Dave and Colleen Weltz picking up their new American Caddy Vac in Lewiston, Idaho
On their recent trip to Lewiston, Idaho, we got a chance to sit down and visit with Dave and Colleen Weltz just before they drove their new American Caddy Vac back to Bismarck, North Dakota.
The name of their Air Duct Cleaning business is Dick’s Vacuum Service. The business was founded in 1979 by Colleen’s dad, Dick Letteer. It’s always been a family owned business, with Dick running the business and his wife, Janice running the office. Dave Weltz was working for Colleen’s dad, and he and Colleen got married in 1993. In 1996, Dave and Colleen purchased the business and it remains in the family still today. Dick would always be available for advice regarding the business. Dave now runs the business and Colleen and her daughter Michaela manage the office even though they both have full time jobs elsewhere. Dave and Colleen’s son, Aanders (16), even steps in and works in the business at times too.
Along with the family, the business employs 4 full-time and one half-tme employees. Bismarck is right in the middle of North Dakota and they operate primarily in the western half of the state.
In the early days of the business, Dick used a number of systems for cleaning. He was a very good mechanic, so he purchased used Pringle vacuum trucks and would re-design and re-build them to suit his purposes. Dave still uses some of those systems today in certain applications.
After meeting Mac Mattoon from American Caddy Vac at some conferences, Dave and Colleen purchased another used Pringle from him in the early 2000’s. The relationship grew, and in 2012 they purchased their first new American Caddy Vac.
Dave says, “With the American Caddy Vac we do most of the commercial jobs from the middle of the state to the West. The Eastern part of the state is serviced by some companies in Minnesota. We get calls from people in other parts of the state who see our trucks and want to know where we got them!”
Their first American Caddy Vac has the automatic bag door, which is one of their favorite features, so they included that option on their new Caddy Vac as well. Dave says having options is critical to his business: “We really like the fact that American Caddy Vac offers so many options and we try to load up on them. I had a rep from another company come by to try to sell me a rig, but it wasn’t customizable so I showed him the door. We need to be able to get the features that work for our business and American Caddy Vac offers that. But the main feature that really stands out to us is that these trucks work and work and work. They hardly ever need anything repaired! Our 2012 has had one hinge break in the last 7 years, and I don’t think we’ve had anything else break!”
Dave does remember one time when he thought something was wrong. A few years after he purchased his first Caddy Vac, he needed to remove some insulation. That’s a job he normally would have used some of his older equipment for, but on this job he needed to use the Caddy Vac. He knew there was supposed to be a bypass chute, but he had never seen one on the truck. He called Mac to ask him about it. Mac directed him to a storage compartment he had never actually used… sure enough, the insulation bypass chute had been there all along!
Dave says they also purchase something like 70% of their tools and replacement items from American Caddy Vac for the same reason: “They are excellent tools. They work great and they last a long time. It’s important to me that the people at American Caddy Vac know the Air Duct Cleaning business because they also own B & F Power-Vac in Lewiston. It isn’t just theory to them! They make tools and features that work, because they create them and test them on the job.”
Dave and Colleen also appreciate the professionalism and friendliness at American Caddy Vac. Dave calls and talks shop with Mac or Steve or one of the other guys. Colleen is quick to add, “The only problem with Dave calling Mac is that they end up talking for an hour!”
And that’s a story we hear time and time again. American Caddy Vac customers feel like so much more than just customers. It’s more like a family relationship
