To Dylan D’Amato and Paul Mailler, owners of NextGen Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Green Brook, customer service is paramount — and very personal.
Both young men lost their fathers as teenagers and were raised by single mothers. “My mom worked multiple jobs six days a week to provide for our family,” D’Amato says. “Paul and I watched our moms struggle to pay the bills and keep food on the table. We saw contractors coming in, trying to sell them stuff that they didn’t need, not being transparent about the work, doing jobs that were not done right and charging them all this money.”
The road to owning their own business, too, was hard won for D’Amato, 30, and Mailler, 31. About a decade ago, Mailler’s entire life changed after an automobile accident left him paralyzed from the neck down and in the hospital for two years. Determined to reclaim his life, he learned how to walk and move again with the same grit and energy that fueled him growing up.
“I was always mechanically inclined — building and fixing cars and engines, welding, doing things with my hands,” Mailler says.
D’Amato, who struggled academically in school, sought a path in the trades but was at a loss as to what to pursue. An idea sparked when a friend began apprenticing with a plumber and then started his own business. D’Amato asked to shadow him for a few days to see if he would like the work. He was hooked. He started apprenticing with the plumber who helped his friend. A voracious learner, D’Amato sought employment at places that would build his knowledge and skills.
He worked in plumbing for a new construction company, then a service company. Desiring to see what it was like to launch and run a business, he joined a start-up company. Seeking to learn more than plumbing, he joined an HVAC company and in a few years of installing boilers, furnaces and air conditioning systems, he became a diversified craftsman.
“I knew this was not going to come easy,” he says. “You have to constantly be learning, teaching yourself, training, putting in the extra mile, working a Saturday, working a Sunday, putting in up to 80-hour weeks.”
D’Amato and Mailler met while working jobs together and bonded over their shared backgrounds. “Paul is a nice, genuine guy and very family-oriented, like me,” D’Amato says. “We work hard, care about our craft and care about the people we work for.”
When the pandemic slowed business, D’Amato was laid off and found himself at a crossroads, unsure of where to go next. But then, something miraculous happened: His phone started ringing with job requests. Newly married with a baby on the way, D’Amato decided to take the knowledge he had gathered and launch his own business, founded on his values, morals and ethics.
“Paul and I always had conversations about owning our own business together. We are like-minded and have the same energy,” D’Amato says. “I told him: If you quit your job, jump in with both feet and help me build this business, we can do this.”
Three years later, they have built a loyal customer base on their foundation of transparency, serving Somerset and Hunterdon counties. “We make sure that customers know 150 percent what we are doing, what they are paying for,” he says. “That is what really catapulted our company: We treat people well. We want to build long-term relationships. We show up when we say we will.”
The company prides itself on using quality American-made products and being owner-operated. “Dylan or I answer the phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week and show up at any time,” says Mailler. “We’re presentable, courteous, polite and neat. We go over the entire job on site.”
They take care in who they hire and create an environment where employees are excited to come to work. “We are a happy company. We make sure that everyone who represents our company is vetted and trusted and are enthusiastic about being part of our business,” D’Amato says. “Positive energy is important to us. And as a young company, we are not going anywhere. We have the next 30 years to stand behind our jobs and warranties.”
Giving back is important to D’Amato and Mailler. “We were never in the military, but we are patriots,” D’Amato says. “We know the freedoms and the opportunities we enjoy are due to people overseas who are putting their lives on the line.” NextGen gives a 5 percent discount to active-duty military, veterans, law enforcement and first responders. They also donate and volunteer with Operation Shoebox, which sends care packages to service members overseas.
“What Paul and I created took hard work. We knew nothing was going to fall from the sky,” D’Amato says. “People doubted us. We proved them wrong. And we put that same energy into our dedication to our clients, doing right by our families, our values and our morals.”
Find out more about NextGen at nextgenplumbingnj.com.
“What Paul and I created took hard work. We knew nothing was going to fall from the sky. People doubted us. We proved them wrong. And we put that same energy into our dedication to our clients, doing right by our families, our values and our morals.” — Dylan D’Amato