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25 YEARS AND COUNTING By Gene Marrano
Ted Puzio says the secret to Southern Trust Home Services’ success starts with treating customers the way he would like to be treated. You probably have seen Ted Puzio, who founded Southern Trust Home Services 25 years ago. Where? On those television commercials for his plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical contracting company, which always end when the New Jersey native gives the “okay” sign with his thumb and index finger – and smiles big for the camera. Southern Trust, based in southwest Roanoke County, became a full-service home repair and installation business partly out of frustration. Other contractors weren’t returning the favor after Puzio - a licensed electrician at the time, would give them referrals for their specialties in HVAC and plumbing. They started taking on electrical contracting
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work instead of referring them back to Puzio, who had shifted to residential service after initially wiring new construction projects. Those “gentleman’s agreements,” seem to be largely a thing of the past he laments. So Puzio did his homework, went back to school several times to get the other licenses and certifications he needed – thus keeping all of that work in house. Now as the owner and president of Southern Trust Home Services he employs about 50 people and does those ubiquitous commercials. “[It all] just took off,” says Puzio. 2020 has been a different year for sure, but overall, it’s been a good one for
