In 1996, Lubbock resident Chet Pharies took ownership of a carpet-cleaning business called Carpet Tech. This wasn’t something he planned to do with his life, but when tragedy struck the Pharies family, Chet knew it was the right decision to make.
Carpet Tech was originally started by Chet’s brother, Chad. Chad started cleaning carpets when he was in college at Texas Tech to make some money to help get through school. Then, in December of 1995, Chad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The Pharies family sold the business to a local man in Lubbock when Chad was too ill to continue working. The following year, Chad tragically passed away at the young age of 23. Chet was attending Texas Tech at the time on a scholarship to play football. After his brother’s passing, Chet was devastated by the loss and left school.
That same year, Chet was able to buy the business back from the man they originally sold it to, and he decided to start Carpet Tech back up again. When Chet first took over, he had no idea where he wanted to go with the business. However, things quickly moved forward and today the business is in five different locations.
In addition to growing the carpet cleaning business, Carpet Tech has also branched out in several directions with multiple divisions: Bug Tech (the pest control division), Pool Tech (the pool cleaning division), and CT Construction (the construction division). Part of their growth and success can be contributed to the incredible customer service Carpet Tech gives their customers.
“We like to provide every customer with what we call the CT experience. We take pride in taking care of our customers and making sure that everything is done with a personal touch. If our customers need help with other services like changing a light bulb or taking out the trash, that’s something we’re willing to do,” says Jordan Warren, Marketing Coordinator at Carpet Tech.
In addition to going the extra mile for their customers, Carpet Tech is extremely involved with different organizations in the local Lubbock community. They take time out of their busy schedule to cook for different groups and events like The Alstrom Angels BeepBall Tournament, The Lubbock Christian University Homecoming Basketball Games, and the Back-to-School breakfast for Frenship ISD faculty and staff. “We like to see our efforts and sponsorship dollars stay in Lubbock. We love to see our community benefit. It’s those small things that we like to do in the community to give back and let them know that they are important to us,” says Jordan.
It’s clear that the Lubbock community appreciates the commitment and love from Carpet Tech. Earlier this year, some of the residents from High Point Village, a local home for adults with disabilities, stopped by the Carpet Tech office with freshly-baked cookies as way of saying thank you. “It’s little moments like that, which remind us how much we love being involved in our community. Getting to interact with the people that we work for is a huge blessing for us whether it be kids from Alstrom Angels or our customers who have used our services for 20 years or more. It’s nice to be able to have a personal relationship with those customers,” says Jordan.
There is no doubt that Carpet Tech will continue to grow and be successful in Lubbock and throughout Texas thanks to their passion, hard work, and commitment. “We’d always like to see the company keep growing. Right now, we’re not 100 percent positive what that would look like, but no matter what, we always want to remain loyal to our current customers and those people who have been with us since the very beginning. That’s always going to be extremely important to us,” says Jordan.
The story of Carpet Tech is a beautiful one, because it shows that growth is possible despite tragedy and loss. Chad started Carpet Tech on the pillars of honesty, integrity, and hard work. “Those are three pillars we base our company on. Chad wanted to provide the best customer service, and we still carry that on today,” says Jordan.
Part of the beauty in shopping with local businesses like Carpet Tech is knowing you are part of these special and heartwarming stories of the people in your community. Just like Chet Pharies, your local business owners have passions for Lubbock that extend beyond running a successful business. You can find other local businesses when you download Towny, the free app that connects you with local perks in Lubbock. Don’t miss a thing!