Prior to 1927, John O. Neff worked as a boilermaker in upstate New York and for Fred White as a Master Plumber of Neff Plumbing.
John O. Neff, our first generation, was the founder, owner and Master Plumber of Neff Plumbing from 1927 through 1952. In 1948, John’s son, Burt Neff, joined the business and started working with him. He took over the business in 1952.
Burt worked as the owner and Master Plumber of our business until he sadly and suddenly passed away in 1975. Burt’s son, Terry, was also a Master Plumber who worked alongside his father and our second, third, and fourth generation of plumbers. In 1956, Charles R. Neff broke off from Neff Plumbing. He and his wife, June, moved to Broadlands, IL. There, he worked as an apprentice plumber for C.T. Henson until 1961, when he parted from Henson’s firm and started his own business, Neff Plumbing, and Heating.
Thus, Charles R. Neff, our second generation was born. He mostly worked in the Champaign-Urbana, IL area along with the rural areas near Broadlands, IL. He started out selling Eljer plumbing products and took on the Lennox dealership in 1961.
In 1970, he moved his family and business to Mattoon, IL to continue to take care of his customers in the Champaign- Urbana and Broadlands area. At that time, the business name was changed to C R Neff Plumbing, Heating, and A/C LLC.
Charlie and June’s son, Rodney, joined the team in 1975 as an apprentice plumber. Shortly thereafter, he received his plumbing license in 1980 at the age of 20, and our third generation was born!
Though it wasn’t always easy to work beside each other, Charlie and Rod worked side by side for many, many years. Before they knew it, Rod’s son, Joshua, came on board in 2005 and started his apprenticeship in 2007. After a lot of hard work, Joshua became a licensed plumber in 2014, at 25 years of age. And there you have it. Our fourth generation was born!
Even though, at times, it is difficult to work side by side each other, Rod and Josh are master plumbers that take pride in their work. They both are specialists in boilers and water heating, Weil-McLain being their favorite. Today, they both work side by side at our current address of 5182 Old State Rd in Mattoon, IL.
With God’s guidance and grace, we have managed to continue the business founded by John O. Neff with the same hardworking and honest integrity that characterized him. Although we no longer accept chickens and coal as payment, we still do mindfully respect John’s work ethics, and his focus on customer satisfaction, honesty, reliability, and fairness.
Over many, many years, the business has moved to several locations in Mattoon. At one time, the business was union. Charlie Neff not only made a difference in the community with his plumbing, heating and AC skills, but he also remodeled homes.
C R Neff Plumbing, Heating, and A/C LLC is a member of the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce and is also a member of the Better Business Bureau. We pride ourselves on offering 24-hour services and our planned service agreements to our residential and commercial customers.
Currently, C R Neff Plumbing, Heating, and A/C LLC has 12 full-time employees and is located at 5182 Old State Rd in Mattoon, IL. Please feel free to stop by anytime. We love our customers.
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