Leon’s Electric & Plumbing headquarters in downtown Schulenburg, TX.
When Leon’s Electric & Plumbing walks through their own lobby, they pass photos of company president Ron Langhamer as a boy standing next to his parents, Leon and Marcella, who founded the company in Schulenburg in 1959. It’s not a decoration — it’s the whole story. “This has been his life since childhood,” is how the family describes it, and looking at those photos, it’s easy to see why.
Twenty-five years ago, Ron and his sister and business partner, Sherry Bubela, bought the business from their parents, and today Leon’s has grown into a genuine anchor of the Schulenburg and La Grange business community: more than 25,000 square feet spread across several buildings in downtown Schulenburg, and over 70 full-time employees serving Fayette, Colorado, and Lavaca counties in electrical, plumbing, and HVAC work.
The crew installing a commercial rooftop HVAC unit.
They also keep a small satellite office in Katy focused on commercial plumbing work, handling plumbing construction for the Katy, Klein, Stafford, Alief, and Lamar school districts. But Ron is quick to point out where the heart of the business really lives: right here. “La Grange is definitely our backyard,” he says — Leon’s was serving the area before most of today’s plumbing companies ever set up shop, and the family sees itself as part of the town’s growth story even though the company is technically headquartered in Schulenburg.
The team gathers for their morning meeting before heading out for the day.
The business is now moving into its third generation, with Chad Bubela leading the Commercial Plumbing department. But talk to anyone at Leon’s for more than a few minutes and you’ll hear less about org charts and more about people. Ron’s wife, Lisa, is deeply involved in the business, and when asked what drives them, she put it simply: they’d “rather give than receive,” and they love their employees.
A Leon’s technician on a residential service call.
That’s not just a sentiment — it shows. Leon’s has invested heavily in sending staff to Blinn College for HVAC and electrical training and certifications, and it’s not unusual to meet employees who’ve been with the company for more than 30 years. Ron credits it to a straightforward philosophy: pay people a fair, livable wage, and they’ll stay.
Technicians training on HVAC equipment — Leon’s invests in ongoing certification through Blinn College.
Ron, ever modest about the company’s success, keeps a verse close — Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” — a quiet thread that runs through how the family talks about their work and their people.
Leon’s team recruiting at a local job fair.
That same spirit of giving shows up across the community. Leon’s supports the Fayette County Fair, now in its 99th year, the Gardenia Jansen Animal Shelter in La Grange, Habitat for Humanity (whose thrift store sits just down the road from their shop), the Fayette County Sheriff’s Association, the Fayette County Rodeo, and a local food pantry. School district fundraisers are part of that giving back too, in every community they serve — not just here at home.
The Leon’s team celebrating the company’s 60th anniversary, 1959–2019.
We’re proud to welcome Leon’s Electric & Plumbing as a member of the La Grange Chamber of Commerce — a family business, three generations deep, that’s been building this community right alongside it since 1959.
Welcome to the Chamber, Leon’s — we’re glad to officially call you a member.
