The Drain Brain
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday January 22, 1998
But don't mind if his plumbers kick off their shoes - it's all part of the service, writes Cerentha Harris.
Talk to Gary Mezei, the power behind the budding plumbing empire Drain Savers, and you get the feeling he listens to the Rocky theme song regularly. This man is inspired about his work. Where most people see dripping taps, clogged toilets and grease traps, Mezei sees revolution, fran-chises and national name recognition.
At 32, Mezei owns and runs Drain Savers, a company he hopes will revolutionise the way we view plumbers. He employs five hand-picked, highly trained plumbers who operate on a roster system so that someone is available 24 hours a day. It's important to Mezei that his employees share his vision. An intense man with a 150-watt grin, he insists his plumbers "have to want to belong to something, to want to better themselves and be open to change. Work needs to be a place they look forward to going to."
Mezei grew up in Bondi, the second of three boys. At 15, he left school and apprenticed himself to a plumber: "I saw plumbing as a trade that, although it had been around for a long time, hadn't really developed." Whether the 15-year-old Mezei saw potential in the plumbing industry or just needed a job isn't clear. What is crystal clear, however, is that, whatever he chose to do, he was bound to succeed. Tom Hopkins's The Official Guide to Success stands prominently on Mezei's office bookshelf and he has attended more business seminars and talks than he can remember.
During his early plumbing years Mezei didn't love the work; as he points out, it's a pretty thankless job. But, 17 years later, he's in a position to make a difference. "I looked at what I didn't like and I changed it. Basically I've listened to the customers, heard them complain that plumbers look messy and never clean up after themselves. And people felt uncomfortable letting a stranger into their homes."
Mezei created procedures that start in the office with the affable Dino Destefani, who answers the phone and whose job it is to put every potential customer instantly at ease.
Next step is the plumbers. Mezei has set up simple guidelines for each to follow. When they arrive at your house they lay a mat at the door (it reads "We Care") and they replace their shoes with slippers. Their uniforms are neatly pressed and they wear photo IDs. They explain exactly what the problem is and what they are going to do about it, and give an estimate of the cost. They clean up afterwards.
It's a simple recipe for success. Since it was established in 1989, Drain Savers has done thousands of jobs throughout Sydney. Mezei's plumbers hand out customer survey cards, and flipping through the pile there's one glowing report after another - efficient, punctual, fast and courteous.
Mezei baulks at the suggestion that this amounts to a more American approach to business. "Look, I've studied and worked in America and the Americans are very good at service. What's different here is that we've created that level of service - we go beyond what people expect - but we are down to earth about it. That's the Australian approach."
Like all good self-made men, Mezei has his goals clearly laid out. "I see myself running a national operation."
He intends to sell Drain Savers franchises. "I've just been in Perth checking out the plumbing industry. They're ahead of Sydney in terms of service, but there still needs to be a national plumbing company, a brand name that Australian people can rely on."
If Mezei has anything to do with it, it will be Drain Savers.
Drain Savers, Shops 1-7 Curlewis Street, Bondi 2026. 9365 6665.
© 1998 Sydney Morning Herald
