Chris Carpenter – Armstrong Plumbing Air Electric

In Lubbock, Texas, a company that began as an appliance repair shop and retailer has grown into a regional mainstay for building systems. Armstrong Plumbing, Air & Electric, founded in 1934 by E. H. Armstrong, is marking its 90th anniversary with a leadership mindset rooted in adaptability, community ties, and a willingness to meet every new challenge with fresh steps. President Chris Carpenter, a fourth-generation leader who worked his way through high school and college on Armstrong crews before joining full-time after graduation, describes the company’s philosophy in a simple phrase that has guided decisions for decades.

“You fiddle. We dance.”

That line is more than a quip. It captures how Armstrong approaches schedules, technology, staffing, and service in a business where conditions can change by the hour. The company’s work today spans residential and commercial markets across plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and since 2016, electrical services on the residential side. Doing business as Armstrong Plumbing, Air & Electric, the firm combines the capabilities of a mechanical contractor with the responsiveness of a neighborhood service provider. With about 88 employees and approximately 19 million dollars in annual revenue, Armstrong has stayed intentionally agile, tailoring teams to project demands while keeping turnover remarkably low. Carpenter can point to colleagues with 42 and 37 years of service. Stability at the core, flexibility at the edges, and a deep bench of experience have kept Armstrong in step with both longtime clients and new partners.

How adaptability became a habit

Armstrong’s history shows a company that has refined its scope to focus on building environments. Early work included supermarkets and cold storage, but refrigeration eventually exited the portfolio. Plumbing was not brought in house until 1969; a year later, C & L Carpentry established an internal plumbing arm so Armstrong could manage more of the work directly. Over time those pieces came together under Armstrong Mechanical, which set the stage for the fully integrated plumbing, air, and electrical services the company is known for today. Each shift reflected a strategic adjustment to market needs and a desire to deliver quality without excuses.

Carpenter sees adaptability as a teachable skill. He believes teams need the freedom to try new approaches and the discipline to deliver on tight timelines. That expectation extends to leadership development as well. Rather than bring his son straight into the family business, Carpenter urged him to spend years with engineering firms in the Dallas–Fort Worth area before returning to Lubbock. The idea was to learn the pace and standards of other organizations, acquire tools used by larger contractors, and bring that knowledge home.

“I wanted him to learn how to work for others, to absorb different methods and expectations, then bring back the best of what he saw.”

That decision helped accelerate Armstrong’s adoption of Building Information Modeling and virtual design and construction. Today, coordinated models drive layout and sequencing. Blueprints are accessible on iPads in the field. Prefabrication, once a nice-to-have, is now a reliable lever to reduce rework and staff exposure on congested sites. The cumulative effect has been a more nimble company that can start later, move faster, and still deliver on schedule.

Learning new steps at the hospital

The phrase “you fiddle, we dance” is not a slogan invented in a conference room. It comes from lived experience. Carpenter recalls a pivotal moment on a heart hospital project in Lubbock. The general contractor accelerated the concrete schedule, which scrambled access and compressed the window for mechanical rough-ins. The change created a high-risk bottleneck. Instead of pushing back, Armstrong called a brief meeting, recalibrated the plan, and leaned on outside partners developed over years of relationship-building.

“The general changed the tempo. We told our crews we were going to learn some new steps. Then we found the extra hands, re-sequenced the work, and kept pace.”

The team finished on time. For Carpenter, the episode affirmed why adaptability is not optional. It also demonstrated the value of trusted partners. When schedules tighten, the network matters. Armstrong’s willingness to source help, coordinate through BIM, and prefab assemblies offsite allowed crews to meet a deadline that might have been missed a decade earlier. Lessons from that sprint reinforced habits that now show up on jobs across the region.

Technology in the toolbox

Armstrong’s technology stack is practical rather than flashy. BIM models are linked to prefabrication workflows that standardize details and reduce guesswork. Virtual and augmented reality tools have been adopted thoughtfully. Field supervisors and service technicians use VR headsets to run through complex installations ahead of time, a strategy that helps cross-train staff and reduces time-to-proficiency. Drones document progress, assist with site logistics, and create weekly snapshots for meetings so stakeholders can see what has changed without wandering the whole site. The aim is to remove friction, improve safety, and keep the conversation about facts rather than opinions.

Carpenter is especially proud of how technology has strengthened training. Veteran technicians can share knowledge through virtual modules that newer hires review before stepping into live work. Service teams can simulate troubleshooting scenarios, practice communication with customers, and build confidence. The approach supports Armstrong’s low turnover by giving employees visible paths to new skills and responsibilities. It also allows commercial technicians to cross-train on residential tasks and vice versa, smoothing staffing during seasonal swings.

“Technology helps us teach faster, coordinate better, and remove uncertainty. It is not tech for tech’s sake. It is about giving our teams the right information at the right moment.”

Showing the work in the community

Armstrong’s portfolio in recent years reads like a travel map of community growth. The company has contributed to Lubbock-Cooper ISD’s Liberty High School academic addition, fieldhouse facilities, and baseball and softball improvements. At Texas Tech, Armstrong’s presence at the Womble Basketball Center reflects a long relationship with the university. The firm has completed five of the latest six projects for the institution, making Texas Tech one of its largest clients. Each project highlights different capabilities, from large air distribution and hydronic systems to intricate plumbing under compressed schedules.

Other major projects include portions of Leprino Foods’ manufacturing plant, a complex facility with significant implications for local jobs, and an Amazon fulfillment center where speed and standardization are everything. The company has also worked on a VA clinic, a showcase of how methods and tools have evolved over the years. These projects demonstrate scale, but they also illustrate a consistent method. Armstrong seeks to pair adaptable planning with clear communication, supporting general contractors who need partners that can match pace without sacrificing quality.

That transparency extends to marketing. Carpenter believes the company’s best differentiator is visible performance tied to schedule and specialty execution. Show, do not tell. He sees value in collateral that highlights milestones, prefabrication wins, and schedule recoveries because those details influence prequalification and bid decisions. It is not bragging. It is documentation.

“We want people to see what we do, how we deliver, and why we are trusted when timing is tight.”

A service company at heart

While the portfolio is broad, Armstrong remains a service company at its core. Residential customers call for comfort, safety, and reliability. Commercial clients demand precision and predictability. In both settings, Armstrong emphasizes communication, preparation, and a bias for action. The addition of electrical services in 2016 rounded out the residential offering so homeowners can resolve multiple issues through one provider. For commercial work, the integrated plumbing and HVAC capabilities allow Armstrong to coordinate major system interfaces with fewer handoffs and fewer surprises.

The company’s culture supports that approach. With little turnover and many employees who have built their careers at Armstrong, the organization benefits from shared language and trust. Newer hires work alongside seasoned professionals who know the region’s construction rhythms. Prefab strategies allow smaller on-site teams to stay focused, while off-site assembly improves quality control. In the field, iPads and models streamline decision-making and capture accountability. When things change, and they always do, the crew returns to a principle that has survived countless schedule shifts.

“You fiddle, we dance. As fast as the general goes, we will finish it,” Carpenter says.

The next nine decades

At 90 years, Armstrong Plumbing, Air & Electric is not standing still. Carpenter continues to invest in people and tools that reduce risk and enhance coordination. He sees ongoing value in cross-training programs that let commercial technicians handle select residential tasks and vice versa, a hedge against seasonal cycles that also deepens the talent pool. He expects virtual training to grow, drones to remain standard practice for documentation, and prefab to expand in scope. He is also focused on communicating results to the marketplace, because the right story, told with evidence, helps customers and general contractors choose with confidence.

Armstrong’s identity is straightforward. It is a Lubbock company that builds and maintains the systems people depend on every day. It grew from a simple shop into an integrated contractor, narrowed its focus to what it does best, and continues to adapt without losing its sense of place. Work at schools, hospitals, manufacturing plants, and university facilities is essential in its own right. It also represents jobs, comfort, and safety for neighbors, students, patients, and fans across West Texas.

Carpenter is proud of the lineage, the people, and the promise he believes the company carries into its second century. He knows that schedules will tighten, designs will evolve, and new technologies will arrive. He does not expect the dance to slow. That is fine with him.

“Something wrong? Better call Armstrong!”