Steamboat Springs — Whether it’s a leaky pipe or plumbing an entire house, Total Service PHD, spearheaded by Ken Roche, tops the town’s plumber list for the second year in a row. Roche moved to Steamboat from Amber, N.Y., in 1992, founding Roche Plumbing and Heating in 1994. Eighteen years of local experience has helped him secure a client base ranging from residential to resort. “We offer highly diversified services, including plumbing, heating, sewer and drain,” says Roche. “That’s what has helped us be successful all these years.”

He also says he wouldn’t change his work location for the world. “Steamboat is a great place to work,” says Roche, also an avid fisherman, dirt biker and woodworker. “The people are super friendly.”

Calling a Spade a Spade: “I answer the phone and show up,” says Phil Taber, of Taber Plumbing & Heating. John F. Russell

Second place

Phil Taber, Taber Plumbing & Heating

Phil Taber, of Taber Plumbing & Heating, has seen some ebbs and flows, and not just from the water he pipes. At one point, he had as many as 26 employees working on such projects as Howelsen Place and Alpen Glow. Now, he’s down to four, which includes his wife, Lori, and is perhaps even happier. “We still make about the same amount of money but with the headaches cut in half,” says Taber, who moved here in 1992 after traveling the country as a union plumber. Founding his company in 1997, Taber does it all but specializes in high-end residential and commercial work — he recently did the bathrooms at the new stage in Gondola Square as well as Walgreens. And he sticks to his guns about offering great service at a fair price. That, and actually appearing when he’s supposed to. “It’s extremely competitive out there,” says Taber, also an avid dirt biker who has ridden the Baja Enduro course. “But I answer the phone and show up.”

35 Years and Counting: Jeff Herfurtner, of Jeff’s Plumbing, ready to lend a helping hand.

Third place

Jeff Herfurtner, Jeff’s Plumbing

Clients might not spell Jeff Herfurtner’s name right, but they certainly get the right service from his plumbing and heating company. Herfurtner, 59, a proud grandpa to Issac, 3, and newborn Eloise, has been in business in Steamboat since 1977, focusing primarily on residential work. Capably weathering the recent construction downtick, he runs the business with his wife, Tammy, specializing in everything from plumbing to hydronic heating. “I try to be very conscientious,” he says. “I’ve known others who have tried to sell people things they don’t need or replace things they don’t need, and I’m not like that.”