For Beetle’s Plumbing Solutions, being a family business is about more than ownership. Founded by Larry Betlejewski Jr. in 2023, the North Royalton, Ohio-based plumbing company has built its workplace around the idea that employees should have opportunities to learn, pursue their individual goals, and take pride in both their craft and the communities they serve.
The company provides same-day plumbing installations and repairs for homeowners and businesses throughout Northeast Ohio, including sewer line diagnostics, hydro-jetting, water safety checks, and emergency leak response. In just a few years, it has expanded from one service van to five and reported 40% revenue growth from 2024 to 2025.
Beetle’s Plumbing Solutions was recognized as the Top Honoree in the Culture Champions category of the 2026 CO—100, an awards program for small businesses hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Larry and his wife/co-owner Kelly credit the company's growth in part to a culture that puts its family roots and employees' well-being at the center of the business.
[Read more: Meet the 2026 CO—100 Honorees]
Building a company around family pride and purpose
At Beetle’s Plumbing, culture begins with two principles: “neighbors helping neighbors” and family pride. Those ideas influence how employees interact with customers, the standards they set for their work, and how the company approaches relationships within its own team.
That philosophy has also required the Betlejewski family to recognize the boundaries between their personal and professional lives. Kelly described one of the young company's greatest challenges as learning how to separate parenting, marriage, and business ownership while giving individual family members room to discover where their own interests and strengths lie.
“This journey taught us that a healthy business cannot exist without a healthy family, and that choosing happiness and emotional sustainability will guarantee our company’s longevity for decades to come,” said Kelly Betlejewski.
The company applies a similar philosophy to its broader team. Rather than viewing employees simply as workers filling necessary roles, Beetle’s Plumbing aims to understand their individual ambitions and give them opportunities to build careers around them.
[Read more: How Family Businesses Are Growing and Planning for the Future]
Spotlight On
Beetle's Plumbing Solutions
Beetle’s Plumbing Solutions is a family-run plumbing company serving residential and commercial customers throughout Northeast Ohio, built around personalized service, honest advice, exceptional workmanship, and a commitment to carrying forward its family legacy. The company provides a broad range of plumbing solutions, from routine repairs and drain cleaning to water heater services, sewer line repair, pipe replacement, gas line installation, emergency plumbing, and preventative maintenance. Guided by core values of loyalty, inspiration, teamwork, and education, Beetle’s Plumbing emphasizes lasting customer relationships, professional excellence, and support for the skilled trades while helping homeowners and businesses maintain safe, reliable, and efficient plumbing systems.
By focusing on helping our employees achieve their own goals rather than just hitting a company quota, we proved that genuine mentorship is the ultimate tool for building a loyal, top-tier workforce.Kelly Betlejewski, Co-Owner of Beetle's Plumbing Solutions
Investing in education and mentorship to grow the team
Beetle’s Plumbing’s commitment to its team became especially valuable when the company launched during a nationwide skilled-trades labor shortage. According to Betlejewski, plumbers approached the newly opened business about working with founder Larry Betlejewski because of his reputation for training and mentorship.
The company responded by making professional development a central part of its employee experience. Beetle’s Plumbing provides fully funded paid education, advanced certifications, and hands-on training intended to help employees expand their skills and move toward their personal career goals.
“By focusing on helping our employees achieve their own goals rather than just hitting a company quota, we proved that genuine mentorship is the ultimate tool for building a loyal, top-tier workforce,” Betlejewski said.
Learning continues through structured weekly training sessions and regular one-on-one conversations. These check-ins give technicians opportunities to discuss their career goals, educational interests, and challenges with leadership. The company can then respond with resources such as schedule adjustments for training or investments in new tools.
[Read more: How Mentorship Programs Can Give Small Businesses a Competitive Edge]
Connecting employee growth with community care
Beetle’s Plumbing also gives employees opportunities to apply their skills beyond everyday service calls. Through its involvement with the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association, the company has participated in the “Plumb and Heat the County” initiative, donating employee time, labor, and service vehicles to help low-income seniors, veterans, and families address unsafe plumbing and heating conditions. The initiative has provided inspections, repairs, and equipment installations at no charge to dozens of local families.
For Beetle’s Plumbing, these projects reinforce the connection between skilled work and community service while giving technicians another reason to take pride in their profession.
The company also recognizes employees through customer reviews, performance contests, and rewards for standout achievements, while using customer feedback—including mistakes—as a teaching tool during weekly training rather than simply as a means of discipline.
As Beetle’s Plumbing continues to grow, its approach reflects a simple belief: Building a lasting skilled-trades business requires investing not only in equipment and expansion, but in the people doing the work.
[View the full 2026 CO—100 list]
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