Capital Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric Has Been Keeping the Lights on — and Houses Warm — for Nearly 90 Years

In our annual legacy business issue, we look at local enterprises that have stood the test of time. In so doing, a pattern has emerged. Year after year, these organizations show that they aren’t just doing business in their communities — they are living, serving, and caring for each other in those spaces, too. This year’s picks are no exception. — Joanna Kresge, managing editor

It’s not uncommon for Dean Schmidtke, co-owner and general manager of Capital Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric, to hear from his customers about how their grandparents or relatives have used his business’s services for decades.

“When I was younger, (customers) would always tell me, ‘Oh, your dad sold me my furnace,’ and now I get that. It’s like the next generation saying, ‘Dean sold me that furnace long ago,’” Schmidtke said. “We have a lot of multi-generational family customers, which is really cool.”

Schmidtke represents the third generation to run his family’s business, which was originally purchased by his grandfather, William Schmidtke, and his entrepreneurial partner, Helmut Klein, in 1937. The German immigrants operated the enterprise, then called Tobin Sheet Metal, in downtown Olympia on Columbia Street.

After rebranding the business to Capital Sheet Metal, the duo primarily focused on roofing, custom ductwork, and other sheet-metal services. The business eventually moved to its current digs on Carpenter Road in Lacey, where it has remained since 1973.

William ran the business until around 1980, when his son, Larry, and his wife, Dianne, took over. During Larry’s tenure, the business expanded its offerings to residential and commercial heating and cooling, air-duct cleaning, and system-repair services.

Larry’s sons, Dean, Bill, and Chuck, took over CHCPE from their father in 2003. Looking to become a one-stop shop for its returning customers, the family began to offer plumbing and electrical services in 2020. The brothers were involved with the family business long before they officially started running it, though.

“As soon as we could sweep a broom (we’ve worked here),” Dean said. “At some point, we would graduate to answering the phones, and we did a little bit of everything.”

The family is entering its fourth generation of workers, with Bill’s kids beginning to work at CHCPE in some capacity. The Schmidtkes have also seen some longtime workers bring their own children into the fold.

Giving back to the community is additionally imperative to the Schmidtkes, who have supported organizations such as the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Harlequin, Ballet Northwest, Relay for Life, and several others.

“The community has been so good to us that I think it’s just being responsible to give back, and to help make our community as vibrant as it can be. Along with that, a vibrant community attracts good employees,” Dean said. “(I want) them to live here rather than some other place.”

The family is proud of making it to 90 years — and it’s looking forward to whatever may come in the next 90.

“I hope that we can really continue to support our community and be a good neighbor and offer the highest quality and best services that we can, because that is paramount — that’s what really is our product,” Dean said. “It’s not just the parts and the pieces that you sell customers; it’s everything else. It’s the information. It’s being conscious of what customers really need and their budgets and finding the best solutions.”