Fast 15: Dustin Hughes

Plenty of hours and good pay are what attracted Dustin Hughes to Kimbel Mechanical Systems.

Hughes found a lot more than that, though, and is now the face of the Springdale-based plumbing and HVAC company in central Arkansas. While he still works out of the Springdale office — and lives in Alma — Hughes is KMS’ central Arkansas division president.

Not bad for someone who took a $10-an-hour job eight years ago to help his wife finish college.

“I just kind of fell in love with what I do,” Hughes said.

The timing couldn’t have been better for Hughes, who became a licensed insurance agent at 19, only to find he didn’t enjoy the work. He had been attending the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, but chose to put his schooling on hold while his wife, Amanda, completed a degree in education.

Hughes said he did mainly “grunt work” in the beginning, but began to learn more and more about the plumbing industry. He liked the friendly competition among the staff and the business aspect, too.

“Just seeing what was available for anybody that would get out there and work hard really motivated me,” Hughes said.

Soon, Hughes was promoted to an assistant superintendent’s role, where he oversaw small projects. Such a project might entail 20 to 30 houses in a subdivision.

Hughes later became a superintendent and got a big break when he was chosen to oversee a project at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The 560-unit project required a crew of about 12 and took two years to complete.

“It’s not as easy as driving up to a subdivision and just going to work,” Hughes said of working on a military base.

Hughes currently oversees about 15 to 20 workers who handle KMS’ residential business in central Arkansas. KMS initially did work there for a single builder, but Hughes has added another six to eight clients in the last year-plus. He believes that total will grow to 10 to 12 within the next year.

Away from work, Hughes is an avid bowhunter and likes spending time with his family at Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma. In addition to the time and resources he and his wife donate to the American Cancer Society, Hughes played a key role in feeding and housing workers and volunteers who helped build the Nick family a house for the television series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

— Rob Keys