Nathan Buell has never shied away from hard work. He always found labour-intensive jobs to get by. But with the support of his family, Buell was able to prioritize his education to create better opportunities for himself and his daughter. His path to entrepreneurship led him back home to Westville, Nova Scotia, where his love of his community and helping the people made his hard work rewarding. Buell shares how he continues to grow his business as he helps as many people as possible in the process.
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Nathan Buell was born and raised in the rural community of Whitehill outside of Westville, Nova Scotia. Buell worked physically demanding jobs in his teenage years. “If I had someone to show me what to do and give me a little bit of direction, I wasn’t afraid of hard work,” he explained. He went back to high school after previously dropping out, ready to open doors for better job opportunities with a high school diploma. After graduating, Buell spent the summer in Ontario with his relatives. Following a couple of weeks of helping his uncle at his plumbing business, Buell said his uncle offered him an apprenticeship to stay in Ontario and continue to work for him. But leaving home was particularly challenging for Buell as he was a young father. He completed his apprenticeship quickly but chose to stay and go to school in Toronto to become a plumber. He made sure to visit home as often as possible, knowing he was going to be able to provide a better life for himself and his daughter after he completed his education. “I didn’t want to be away from her, but I knew I had to make a difference for her.”
Buell came back home to Nova Scotia as a red seal plumber. He gained full custody of his daughter, and he had the support of his parents in finding work at home. “My father was a big advocate for me to work for myself” Buell said as he remembered his dad helping him make business cards in his basement. He stood out from the other plumbers in the area by being the only one to offer 24-hour service at no extra charge. He went straight to hardware stores with his business cards and made a bright, big ad in the Yellow Pages of the phonebook for his plumbing services. He used the old GMC Jimmy his mother loaned him to get to service calls around town. As the calls started coming in more frequently, he began to hire people and learned the dos and don’ts of managing a business.
In 2009 Buell registered his sole proprietorship and TNB Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning Ltd. was officially ready for business. As someone who enjoys the personal side of the job, Buell said he didn’t want to base his services on only new houses. He’s a people person who looks for that same compassion and consideration for his customers while hiring his team. “Delivering excellent service is something I think should be expected,” he said. “The least we can do is give them every bit of value for their dollar and make sure they’re taken care of.” Buell continues to say that part of training at TNB includes how important customer care is. “You’re working for the customer more than you’re working for me” he added. But the team is also well taken care of from his end. “If they’re going to deliver that kind of service to the customers, I’m going to be serving it to them as well. Employee appreciation, value, and compensation go a long way.” Buell said. TNB has weekly staff meetings to share and connect with each other as a group, and there is a lot of room for growth in the company.
Since opening TNB, Buell noticed heat pumps were picking up in popularity. He went to community college to get his refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics red seal. Adding the ability to install heat pumps along with the preexisting plumbing services added a lot of value to the business. Buell says he was thankful for his common-law spouse Allison and his longtime employees for their support while he was going back and forth between school and work. In addition to heat pumps, TNB now has a wide range of options in their HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) Department. They also have electricians on deck for smaller electrical jobs and some propane and gasfitting services. TNB services residential and commercial customers, focusing mainly on installations.
Buell says he is able to navigate challenges that have occurred over the years because of the team he has by his side. “I think my proudest accomplishment in business is to create and maintain a culture at TNB where people feel valued and are truly happy to come to work here,” he explains. There are over thirty employees at TNB who get along inside and outside the workplace. “A lot of us are personal friends and hang out together whether it’s hunting, fishing, or helping each other on projects,” he said. One of the proudest moments in Buell’s career was watching his team tackle the impact of Hurricane Fiona in September 2022. He said the staff at TNB sprung into action by helping not only each other with cleaning up the wreckage but neighbours as well. They used chainsaws to clear fallen trees from the road, delivered gas within the community, and shared generators. “To see my team be so compassionate and willing to help was truly my proudest moment as a business owner.”
While Buell is already grateful for the team he has now, he plans to expand the physical building space as well as continue to hire new people. Experience is great, but he says they are welcoming to those who are not yet certified in any trades. “We’re always looking for new talent, and they don’t necessarily have to have a background in it. They just have to be willing to learn, have the right attitude, and work hard” he said. Buell also revealed that his business offers incentives such as paid training, medical benefits, and pension plans to help his employees wherever he can.
Trusting the quality of the products being installed into customers’ homes is a very important part of running his business. “I don’t try to sell anything. I just provide information and give options to people. I answer their questions so they can make a decision” Buell explains. However, a company Buell and TNB can confidently rely on is Daikin. “Daikin is a leader in innovation in the industry, especially with respect to residential and commercial HVAC,” he said.
Buell tells us that Daikin supports their dealers, the products are of exceptional quality, and Daikin is going on 100 years of business. With very few issues and a great partnership, they go to Daikin first for their HVAC products. TNB will work with customers with whatever brands their products are with, but they recommend Daikin when they can. TNB has an exclusive 365-day money-back guarantee for their customers no matter which brands they choose. “Any product we sell to a customer, they can run it for a year with that guarantee,” he reassured.
TNB also helps customers with questions and concerns about rebate programs when they update or switch their heating systems. Even if they’re not a customer, the staff at TNB are happy to give their advice and point people in the right direction. “Heat pumps are quiet, they’re super efficient, and the savings are incredible especially compared to heating with oil” Buell explained. He claims that there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the rebate programs and who qualifies. Regardless of income, he recommends everyone turning to heat pumps for their primary residence should check out rebate programs to see what they qualify for. Whether it’s federal rebates, moderate-income rebates, or provincial rebates, there are several options for people to investigate. While TNB does not do the approval process, Buell says they understand that some people may need help navigating websites or applications and he’s happy to assist in any way he can.
As for future endeavours, Buell wants to expand not only the space in his business at the physical property but also how far out they can reach in other communities. “We want to be able to provide great service in neighbouring communities to help keep things going,” he said. As his team continues to grow, he is optimistic in how much more they can accomplish. “My biggest joy is if I can give someone a career they enjoy, that they can support their family on. I’d like to do that for as many people as I possibly can.”
by Gabrielle Gamblin