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Three generations.
One promise.

Family-owned Nashville plumbing since 1947. No call centers. No national franchises. Just the Ward family — and the people they trained — on every truck.

Jack Ward & Sons Plumbing red service van on a Nashville job — (615) 227-2811

★ Family-owned since 1947

Our story

It started with a handshake and a pipe wrench.

In 1947, Jack Ward hung out his shingle in Nashville, Tennessee — a veteran with a trade, a good reputation, and the belief that a plumber should show up on time, charge a fair price, and stand behind his work. No exceptions.

His son Tommy Ward took the wrench in the 1970s, growing the company across Davidson County while his father's name remained on every truck. Today, Bartley Burnette — Jack's grandson through the family line — carries the same standards into a third generation of Nashville homes and businesses.

We're not the biggest plumbing company in Nashville. We never aimed to be. We're the one where a family member answers the phone on the second ring — and the person you talked to last year still remembers your house.

"The ease of doing business is the biggest difference. It's all based on the service level — we understand what it takes to keep customers happy."
— Bartley Burnette, Owner · Jack Ward & Sons Plumbing

Family timeline

The Ward family in Nashville — 1947 to today.

First generation

Jack Ward

1947 – 1970s

Founded Jack Ward Plumbing in Nashville, Tennessee. A tradesman's tradesman — hand-dug connections, cast-iron runs, the kind of copper work that still holds water 70 years later. Built the company's reputation one honest job at a time, one Nashville neighborhood at a time.

Founded the company · 1947
Established East Nashville customer base
Trained the next generation personally

Second generation

Tommy Ward

1970s – 2000s

Tommy Ward grew up on the trucks and took the reins in the 1970s, expanding Jack Ward & Sons across Davidson County and into the surrounding communities. The company name became synonymous with reliability in Middle Tennessee — if you called once, you called forever.

Expanded to all of Davidson County
Added commercial service accounts
Grew fleet and hired the first non-family crew

Third generation · Current owner

Bartley Burnette

2000s – Present

Bartley Burnette carries the Ward family tradition into a new Nashville — a city that's grown dramatically but still needs a plumber who answers the phone and keeps his word. Same name on the trucks. Same values behind the invoice. Same number you've been calling for decades.

Third-generation ownership
Expanded to 13 Middle TN communities
TN Lic. #48417 · Metro PC2268 · MCN07740

What we believe

Five things the Ward family won't compromise on.

Honest diagnosis

If a $15 flapper fixes it, we'll change a $15 flapper — even when a new toilet would cost more. The right fix, not the most profitable one.

Written estimates every time

You get a written price before any work begins. No "while we were in there" surprises. No verbal approximations that balloon on the invoice.

On time or we call

If we say 8 AM, we're there at 8 AM. If something changes, we call you before the window — not after. Your morning matters as much as ours.

Warranted work

Handshakes still mean something in this family. If something we installed or repaired isn't right, we come back and make it right — no arguments, no fee.

Family answers

You'll never get a robot, a national call center, or someone reading from a script. The family answers — the same family that will be on your job.

By the numbers

A Nashville institution — by any measure.

Established

1947

Years in business

78+

Family generations

Three

Communities served

Emergency response

24/7

Brand partners

Kohler · Moen · Rinnai · Bradford White

Credentials & licensing

Licensed, bonded,
and insured in Tennessee.

Every job we do is permitted and inspected when required by code. We carry full liability insurance and workers' comp — so you're protected on every call, not just the easy ones.

TN State Plumbing License #48417
Metro Nashville Plumbing Contractor PC2268
Master Contractor MCN07740
Fully bonded
Liability insurance carried on every truck
Workers' compensation coverage
Permit-pulling for all regulated work
BBB Accredited Business

Since 1947 · Nashville, TN

78yrs

Three generations of Nashville plumbing. Jack Ward & Sons has been a fixture in Middle Tennessee homes and businesses longer than most of Nashville's skyline has existed.

TN Lic. #48417 · Metro PC2268 · MCN07740 · BBB Accredited · Bonded & Insured · Family-owned Nashville since 1947.

Ready to talk to the family?

We'll listen first. Diagnose second. Quote third. 78 years of doing it that way.

Call 24/7
(615) 227-2811

Three generations.One promise.