential HVAC, plumbing, and drain services operator (ARS, Rescue Rooter). Closest direct peer combining plumbing + HVAC service under a union-friendly, technician-dispatched model with a national footprint.
• Benjamin Franklin Plumbing: National plumbing franchise with the same direct-to-consumer, technician-dispatched service model. Comparable in revenue mix (one-time service plus maintenance agreements) and customer segments to L.J. Kruse.
• Mr. Rooter Plumbing: Neighborly-branded plumbing franchise operating a residential and light-commercial service model nearly identical to L.J. Kruse's plumbing division, with technician dispatch and project-based revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Carrier Global: Global HVAC equipment manufacturer and service provider with a residential HVAC service arm. Comparable on the HVAC side of L.J. Kruse's business, but operates primarily as an equipment manufacturer with national service networks rather than a regional specialist.
• ServiceMaster (American Home Shield / Terminix brands): Large public/home-services platform offering HVAC, plumbing, and home-warranty subscriptions. Comparable through the recurring-membership and home-services overlap, but operates at vastly greater scale and as a broad portfolio rather than a regional specialist.
• Trane Technologies: Global HVAC and refrigeration manufacturer with a U.S. residential services and dealer network. Overlaps with L.J. Kruse on the HVAC installation and replacement side, but at much larger scale and with a product-led model.

Regional players

• John Moore Services: Texas-based residential plumbing, HVAC, and electrical service company. Closely comparable operating model — multi-trade residential service, union/skilled labor, membership plans — but operates exclusively in the Houston/Dallas markets rather than the Bay Area.
• Beutler Air Conditioning & Plumbing: Long-standing family-owned HVAC and plumbing service company in Northern California. Comparable in multi-trade residential service mix, family-ownership history, and union-trained labor model, but Sacramento-focused rather than Bay Area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/L.J.KruseCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/l-j-kruse-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 L.J. Kruse Company