For the past five decades, the Dominguez family in Las Vegas, N.M., has been operating one of Northern New Mexico’s most reliable heating and cooling companies.
The company started in 1973 under Frank Dominguez, who created Shillinglaw, LLC. The company worked on housing developments in Santa Fe and other similar jobs until Frank’s son, Frank A., later took over the business after working with his father full time in high school. Frank A. added plumbing to the heating and cooling business and created 3D’s Plumbing in 2016 after his father retired in 2013.
3D’s Plumbing projects include residential and commercial work. The mostly word-of-mouth demand has taken Frank A. all over Northern New Mexico to Albuquerque and Sulpher, OK. He’s also worked in Santa Fe, Española, Peñasco and Hobbs in Southern New Mexico.
“Running a business is pretty hard,” says Frank A. “It’s up and down. Sometimes you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow but you have to have a good work ethic. You keep going and figure it out one way or another.”
Frank A., who has six employees, found The Loan Fund through a friend when they were looking for a line of credit and a loan when expanding their shop to fabricate duct work, and weld and create parts.
The business is also still operated with family support. Frank A.’s daughter, Jacklyn, runs the office, which she took over from her mother, Virginia, who inherited the job from her mother-in-law, Rosina. Frank A.’s son, Frank T., runs the shop.
“The Loan Fund has really been helpful to us,” Frank A. said. “They’ve been there when I’ve needed them and then some.”
New Mexico Fungi