Snell Plumbing and Heating Serving the Virden Community and Central Illinois!

By Cindy Ladage

Snell Plumbing and Heating is located on the south side of town, and Sarah shared a bit about this busy business that serves Virden and the Central Illinois Community.

The business was started by two Snell brothers, Ed and Maury in 1974.  They were both born and raised in Virden, and Maury passed away in 2012. On their website they share a bit of the company history. “Under the watchful eye of the late Auburn Roemer, who was for many years one of the area’s most respected general contractors, the Snells founded the business on service and sold very little new equipment during those early days. The business was incorporated under the name Snell Enterprises in July of 1984. Over the years, Ed’s ability to repair refrigeration equipment that no one else would look at led to the formation of a loyal customer base, all of whom relied on Ed’s frank assessment of mechanical problems. If Ed said it wasn’t worth fixing there was seldom a question asked, unless it was “How soon can you get me a new one?”

Sarah added that the business is still family-owned and operated. “Maury’s wife Theresa is still in the office daily as well as Ed. Three of Maury and Theresa’s four children work in the business also.”

The business has grown over the years and was in several places until they moved to their present location. That was purchased in 1988 from Paul Thomas who had operated a farm and tire store at the location in the late 1960’s.  In 1997, Snell Plumbing and Heating opened a satellite branch in Litchfield on the Old Route 65. While Snell still owns the building in Litchfield, it is no longer staffed.

What services do you offer at Snell Plumbing and Heating? Sarah shared, “We are a full-service plumbing, heating and air conditioning company. From basic repairs to upgrades and replacement systems and brand-new installations in both residential and commercial. While we service all brands of equipment, we sell only the very best, high quality, new and replacement system brand names available”.

At Snell Plumbing and Heating, they are proud of the Virden roots and are involved with the local community.  “We are very involved in local events and charities. You’ll see our name or logo on youth soccer and baseball jerseys as well as on signs in the outfield. “

“Ed and Maury grew up in Virden,” Sarah said, “So, it was an obvious choice for the home base when they started Snell Plumbing & Heating. We love the tight knit community feel in small town Virden.”

She added, “It’s nice to be on a first-name basis with most of our customers. They aren’t just a voice on the other end of the line, but oftentimes we are able to put a face with the name. A large portion of our customers have been Snell customers for years, even decades”

Customers find out about Snell Plumbing and Heating mostly from good reviews of loyal customers.  “Other than supporting local organizations, Snell does very little in the way of advertising. For 50 years now our main form of advertising has been word of mouth from one customer to the next. That’s the best advertisement there is.”

While based in Virden, they operate throughout the area. “We are in the Springfield area nearly daily. We travel as far North as Williamsville and Petersburg. West to Jacksonville. East to Taylorville. South to the Gillespie/Litchfield area.”

Besides offering services in the community, at Snell Plumbing and Heating they also provide a job base for the community.  Many of their employees have been with them long term. “We currently have 20 employees,” Sarah said, adding, “About 75% of our employees live in the Virden/Girard area. The rest live anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour from our Virden office. We have employees that have been with us for over 30 years. Over half of our staff has been with us for well over a decade.”  

The Snell family recognizes that much of their success comes from their valued employees. “Through the years Snell Plumbing and Heating has established and maintained a good reputation for customer service through the cooperation of every single employee. The interest and enthusiasm each employee put into their particular job is a major factor in our success and growth. We often have customers go out of their way, by phone, email or written note, to tell us how great of a job we did with an installation project or repair. They often praise not just the knowledge or professionalism of an employee, but also how polite and friendly they are. We appreciate customers taking the time to let us know, and we couldn’t agree with them more. We really feel like we have the best of the best employees here at Snell.” 

Snell Plumbing and Heating is open from 7:30-4:30 Monday-Friday. For more information you can check out their website, https://snellonline.com. The physical address is 617 S. Springfield Street, Virden, IL 62690. Their phone number is (217)965-3911 if you have questions.