History | Holt Plumbing & Heating, Des Moines

History of Holt Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Home / About Holt Plumbing & Heating, Inc. / History of Holt Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Excellence has been our hallmark since 1947

Holt Plumbing & Heating was founded by John F. Holt and his wife Edith in 1947. John was a skilled sheet metal worker and welder who honed his skills building B-26 and B-29 airplanes at the Martin Bomber plant in Omaha, Nebraska during World War II. Edith, who also taught elementary school for many years, served as secretary and bookkeeper for the business.

After the war, they came back to the family farm south of Afton, Iowa. John continued to put his metal working skills to use, repairing machinery for neighboring farmers. This led to plumbing work and eventually heating, cooling and even appliance sales.

1959, John and Edith officially opened John F. Holt Plumbing & Heating in Afton. In the mid-1970s, their son Lynn, who had been working in the plumbing industry in Des Moines, came back to join them in the family business. In 1977, Lynn and his wife Dixie opened a second location in Winterset that quickly grew to service Des Moines and its surrounding areas. And in 2012, they moved their headquarters to 245 Railroad in Valley Junction. Holt’s business is truly a family affair. Lynn and Dixie’s two children, Ben and Amanda, and Amanda’s husband Josh, work in the business as well.
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  Superior Technicians
  
  Our technicians are trained, tested and ready to save the day at any time. They have everything you need, 24/7, to handle all your plumbing, heating or cooling needs. Everything except a cape.
  
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- Service
  
  Plumbing
  
  Whether it’s busted pipes, leaky faucets, water heaters, or water conditioners, we’ve got you covered. Our technicians are experienced, tech-savvy, and disarmingly charming.
  
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  Heating
  
  We work to combine energy efficiency, safety and comfort so that you can stay toasty in the winter and still have money left for presents.
  
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  Cooling
  
  You won’t even have to sweat the big stuff after we optimize your air conditioning. Our state of the art products and practices will have you spending sticky days in cucumber-like comfort.
  
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  Home Services
  
  We’ve seen a lot of homes in 70+ years and we’ve seen our share of small home projects that just never seem to get done
  
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- Review
  
  James from Holt has been servicing/repairing our geothermal system for several years now and we have always found him to be knowledgeable, competent and professional. We purchased a property with an existing geothermal system and James has helped us along the learning curve of understanding our system.
  
  Jon Jacobson

Patty Konecny

17:01 23 Sep 21

Made an extra effort to locate an obsolete breaker late on Friday.

Craig Campbell

16:54 23 Sep 21

Gerard Amadeo

15:30 22 Sep 21

John Swanson

17:09 21 Sep 21

Ben is always great to have as our technician. He is always friendly, thorough, and does a great job.

Denny Carney

18:55 16 Sep 21

I called in the morning and they sent someone that afternoon, by the time I had guests that evening my house was nice and cool again! So thankful for the quick response and friendly customer service.

Shaly Moyal

20:26 14 Sep 21

Marlin Hernandez

20:15 14 Sep 21

Matt did a great job and was a very professional gentleman

Don Geiger

16:45 01 Sep 21

James just completed our furnace check. On time, neat, and efficient. For this not mechanically-inclined person, he succinctly explained why humidifier is not as efficient as should be. Suggested work around. Holt has done other work with which we were completely satisfied.

Virginia Darcy

00:09 01 Sep 21

Nick came yesterday on an emergency call to fix my refrigerator water line so my new refrigerator could be delivered and connected. When they came to deliver the new refrigerator there was no connector for the new line. Holt got someone over within an hour and a half to fix the situation. They always do a great job snd are very professional and make sure things are done right!Dave installed 3 new toilets for us today and was very helpful in resolving some unexpected issues that arose. Everything was completed perfectly and in s good amount of time. Matt was also here to help him and they both did a great job and left with everything in good order!We have used Holt for plumbing and heating a/c for several years and have always been very pleased with the products and the service. Their staff are always efficient, knowledgeable and respectful of our home. Thank you! Tyler was here today and did a great job servicing our furnace and humidifier. Always a great job by Holt!Brad provided our service today and was very thorough cleaning both the furnace and humidifier. He was very professional and efficient. Always a great job by Holt employees!Zack came today to try to figure out what our hot water dispenser is not working. This has been a problem since it was installed and although I’m not happy with no resolution, Zack has worked very hard over multiple visits to try and figure it out!

Debra Spaeth

20:36 31 Aug 21

Holt heating and air conditioning installed our heating and air conditioning system and now we have the maintenance program with them. All the different people we'd have had out to do the semi annual maintenance have been courteous and professional in there attire and speaking to us. I would use them for other services in a heartbeat.

Pam Sanders

15:29 27 Aug 21

Stephanie Goods

14:47 27 Aug 21

This team is the best in DSM...took a few hrs and house was cooling again. At 90 plus degrees outside we were in panic mode...

Lamont Coon

23:03 26 Aug 21

Julie Walker

17:20 25 Aug 21

Checkup seemed good I received no sheet with comments and test results to sign as usual, but work seemed ok. thank you Roger Shepard.

Jerrod Silliman

15:20 25 Aug 21

Nick was awesome needed the AC fixed ASAP and he was here within a couple of hours! His knowledge and ingenuity got the job done so we had our house back to being cool!

Barbara Thomsen

15:10 25 Aug 21

Caonashi 78

14:47 25 Aug 21

Mary Stimmel

15:04 19 Aug 21

David Primeau

14:54 19 Aug 21

Tyler showed up right on time and, as usual, did an excellent job. I've used Holt for all of my plumbing issues for many years and never had a problem.

J C

14:52 19 Aug 21

Heather

14:31 19 Aug 21

Keith Lippincott

16:51 17 Aug 21

Ben did an excellent job! He is very professional and knowledgeable. He answered all my questions. I am very happy with his work.

Chris R

22:54 13 Aug 21

Great company!!! Excellent employees. Some prices are a little bit higher. All the employees that come to the house to maintenance are furnace and ac are great!!

Denise Manon

21:37 13 Aug 21

Terry Knight

15:26 13 Aug 21

I have Holt on the yearly plan. They check out HVAC ~ October and April. Yesterday I had my AC fail with temps expected to reach into high 90's all week. Nick Malloy had us up and running with cool air by 4:00. Very professional, friendly, and patient. A fine young man. Prior experience with Travis was same. Also had Mark do some remodeling and deck work. All are outstanding and represent themselves and Holt very well.*****/ ***** recommendationI had Holt Plumbing and Adam service also and rec'd same professional service, with a smile.Dan swoyer MD

Dan Swoyer

17:35 11 Aug 21

Joe Kristan

13:07 10 Aug 21

Daniel Jones

20:42 09 Aug 21

The service was great! Holt was communicative and the plumbers were able to come out a day earlier than anticipated. They were fast & efficient.

Lisa Lloyd

19:20 09 Aug 21

Big Moe

19:10 09 Aug 21

EXCELLENT SERVICE!! Garrette did a FANTASTIC JOB!!

Rickie Warren

22:08 05 Aug 21

He was here on time was very courteous did his job told us that our air conditioner was doing wonderful for 10 years old it was an excellent shape and was just very nice

Sandra Metzger

17:15 05 Aug 21

Very thorough and excellent service.

Stephanie Jackman

15:06 05 Aug 21

The people at Holt are always very prompt, very professional, and they do great work.

Joe Hayes

15:01 05 Aug 21

Exceptionally good plumbing service and friendly technicians. Explained clearly the repair needed for my bathroom faucet.

Richard Schulze

21:36 03 Aug 21

Holt's services have always been performed competently and efficiently. They are my "go to" shop for plumbing and HVAC services. I highly recommend them.

11:44 03 Aug 21

Jared Jablonski

15:14 29 Jul 21

Good work

Peter Woltz

20:58 28 Jul 21

* I haven’t yet made up my mind about which vendor we’ll use.Rob was very professional, courteous, patient, & pwell-informed: knew his stuff.Food for thought: One item where Rob seemed uncomfortable/hesitant was in response to one particular question: from which other HVAC companies he or Holt recommended I compare pricing. I definitely understand his hesitation (He said he had never heard that question before). From my standpoint it would be mutually beneficial for Holt to have this information at the ready in the event the customer asks for other bids from other reputable Central Iowa HVAC dealers/service providers: if the other shops’ bids come in much lower than Holt, I’d (from my standpoint at least) be wary of the lowball shop—hard to form trust in this instance. On the other hand, if the other bids come in higher than Holt’s, my (again just me here) inference would be that Holt is the better value: not only is the pricing most competitive, but I’d know that Holt is a top echelon HVAC provider and I’d be getting great service, expertise, and longevity.

Benjamin Clark

16:42 28 Jul 21

Great customer service from Justin. Very knowledgeable about my issue.

Michael Nieland

16:08 28 Jul 21

Nick came out on a really COLD day to check out a concern that I had for the furnace. Everything is fine! (Glad to say that!) He is articulate, smart, and explained everything. The furnace does NOT have a problem. Additionally, he explained how to regulate the humidity in my condo as a ratio of outside temperature to condo interior temperature. I learned how to affect a liveable condo environment during the winter and avoid interior moisture build up on oversized windows. (WOW! I really appreciated the information.) . Holt technicians are well educated!!!

Brena Corona

15:47 28 Jul 21

Travis Hutzell

15:22 28 Jul 21

James with Holt was professional and thorough! I was very pleased with this maintenance call.

MaryAnn Moore

14:56 28 Jul 21

Holt Plumbing & Heating takes care of it's customers. They are a good company to do business with.

Angela Kesslar

14:06 26 Jul 21

Good job as usual. Matt was on time, did a through job, was polite, took care with our property, etc.

Alexander Kleiner

21:04 22 Jul 21

Holt Plumbing came out when they said. The technician was friendly, courteous, and very knowledgeable. He walked me through the kinds of things that cause the AC to freeze up and how he handles it. He was awesome!

Steven Nelson

14:41 22 Jul 21

James Culbert

15:57 21 Jul 21

Michael & Marcia Benson

01:26 21 Jul 21

Matt was early, communicated with me through the process. Resolved three different issues contributing to the problem and got it all done quickly. All for just the cost of the service fee. Thanks

Michelle Herring

16:25 20 Jul 21

Ann Benetti

15:40 20 Jul 21

Jo dee Stewart

02:44 17 Jul 21

Very professional and Conscientious - checks everything - . Great job!

Darwin Simon

16:38 16 Jul 21

I have been a customer of Holt's for 3 years. They perform bi-annual maintenance on our geothermal unit, and have replaced our water heater. We have found all their technicians friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend them!!

Chandra Wimberly

21:09 15 Jul 21

Kept me informed of what he was finding. Good explanations about the problem and hat it would take to fix it. Very friendly and professional.

Kris Bush

19:06 15 Jul 21

Robin Stonehocker

14:30 15 Jul 21

Nick was great- on time, professional, and very personable.Thanks Nick!

Amy Hutchison

15:59 13 Jul 21

Curtis Gracey

00:24 12 Jul 21

Our AC broke down and call Holt Heating and cooling they gave us a time when they would arrive. They where right on time. They diagnosed the issue and ordered the part for the repair. They also made a temporary fix to get the AC running which was awesome. The service technician was James very professional and efficient.

Scott Post

20:50 11 Jul 21

Stephannie Shedd

16:40 09 Jul 21

Noah Hudson

21:24 08 Jul 21

Ben was most knowledgeable, on task, and a straight shooter.

GORDON K. DARLING, JR.

17:59 08 Jul 21

Todd Cox

15:39 01 Jul 21

Alice Bohall

20:35 29 Jun 21

John Coulter

17:21 24 Jun 21

Great service with the monthly plan. If there is a problem they come fix it right away. They are alway pleasant and professional. Matt went above and beyond to make sure I was happy with the work.

Jenny Gero

16:27 23 Jun 21

Guy came out to repair the water heater claimed that I needed either 1100 for a gas valve replacement that probably wouldn't work or 3100 for a new water heater. my brother talked me through it on the phone and for a $12 thermal coupler I fixed it myself. they made $100.58 just to come tell me lies and be.

Tabatha Bounmivilay

23:56 20 Jun 21

All Holt service people are polite as well as knowledgeable. Nick did a great job today. He is a great asset to the business.Trent installed a new kitchen faucet. He was very professional and did a good job.

Susan Gustafson

21:47 19 Jun 21

Very professional and efficient!

Dee Culp

23:32 16 Jun 21

Nick is friendly, efficient and explained everything thoroughly

George Kappos

22:39 16 Jun 21

Matt was on time and very professional

Jay Woodard

15:06 16 Jun 21

My friend had her AC serviced last week and the guy was there almost three hours and did nothing. Didn't change the filter(the invoice said he did), didn't check capacitors, didn't check refrigerant levels and told her the thermostat was bad. She finally had to ask him to leave so she could get back to work. She asked me to look at it because it wasn't working. The service person turned the switch off on the furnace. Not sure why it took 3 hours to do nothing.

Russell Cory

11:40 13 Jun 21

Always seems as though the people at Holt are always willing to go above and beyond to accommodate and satisfy their customers. I've personally been helped by Josh, James & Tyler and they're all same - friendly, knowledgeable, fair and helpful. And James really knows his stuff when it comes to geothermal HVAC systems. I heartily recommend Holt H & P to anyone looking. Thanx Guys. Sam

Big Sky

16:03 10 Jun 21

Heather Den Adel

14:53 04 Jun 21

Holt plumbing has amazing staff! In the office is Emily who is professional friendly and sends someone out asap. Our favorite tech is Nick he is very knowledgeable and makes sure we understand everything. Holt has staff that can fix plumbing problems as well as furnace maintenance. We have tried several companies and found Holt is the best!

Sharon lloyd

16:09 03 Jun 21

James of Holt plumbing once again did a great job. He is so knowlegeable and gives the customer confidence that the job will be done right.

Ken Klein

16:08 03 Jun 21

Great experience. Very knowledgeable technician who took the time to explain his thoughts on the issue and how best to repair.

Frederick Jessen

21:38 02 Jun 21

Rob did a great job for us. He was polite, friendly, respected our safety by wearing a mask, knowledgeable and thorough. He communicated well with us, calling ahead to let us know he was going to be arriving a touch early which was greatly appreciated as it allowed me time to adjust my schedule. Always a pleasant experience with Holt!

Deborah Borland

16:29 02 Jun 21

Brian Marth

15:49 02 Jun 21

Looking for a no fluff, no BS review of Holt? I got you... Over the past 15 years I've been a home owner, We've tried more companies that I could count. Lots of shady businesses out there... We were coming of a brand new HVAC installation just two years ago and the previous company completely botched it. It had problems within a month of installation and they were completely MIA. We ran it as long as we could to try and recoup the some cost, but it was a constant worry. Decided to give Holt a chance and we're so glad we did! Yes, they were more expensive, but it's the classic "you get what you pay for". 100% worth it! It's so hard to find a company that has the perfect mix of quality, punctuality, and honesty and Holt nails it. I genuinely appreciate their level of service and will pay a bit more to have someone I have the utmost confidence in doing the right thing. You should definitely give them a look if you need heating, cooling, or plumbing work.

Michael Novotny

21:38 30 May 21

Cheryl Short

21:53 28 May 21

Matt was friendly and professional. He was early but called when on his way. Our AC had been struggling to keep the house at desired temp and Matt got it working again.

Richard Johnson

23:08 27 May 21

Margaret Blair

19:35 26 May 21

We've had James and Garrette perform check ups on our Geothermal unit. They've both completed excellent maintenance checks on the geo unit and accessories over the years. Very thorough, detailed work, and I appreciated the concise descriptions of the work that is done. Overall a great experience, and worth the investment for semi annual check ups.

Joe Parker

15:24 26 May 21

Justin was great and very knowledgeable and polite. Holt always comes when they are scheduled.

Becky Thompson

15:18 26 May 21

Cherish Anderson

23:06 25 May 21

Karen Vens

14:31 25 May 21

The best experience you could ever ask for. Nick is very skilled and knowledgeable about his industry. We were in a challenging situation and Holt and Nick were there to help us. Nick is very professional, extremely polite and friendly and very skilled. Thank you all so very much

Victoria Ashcraft

16:32 20 May 21

Holt always does a great job and Rob was very conscientious.

Paul Schickler

15:19 19 May 21

Part 1 - (Approx. Nov. 2019) I spoke to Kelly on Saturday afternoon and she arranged to have Ben come look at my furnace the next morning. Ben was very helpful and he was a wealth of information. Very good service and no extra charge for coming on a Sunday morningPart 2 - (05/15/2021) Garrett came to our home to do a routine A/C check. As soon as he followed me into the furnace room he smelled gas which I was not able to smell. After he found it, he had me put my nose close to the union in the gas pipe and sure enough, I could smell it. He replaced the union on the gas pipe and now its as good as new! Garrett REALLY saved us a lot of trouble by being alert to the smell of gas!!

Walt Brown

02:45 16 May 21

Matt did great!

Doug Gordon

20:07 15 May 21

The technicians that have come from Holt have always explained what they were doing and be sure to let me know with a good explanation what is needed; They are friendly and many times I have had the same technician so there is some familiarity. It is nice to see a company that retains employees.

Cheryl Prall

23:17 14 May 21

Excellent and very knowledgeable

J Brent Altfillisch

14:40 12 May 21

great service! good value. likely to recommend!

Steve Marquardt

21:54 11 May 21

Melodie Harris

14:44 07 May 21

Kibby Cavanaugh

22:24 06 May 21

James was so thorough and patient. I felt like he really cared about finding a solution.

Dawn Halstead

17:59 06 May 21

Nick was very professional & courteous. He answered all my questions & did a Great Job! This is the 4th time I have used Holt Plumbing & the plumbers have done the job right. I will continue to rely & Use Holt Plumbing in the future!

jane andrew

15:48 06 May 21

Marina Reasoner

15:37 06 May 21

Jo Pulse

00:01 06 May 21

Royce Farmer

16:57 05 May 21

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History of Holt Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

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