By Mike Kinney
How does one family keep a business going strong for 74 consecutive years?
“I can’t speak for the success of the past generations, I only know they worked their butts off,” says Val Betti, who runs the 74-year-old Val Betti Plumbing at 3605 MacDonald Ave. in Richmond.
The third-generation, family-run business provides residential and commercial plumbing throughout the Bay Area. In addition to hard work, of course, is lifelong experience in their industry that has been passed down through the generations.
“I hear all the time that generational family businesses are a rare thing, but for us, it was just a natural occurrence.”
Val Betti Plumbing was first opened by Betti’s grandfather, Valentino Betti. He passed away before Betti was born. Betti’s father, Robert, took over the business at age 21 along with his two younger brothers.
“Both my brother and I have been working at Val Betti Plumbing since we were little kids putting fittings away,” Betti said. “As we got into our teenage years, we would work summers with our father.”
Betti said his good friend, Brad Bellah, came to work over the summers. Bellah ended up marrying Valentina Betti and he is now a partial owner of the business, heading up its commercial plumbing side.
“I hear all the time that generational family businesses are a rare thing, but for us, it was just a natural occurrence,” Betti said. “The boss, my father, said jump, and we jumped! Brad, Vince and I learned plumbing from a young age, under the guidance of Robert Betti, and brother Tom Betti. I believe the biggest keys to the generational success is the ability to draw upon years of experience, past and present, always treating customers with respect, and having a strong work ethic that was instilled in us from a young age.”
At Val Betti Plumbing, residential plumbing continues to be a mainstay. But Betti’s father kickstarted commercial jobs in the 80s.
“Nowadays, our commercial side of the business specializes in custom commercial restaurant plumbing,” he said.
Betti firmly believes they’ve got the most knowledgeable plumbing company in the area, especially thanks to their ample experience. Also, he believes they charge competitive rates for that experience.
“You may find cheaper plumbers out there, but our rates are highly competitive, especially when you take into consideration everything that goes into a service call,” Betti said. “You get a highly trained technician, with a van fully stocked, and you get the peace of mind that with Val Betti Plumbing on the job, your work will be completed in a timely manner.”
Betti said doing the job right requires putting in long hours behind the scenes.
“All of the current owners, Vincente Betti, Brad Bellah, and Val Betti, know that logging in the extra hours will directly result in a customer experience that is second to none,” he said.
