Jo and Steve Underwood
Jo and Steve Underwood started their Air Duct Cleaning service, “Mighty Ducts”, in 1999 without the benefit of ever running any kind of business before. In fact, neither of them had any air duct cleaning experience! Jo was in the banking business and Steve worked at the lumber yard. But they had done quite a bit of research into some business possibilities and decided that Cheyenne needed an air duct cleaning business. When they did web research on their old dial-up internet, American Caddy Vac was the first name on the list so they gave Mac Mattoon a call.
Jo says, “We purchased our first cleaner from American Caddy Vac in1999. Mac is the reason we are still in business. We had no experience! So Mac and Donna (Mac and Donna Mattoon from American Caddy Vac) just absolutely took us by the hand. I can’t tell you, that first few years, how many hours Mac spent on the phone with us, coaching us through different job scenarios because there wasn’t anybody here who had that kind of equipment. So people started seeing that rolling billboard (the American Caddy Vac truck with Mighty Ducts’ distinctive branding) and they started calling! We were about a year into the business and we had the entire school district in the next county wanting us to come do their school. At that point we didn’t have enough experience, so once again we were on the phone with Mac, or on the phone with his wife Donna, doing what they had to do to help us through it. So yeah, we absolutely would not be in business without their help.”
Jo and Steve have been in business for 19 years now. They clean residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. They run a fleet of two American Caddy Vacs with an expanded crew of 6, but they have purchased 5 units from American Caddy Vac over the years. They do own a couple of portable units for commercial jobs where it is impossible to get a truck in. “We never want to use the portables… we just use them when we have to. A while ago, we had an accident with one of our trucks so it was out of commission for a while so we had to use one of our portables to clean a boiler. But we ended up going back with the truck because the portable just couldn’t get the job done to the standard that we believed it should be done.”
And that’s the key with Mighty Ducts. They have high expectations of themselves. They are never satisfied with “good enough”. That’s why their business has been able to stay ahead of the competition. Jo says, “Our competition just run portables, but what really stands out with American Caddy Vac is the power! It is just unprecedented! There is no way to not do a decent job with all that power! Of course we always train our guys and keep a close eye on them to make sure they’re doing a good job, but the sheer power of the American Caddy Vac means that the job gets done right every time.”
Steve got his initial training from American Caddy Vac as well. “When we first decided this was what we were going to do, Steve flew up to Lewiston and spent a week or a week and a half working in Mac’s duct cleaning business with his crew, learning how to do the job. It was really good training and the guys were helpful. They really helped us gain an understanding of what were getting into and what we were going to be doing. Mac is also the one who told us about the National Air Duct Cleaners Association, so we got involved with them almost since day one of our business and we’ve received some good training from them as well.”
“Working with American Caddy Vac is like working with family. It doesn’t matter who picks up the phone, whether it’s Steve or Bob or Justin or Mac or whoever, they always know who we are and are ready to help us with anything we need. If we need a tool, we describe what we’re looking for and they help us get the right tool for the job. And they get it packed and shipped that day! It’s just great customer service. It’s even more than that… it’s dealing with friends.”
Mighty Ducts is truly a great success story in Southeast Wyoming. While most of that success can be chalked up to hard work and putting the customer first, Jo attributes a great deal of their success to the people and products of American Caddy Vac. “While I don’t really want my local competition to buy an American Caddy Vac, I sure do recommend them to everyone else! One of my biggest selling points is these trucks! Not only are they a great billboard for our branding, they also help provide an image of professionalism that no one else in my area has. Yes, I recommend American Caddy Vac. They have a great product and they do a great job. They bust their tails to make sure the customer gets the product they need. They work hard to take care of their customers.”
