Lubbock's Anthony Mechanical family business shares history of success
Alana Edgin, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
6 min read
John and Matthew Anthony discuss their company, Anthony Mechanical Services Inc.'s 100th anniversary, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Most people may not have heard of this century-old Lubbock family business, but nearly everyone in the Hub City has benefitted from their work. With several Texas Tech facilities, University Medical Center and Covenant Medical Centers, Citizens Tower, and the Avalanche-Journal on their list of clients, the fourth-generation company has had a hand in the city's most notable businesses.
Anthony Mechanical Services, Inc., 525 E 40th St., started in Lubbock in 1924 as a commercial plumbing supply and repair company, and has since expanded into HVAC services. John and Mark Anthony, father and son, are the third and fourth generation operators of the family business.
John Anthony, left, and his son, Matthew Anthony, discuss their company, Anthony Mechanical Services Inc.’s 100th anniversary, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
"It's a lot of work, and there's certainly pressure not to be the one who lets it fail, but I'm very lucky and blessed to have this awesome opportunity," said Matthew Anthony, company president. "I'm grateful for the people who came before me, and I'm excited for the future."
Throughout the 100 years of work, their company has installed and maintained plumbing and AC/heating infrastructure at numerous businesses. Some of the highlights include:
Texas Tech, including maintaining Jones AT&T Stadium's HVAC systems around and during game days.
The former Sears building, which was their first "big refrigeration job" in Lubbock.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal building downtown.
UMC Health System, including UMC's newest Health and Wellness building on Slide Road.
Covenant Medical Center, when it was known as Methodist Hospital.
Lubbock County jail, which was their largest mechanical job.
ClayDesta buildings in Midland.
Midland Memorial Hospital.
Recently finished the Potter County Courthouse in Amarillo.
Currently working on the New Deal ISD building.
"It’s a huge sense of pride to drive around and see the buildings we’re a part of," Matthew Anthony said. "We take care of some really cool buildings. The fact that we’re able to do that, and people don’t even know. We’re invisible, and that’s really cool."
People can contact the Lubbock office at 806-765-7373.
Four generations of keeping Lubbock running began in 1924
"We don't do residential, so we really don't do any advertising at all," John Anthony said. "We're probably a little bit of a hidden secret."
J.F. Anthony, who was known as Doc, started Anthony Plumbing in Lubbock in 1924. Doc previously worked as a steam mechanic for Santa Fe Railroad in Amarillo and Denver. His father, J.B. Anthony, who had worked on windmills around Silverton, joined Doc and helped get the business started.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Doc served on committees that wrote codes for plumbing and gas piping.
In 1946, Doc's son, William Anthony, who went by Bill, started working for the company. One project that happened under Bill's supervision was the Sears-Roebuck building, which was one of the earliest large refrigerated stores in Lubbock in 1947.
John and Matthew Anthony discuss their company, Anthony Mechanical Services Inc.'s 100th anniversary, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Doc passed the business down to his son, William (Bill) Anthony in 1952. Bill would go on to see a business boom. By 1967, the company became Anthony Mechanical Inc. and moved into their current location on 40th Street.
During the late 1970s, the company took over the Rountree Company and a part of the O.W. Chisum Company. Anthony Mechanical worked on water and sewage treatment, utility projects in Borger, and had a mechanical service branch in Midland. These additional services shut down during the early 80s.
In 1982, the family branched into HVAC services with Linc, a HVAC franchise with more than 150 locations worldwide. John Anthony, Bill's son, joined the family business in 1987.
"We've certainly seen the good times and we certainly seen the bad times," John Anthony said. "It’s hard for a business to last even a second or third generation, much less a fourth. So, we feel very fortunate to be in the position that we are in the community."
Anthony Mechanical Services has since added Linc offices in Abilene, Midland and San Angelo. The Linc offices do preventative maintenance and emergency repairs.
"We work with our customers to reduce owning and operation costs of their buildings, and make their systems work more efficiently," Matthew Anthony said. "We leave the big installation jobs to Anthony Mechanical."
John and Matthew Anthony discuss their company, Anthony Mechanical Services Inc.'s 100th anniversary, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Some of the clients for the service side include Permian Basin oil field offices and Texas Tech's Jones AT&T Stadium.
"We have someone (at the stadium) three hours before the game to make sure everything is working correctly," Matthew Anthony said. "Then we have three people there during the entire game, so if something breaks mid game, we're there to fix it. And then one is there for an hour and a half after the game to make sure nothing broke and wasn't reported."
Matthew Anthony also has his eye on the future of the industry.
"The reality is that heating and air conditioning has been very similar for the last 20 years," Matthew Anthony said. "There’s always room for advancement. On the service side, we are looking at how we can use AI to help make buildings more efficient, maybe even predict failures before they happen."
The Anthony family also has a legacy in the Mechanical Contractors Association of America. John Anthony is the current president of the Texas region, a position previously held by his brother, Will, and his father, Bill.
How does a company last 100 years? Relationships and quality.
The importance of relationships has been a major factor for Anthony Mechanical. Whether that is with their employees, the community, or clients, the family recognizes that good relationships allows them to thrive.
"We're relationship people," John Anthony said. "You've got to be able to have those relationships in the community, and your work. Once you develop those relationships, I think it’s passed on from generation to generation."
Matthew Anthony revealed proof of that generational support. John Anthony sold maintenance agreements when he first started with the company in 1982. Several of those contracts are still active.
John Anthony, left, and his son, Matthew Anthony, discuss their company, Anthony Mechanical Services Inc.’s 100th anniversary, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
"It’s mutually beneficial," Matthew Anthony said. "We take care of them, they take care of us. In the end, it’s good for everybody. You say what you’re going to do, and then you do what you said you were going to do. That’s what it boils down to in the end for me."
John and Matthew Anthony agreed that the No. 1 priority for companies that want to last a long time must be their employees.
"When my dad started the mechanical side of the business out of our house, he hired some people he could trust, and you’ve got to have that," John Anthony said. "You’ve got to have employees that you can build, and you have to take care of them."
A dedication to maintaining a quality product is another cornerstone of their business.
"There’s no real shortcuts either," John Anthony said. "If you go out and look at some of the work we’ve done, you look in the ceilings or the ductwork, it’s good quality work that’s going to last. When you can do that, that’s a big part of why we’ve stayed in business as long as we have."
