Many people who buy existing businesses often want to change the name to put their own stamp on it.
But when Dan Schubert and his partner Chris Emerson bought Windebank Electric earlier this year, it was a no-brainer they would keep the name.
After all, the Windebank name is a part of Mission’s history in so many ways.
The Windebank name graces everything from an elementary school to a creek in Mission area.
“It’s just history,” said Schubert. “The name is just such a big part of Mission’s past. And we want it to continue on well into the future.”
The Windebank family goes back to 1889 when Hori Windebank arrived in Mission. The arrival of the railroad meant a flurry of activity in the city and the one-time sea captain saw an opportunity and building a hotel and then an electrical power station in the basement of a building at First Avenue and Grand Street.
The electrical connection continued with the formation of Windebank Electric to serve the community.
The business was eventually sold to Larry Anderson and Hank Neufeld, who owned it for 20-plus years.
They also kept the Windebank name.
“Nobody ever had a bad thing to say about Windebank so why change it,” Neufeld told the Record.
Anderson and Neufeld then sold the company to Dwayne Ferguson, who owned it for 22 years and also kept the name.
“I didn’t even consider changing the name,” Ferguson told the Record. “So much history there. I didn’t even have to really advertise because people were so familiar with it.”
And now Ferguson has sold to Schubert and Emerson.
There are a lot of ties here in the owners and the trades field, as Schubert’s father started a plumbing company in 1978 and who worked with Anderson and Neufeld. Schubert’s dad also operated a sheet metal shop for some time in the lower floor of Windebank Electric.
Schubert and Emerson are partners in businesses that cover plumbing contracting and HVAC services.
“We look forward to continue the legacy that the Windebank family created and the previous owners have sustained,” Schubert said. “Both Chris and I are lifelong residents here in Mission and raise families here.”
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chris.campbell@missioncityrecord.com
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