Company History

Linck Electric: 1941 - 1976

Our story begins with Leonard Linck, who worked for Milton Lockhardt, as a young man learning electrical work. He continued his career with the Air Corp Service, working on P51's and Spitfire airplane radios. Shortly after, he returned to Randolph and opened a store called Linck Electric. The store was located in downtown Randolph in the Cram Building on the corner of Williams Street and Stark Street. Leonard worked alongside Ed Biel to learn plumbing, and acquired his plumbing license.

In the 1950's, Leonard added many trades to his business, including plumbing, heating and electrical. He also sold Sherwin-Williams paint, Admiral TVs, Norge Appliances and installed TV towers. With so many trades, he was the man to go to in town for repairs and new work.

In the 1960's, Leonard purchased the First Reformed Church on the north side of Randolph. He built a store on the lot and intended to use the church for storage. Leonard hired Roger Steinhorst in 1960 after high school graduation. As luck would have it, Leonard sat next to Roger's dad at the graduation. Dad told Roger the next day, “You're going to work for Linck on Monday.” And the rest is history…

Roger worked for $1.25/hr and never really got a regular paycheck - he had to ask for some money every week or so. (Roger says, "Sorry Leonard, but I had to!") While working at Linck Electric, Roger learned the trades mostly on the job. He went to plumbing school and became a Master Plumber in 1976.

Written by Roger Steinhorst.

P. H. E.: 1977 - 2010

Roger bought the business from Leonard in 1977 and renamed it to P.H.E. for “plumbing”, “heating”, and “electrical”. The shop started out slow with just two technicians and later grew to 4 employees. One of those workers was Roger's son, Shawn, who is still with PHE Contractors today. Shawn started working in the summer of his junior year in high school, 1982, and worked full time after graduation. (Roger says, “Thanks, Shawn!”) Shawn remains an integral part of the PHE Contractors team today as a Master Plumber, Master Technician and HVAC Specialist.

Roger did some remodeling of the store and warehouse, which remained the old church. Over the years, he tried different heating brands and ended up becoming a Trane dealer. P. H. E. handled repair work, farm wiring, commercial plumbing and heating, new houses and everything in between. Some of the memorable jobs include replacing lead water supply lines to homes with copper pipe and working with Polash Excavating on sewer and water mains in Randolph, Markesan and Ripon. Roger earned his Master Electrician's license in 2005.

P. H. E. had some wonderful secretaries over the years, but Roger's favorite was his wife, Ruth. Ruth managed the books for the last 20 years until they both retired together.

Some good memories through the years include a hot tub on a float in the Labor Day Parade - this hot tub was full of bubbles and had two girls in the tub, one of them being Shawn's wife, Lesa. Roger and P. H. E. supported the local community as a member of JC's - Chamber of Commerce, and served two terms on the village board.

Written by Roger Steinhorst.

PHE Contractors, INC.: 2010 - Present

In 2010, P. H. E. was sold to Steve and Kris Pickhardt and the name was changed to PHE Contractors, Inc. The Pickhardt's were both born and raised in Randolph, attended the same church as Roger & Ruth Steinhorst and had known them their whole lives. Roger stayed on full-time for the first year during the transition.

Steve brought 18 years' experience as a mechanical project engineer with him. He took plumbing courses, became a licensed pump installer and is licensed in refrigerant handling. Kris was a registered dental hygienist and quickly learned the management of the bookwork from Ruth. There were two licensed technicians and one office assistant at that time. Today there are 6 licensed technicians, an invoicing specialist and an office manager that join them on their team and are instrumental in providing our quality services.

In 2020, Steve & Kris's son-in-law, Cody Zimmerman, joined the team. Cody has a Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, a diploma in HVAC and is in the final stages of the Plumbing Apprenticeship. He is also a licensed pump installer and is licensed in Radon testing and mitigation. In 2022, PHE Contractors started offering Radon testing and mitigation services.

In 2022, Steve & Kris's daughter, Megan Fassbinder, joined the team. Megan has a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and is the Office Manager. Megan has received in-depth training in the field from our technicians to have a thorough understanding of the services we provide and has also taken several courses regarding our trades. And, although they get asked all the time, Cody and Megan are not married. ;)

PHE Contractors has had many wonderful employees over the years. One in particular is Shawn Steinhorst, Roger and Ruth's son. Shawn is well versed in all three trades; plumbing, HVAC and electrical. Shawn has a wealth of knowledge and is an excellent teacher and mentor to our team.

PHE Contractors, Inc. is a member of the Randolph Chamber of Commerce. We are blessed to contribute financially to many local organizations, and we participate in local parades, wine walks and other events annually. PHE Contractors is a member of Associated Builders & Contractors and has put several technicians through the apprenticeship program to grow the trades.

We are very grateful to our team and all of our wonderful customers. Thank you for a great 15 years! We look forward to many more.

Written by Steve & Kris Pickhardt.

Our warehouse - First Reformed Church

The First Reformed Church, located on the corner of High Street and County Road P, was built in 1908. The pipe organ, which sat at the front of the church at the altar, was installed in 1915. Church services were held at 9:30AM and 2PM during the winter months and 9:30AM and 7:45PM in the summer months, so the farmers were able to get the cows milked and the chores completed.

The janitor, Henry Vredeveld, pulled the rope that rang the bell in the steeple, alerting it was time to begin. The elders sat in the front pew on the left side and the deacons sat in the pew on the right side. The minister's wife, Mrs. Van Farowe, sat in the middle pew, which was reserved for her and their two sons.

In 1947, basement excavating was completed along with several additions and renovations. Many family gathering were held in the basement, including wedding receptions and anniversary celebrations. We sat in rows of wooden folding chairs holding a tray of food and our children in our lap. At this time, Reverend DeVries was the minister and the church was expanding. Overflow members or parents with small children sat in the basement. They listened to the service through a speaker situated on top of the upright piano.

After each service, it was common to see men lighting up a cigarette as they left the building. Everyone visited on the church lawn and parking lot as many had not seen each other since the service last Sunday. Behind the parsonage, which still stands as a private residence next to PHE Contractors today, there was a horse barn. Members would park their buggies and put the horses in the barn during the service. The horses would receive hay and water during the service. Many members walked or carpooled to services.

After steady growth, the church could no longer meet the needs of the congregation. It was time to make plans for a new church building. Land was purchased on the corner of Germania Street and High Street. The church, along with the pipe organ, was sold to Leonard Linck for a warehouse next to Linck Electric. The new church building was dedicated on June 12, 1960, at the cost of $210,000, including furnishings.

Written by Mary Ann Westra.