History

From humble beginnings in Rocky Ford, Colorado, to a thriving organization in Colorado Springs, four generations of Stewards have passed down their talents and their trade for more than a century. Their efforts have culminated in the success of Heating & Plumbing Engineers Inc., a company that serves the state of Colorado.

The story begins in Rocky Ford when Ford Steward, a blacksmith, established the Tin Shop & Plumbing in 1892. After a quarter of a century, he welcomed his son, Glenn, to the family business. The shop was renamed Steward Sheet Metal Works.

Twenty-eight years passed before Glenn’s son, Dick, became an employee of the company in 1945. Seven years later, Dick left Steward Sheet Metal Works and moved his family to Colorado Springs to become a partner of Heating Inc., a company established by Roger Booth in 1947. At that time, the company was located on North Tejon Street in downtown Colorado Springs. The partners had 45 employees working in a 5,000 square foot store.
The year 1955 marked significant change for Heating Inc., and for Dick. In March, plumbing was added to the company’s line of services, and the organization was incorporated and renamed Heating & Plumbing Engineers Inc. As the excitement of the company’s new direction grew, Steward’s partner died in an automobile accident, leaving him to become president of the organization.

Under Dick Steward’s direction, Heating & Plumbing Engineers Inc. became the largest Lennox dealer in the state from 1963 to 1983. This growth led the company to move to its current location on West Fillmore Place in 1964.

Steward continued to direct the company’s growth, inviting his son Dean to join the organization in 1971. Dean came into Heating & Plumbing Engineers Inc. as a project manager after being previously employed as a metallurgical engineer and production supervisor with Alcoa. After leaving the Navy, his brother, David, joined the team in 1973.

In 1983 the brothers bought the company from their father, with elder son, Dean, serving as president. In 1990 Dean bought out his brother’s share of the company when David chose to pursue another direction. Dean’s daughter, Kelly Eustace, and her husband, Bill, have joined the company, introducing the fifth generation of Stewards into the industry.

Since 1983 the fourth generation of Steward leadership has led the company through significant technical developments, including the evolution of the industry as well as other industries served by Heating & Plumbing Engineers Inc. Today, Heating & Plumbing Engineers Inc. has more than 400 employees. These employees have been instrumental in successfully completing dozens of projects throughout Colorado, with customers encompassing the office, medical, retail, and industrial fields.

Our Ambition

There is and has always been a trend in American commerce, which is the concept of the “paragon”. Simply stated, this amounts to a model of excellence, peerless in its example. This is our ambition. A reputation and a namesake that comes to mind on the simple mention of mechanical contracting. And not by dumb luck or due to lack of competition, but through hard work, investment, and an innovative attitude.

This is not only to better serve ourselves as a company, but to better serve each other and the economy as a whole. To improve the very methods by which our once routine tasks are done in this field of business. To be the recognized pioneer in a dynamic age of change and adaptation. It is not our goal to keep up with the trend. We’re here to shape it.

Since 1947 we have been around, creating a niche in this environment. With this foothold in our market, we are in prime position to not only aspire to become this, but to believe we are already doing it. Our pride is not only in where we come from, but in the certainty of our future as the paragon of mechanical contracting.