The Fagundes Story

Who is Fagundes Plumbing and Heating?

My name is Alvaro Fagundes, and I’m the owner and president of Fagundes Plumbing and Heating, founded on October 1st, 2003. But the name “Fagundes” goes back much further—because for me, it really started in April of 1968, when my parents, João and Conceição, got married.

My parents were immigrants from Terceira, one of the nine islands that make up the Azores in Portugal. In the early 1970s, my father came to the U.S. on a work visa, laboring on a dairy farm for Cumberland Farms. In 1973, he and my mother brought my three sisters, all under the age of five, to America. Imagine the courage it took to leave everything familiar—family, language, culture—for the hope of a better life. That strength, that grit, is where our name gets its meaning.

My parents worked hard to provide for us. They often worked opposite shifts so someone could always be home with the kids. They even raised goats in our Lowell neighborhood—so much so that one neighbor once asked if my dad had big dogs! My father used those goats to make queijo de cabra, a traditional cheese, which he sold alongside other homemade foods. Eventually, with a cousin, they bought a small corner store in Lowell’s Back Central neighborhood—what many called “Portugeeville.” There, they sold cheese, linguiça, fried dough—true flavors of our culture.

In 1993, after decades of hard work, my parents returned to the Azores to build their dream home. I was 12 years old, and suddenly I was the immigrant—learning to read and write Portuguese, adapting to a new culture, and working with my father as he returned to cattle farming. Those years shaped me in ways no classroom ever could.

That’s why Fagundes Plumbing and Heating is more than just a company name. It represents my parents’ sacrifice, their courage, and their belief in hard work. It’s about a family legacy rooted in integrity, resilience, and service.

When you see the name Fagundes, I want you to know it stands for more than plumbing and heating. It stands for a family that came here with nothing but built something lasting—for a community that welcomed us, and for the next generation we’re proud to serve.

That’s the story of Fagundes Plumbing and Heating. That’s our name. That’s our promise.