Humble beginnings

In 1967, my father, Mousa "Mike" Mansour, and my mother, Siham "Suzi" Mansour, immigrated to the U.S. They had each other. They had their dreams. And that was about it. It was the humble beginnings of an immigrant couple looking for a better life in America.

From the very start, my parents wanted to give my sister and me the world. And they worked hard for it. My father found work as a union electrician during the day and worked for his customers on weeknights and weekends.

It was hard work with long hours and little pay. But my father didn't mind that. Besides, he had company. Since the age of 6 years old, I tagged along with my father on Saturdays, school holidays and summer vacations. I enjoyed working with my father and the friendship we had.

While my father wasn’t a wealthy man, he gave me a wealth of experiences and a great foundation for both the technical skills and values that would define the man that I am. He taught me the value of being an honorable man of your word. I owe all that I have to what my parents gave me.

Passing the torch

On June 1, 1990, my Father passed away at the age of 47. I was only 19 years old at the time, barely in college, when I had to take over the family business. Like my father, I had to leave school to take care of the people I loved.

But I didn't face this burden alone. Thankfully, I had my family–a loving mother and hard-working sister–who also took care of me during those early years. If it hadn't been for them, Michael & Son may have never gotten off the ground.

In addition to my family, I also had a great foundation given to me by my father. He taught me never to give up, and he left me an incredible work ethic. In the midst of a recession with lots of well established companies failing, I survived with the help of my family and the strong work ethic taught to me by my father.

The hard work pays off

In 1998, my sister left her job in the brokerage business to join the family business. Together, the two of us began the hard work of restructuring the company. Our focus was on service. And our single-minded goal was to put the customer first. Whatever was necessary for our customers was our motto.

We grew quickly. Over the next 15 years, we went from three service trucks to 300. Then 400. Then 500. We added other practices to our business: handyman in 2001, plumbing in 2003, generators in 2005, heating and air conditioning in 2007, and fire, water and mold restoration in 2014.

The growth has been unbelievable to me at times. But it didn't come out of nowhere. We grew because we hired great people. People that shared the same work ethic and integrity that my father had. We all believe in what my father taught me as a kid, which was to serve the customer first and have pride in your work.

Michael & Son today, and tomorrow

In the years since our success, there have been new additions to the family, and also losses. On December 26th, 2007, my sister and I lost our mother to breast cancer. I will always remember my mother as a selfless hero who put the needs of other’s ahead of her own.

There's also been joy and new family additions as well. Today, no financial success can ever come close to the success I have in my personal life, with my two great sons and a sister, brother-in-law, and a nephew whom I share a very close relationship with.

I also feel blessed with an extended family: the hundreds of hard working technicians, plumbers, electricians, customer service reps, managers and others who drive this company forward.

I know this team works incredibly hard for our customers every day. And that's why I strongly believe we're the best company out there to serve your needs.

In closing I want to thank you for taking your time to read about the history of Michael & Son, and thank all my present and future customers for their support. Please feel free to email me at proudson@michaelandson.com.

Sincerely,

Basim M. Mansour

President and proud Son

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