Lagina Plumbing

It was quite an honor when Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction selected Lagina Plumbing Inc. as the commercial plumbing subcontractor for the popular P.F. Chang’s China Bistro at Mayfair Mall in suburban Milwaukee.

While it was an honor to be chosen by a national contractor of such stature, southeastern Wisconsin general contractors and building owners have also come to trust Lagina Plumbing for high profile construction projects as well as day-to-day commercial plumbing needs. Major office, industrial, educational, health care and multi-tenant residential structures in the Milwaukee area bear the Lagina Plumbing stamp.

A minority interest in Louis Schmitt Co., a Milwaukee-based plumbing company, started Jim Lagina on the road to eventually owning the company back in 2001. At that time Louis Schmitt’s small operation was comprised of one company vehicle, a field staff of two, and a lone office employee. In 2005, when owners John and Dee Schmitt retired, Lagina acquired full ownership. A well thought-out plan helped Jim Lagina transition from the long-established Louis Schmitt Co. name to Lagina Plumbing Inc. while gaining strong market recognition.

The business now has 35 employees, including a field staff of 27 and an office staff of eight, 10 vehicles and an innovative prefabrication shop in a renovated 90-year-old building Lagina purchased in 2006. The purchase and renovation of the 12,000-square-foot building gave the company room for additional growth and represents Jim Lagina’s commitment to the city of Milwaukee and to the renaissance of that “Silver City” business district overlooking the Menom-onee Valley.

The prefabrication shop is just one example of the innovative approaches Lagina Plumbing takes — approaches that help the company operate leaner and smarter, and that also benefit its commercial plumbing customers. Those customers also benefit from Lagina Plumbing’s embrace of technologies such as Autodesk Revit MEP and Total Station, from its knowledge of “green” water efficiency approaches, and from Lagina Plumbing’s outstanding safety record that keeps workers on the job. The company has gone nearly five years without a job-loss injury.

Lagina says one of the major keys to the growth and success of the business is a continued “big picture” focus and an ongoing appreciation for every project no matter how big or small.

Lagina Plumbing’s annual revenue is in the multi-millions.

The company further supports the community via numerous charitable endeavors and industry educational efforts, such as the plumbing apprenticeship council.

“I think all along that we recognized we had a plan we needed to implement,” Lagina says. “Of course we had some financial challenges to put closure to it. But we dealt with the idea of us seeing this company and turning the direction of what it does. And we’ve put this real strategic plan in place to figure out what we do best, and [to do] what do we need to implement on our side to be that creative, resourceful company that people would call on instead of other companies who would do the same old thing.”

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