It’s just bred into my genes at this point. I don’t know anything else.
It’s rare to come across a small business that has been around for more than 100 years.
Since 1909, Drake Mechanical has been serving the plumbing, water, and mechanical needs of Idaho’s Treasure Valley area. In a marketplace that has changed dramatically over the last century, Nick Drake is keeping the family business alive by learning to adapt while still holding onto the hard-working values instilled in him at an early age.
“If you want it, you’ve got to work for it.” That is what Drake’s grandfather and father used to repeat to him. By age 14, Drake was digging ditches, and as soon as he graduated high school he started his plumbing apprenticeship. Today, at age 35, he is president of Drake Mechanical and the fifth generation of Drakes to run the business.
Beyond the broad spectrum of work that they do, Drake Mechanical has established a reputation as an active member of the Boise community through charity involvement, and Drake himself is a member of the Good Samaritan Board that provides low-income housing and meals to veterans and disabled adults. Their hard work has paid off, as 60 percent of their business is repeat customers – who clearly trust the work that they do and rely on Drake Mechanical.
Being in business for more than 100 years, Drake Mechanical has weathered its fair share of economical storms – from the Great Depression, to the big recessions of the 80s and recent years. If a company isn’t able to adapt and try new things, it won’t survive. “We had to re-learn how to do business overnight,” Drake says. Whereas the majority of their work used to be in construction, the 2008 recession forced them to shift their business to service and repair, which now makes up 90 percent of their business.
Through adapting along with their customer base and the industry as a whole, Drake Mechanical has managed to beat the odds and keep their family owned and operated business alive. Nick Drake is proud of that fact, and that he has 25 employees who are able to support their families – something he never forgets. “It’s not just my kids I have to feed, I have to feed their kids and keep a roof over their head,” he says.
Drake hopes that in the future their construction business will pick back up again, and he also hopes that one of his children becomes the sixth generation president of the company and carries on its legacy. “I want my kids to have something, if they want to be involved, great, if they don’t want to, then [they’ll] do what they enjoy.”
Photos by Jared Moossy