One family. One flamingo. One phone number.
In 1990, Matthew Rich started a one-man plumbing shop in South Florida. He ran the calls, answered the phone and drove the van. Thirty-six years later, the van has a fleet behind it, the flamingo has a trademark, and the number is exactly the same.
the early days
Every time we learned a new trade, our name grew with it.
Learning the trade from the ground up
Matt Rich finished high school in Queens, New York, and went straight into trade school, apprenticing part-time and running plumbing parts all over Manhattan for a small shop. The New York union had no room for another apprentice, so his father — already in Florida — found him a job down south and talked him into joining Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 719. Matt worked days and studied two nights a week.
He spent ten years at Nagelbush Mechanical, one of Florida's largest specialty contractors, rising to foreman over multiple projects. He earned his master plumber license, and from 1985 to 1990 ran a small partnership — the proving ground for the company he'd build next.
A-1 Paradise Plumbing opens for business
Matt incorporated A-1 Paradise Plumbing, Inc. in the summer of 1990 and did every job himself — in the field by day, answering the phone at night. As he later put it, “there's nothing that I haven't done related to the business.”
The white Ford van read 24 HR SERVICE · SEWER & DRAIN CLEANING, and the number painted on its side had no area code at all. Broward still shared 305 with Miami back then; when 954 arrived in 1995, the seven digits stayed put. They still ring at our front desk today.
Drawn at the kitchen table. Registered in Washington.
For its first six months, A-1 Paradise Plumbing didn't have a logo. Then Matt's wife, Dawn Rich, picked up her colored pencils and sketched a pink flamingo in teal glasses and flip-flops, and signed it “1991.” It went on the vans, the shirts and every ad we ran. Nearly three decades later, her flamingo became U.S. Registered Trademark No. 6,207,359.
“Call our Daddy — he's the best!”
Matt and Dawn's four kids — Josh, Justin, Jason and Jessica — grew up in teal Paradise T-shirts. They lined up in front of the truck for a photo, and that photo became our Yellow Pages ad, with a headline written in the kids' own voice.
The ad promised radio-dispatched, 24-hour emergency service and a pricing approach that set us apart: we charge by the job, not by the hour.
Jason & Jessica
Paradise Service Technologies
In South Florida, a broken A/C is an emergency too. With an air conditioning contractor license added alongside the plumbing license, A-1 Paradise Plumbing became Paradise Service Technologies — plumbing, air conditioning, sewer jetting, video pipe inspections and full kitchen and bath remodels, all under one roof.
From one man to a crew of 18+
By 2014, the one-man shop had grown to more than 18 employees. Matt made a point of training young apprentices, the same way he'd been trained, because he believed the trades offer a real career and a good living. Off the clock, he and Dawn taught Sunday school at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and lent their plumbing skills to His Caring Place.
From Oakland Park to 260 SW 21st Terrace
Our first office was in Oakland Park, back when “dispatch” meant a two-way radio and a paper ticket, long before anyone had a smartphone. In 2012, we bought a building of our own in Fort Lauderdale: a tired concrete warehouse with barred windows, a gravel lot and stacks of PVC pipe out front.
We saw what it could become. Scroll down to see what it is now.
Same building. Same address. You'd never know it.
A full renovation brought new paint, a paved and striped lot, teal awnings, a customer patio — and a wall-sized beach mural with our flamingo out front.
The boy in the ad takes the wheel
Remember the kids in teal shirts? Jason, Matt's youngest son, grew up around the vans and the dispatch radio, and in 2017 he took over running the business his father built.
In 2022, Jason led Paradise into a partnership with Legacy Service Partners, a national network of local home-service companies, giving the team new tools and resources while keeping the Paradise name, people and flamingo. He then served as general manager for the three years that followed, carrying his father's legacy forward.
A modern company with a 1990 phone number
- 2020Paradise Plumbing & Air Conditioning
A cleaner name and a refreshed brand, with the flamingo, sun and palms. On November 24, 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registered the mark.
- 2022Partnering with Legacy Service Partners
Led by Jason Rich, Paradise joins a national network of local home-service brands, gaining room to grow while staying Paradise.
- 2024Paradise Plumbing, Air & Electric
Licensed electricians join the team: panel upgrades, surge protection, EV chargers, generators and lighting. Plumbing, air and electric — one call, one company.
- 2026Best Plumber in Fort Lauderdale
Named Best Plumber in Fort Lauderdale in the 2026 Best of Florida Awards, rated 4.8 stars across more than 5,000 reviews, A+ rated by the BBB since 2008, and serving homes from Boca Raton to Weston with a same-day service guarantee.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.
Matt always ran Paradise on one simple rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. Today that rule lives on in our four core values, the foundation of what makes Paradise a great company to this day.
- Do What's RightNo matter what
- Customer FirstWhatever it takes
- Pride in Your WorkEvery job, every time
- Be ReliableDay or night, 24/7
Four names, three trades, two offices. Here's what never changed.
563-0110 has rung at Paradise since 1990.
Painted on the first van. Still true every night, weekend and holiday.
Matt & Jason are still involved every day in operations, employee culture and customer relationships.
Covenant House, the American Cancer Society, Raynor's Mexico Mission, the Broward County police, Gilda's Race & more.
Be part of the next chapter.
Whether you need a plumber tonight or you're looking for a career in the trades, you'll reach the same company Matt started in 1990.