Rick-n-Ball and 1-Tom-Plumber

From Public Safety to Private Emergencies: How Two Veterans Built Huntsville’s Most Trusted Restoration and Plumbing Companies

When disaster strikes at 2 a.m.—burst pipes, storm damage, plumbing nightmares—you need someone who gets it. That’s exactly what Kevin Ball and Andrew Rickabaugh have built with Rick-n-Ball Restoration and 1-Tom-Plumber: two companies that bring the same urgency and professionalism to home emergencies that they once brought to public safety as firefighters, police officers, and armed service members. What started as two military veterans working out of Ball’s garage has grown into a 30-plus employee operation that’s becoming a household name across North Alabama. 

Rick-n-Ball Restoration handles everything from water damage mitigation to complete home reconstruction after fires, floods, and storms. In 2023, with the introduction of 1-Tom-Plumber, the entrepreneurial duo now provides 24/7 emergency plumbing services with a focus on professionalism and customer comfort. Together, they offer Huntsville residents a seamless solution for home disasters, whether those require immediate plumbing repairs or comprehensive restoration work.

A Foundation Built on Service

Kevin Ball and Andrew Rickabaugh aren’t your typical business owners. Both bring deep roots in service: Ball served multiple overseas tours with the United States Army, was an active member of his local volunteer fire department and a reservist with the Madison Police Department, and has a civil engineering background. Rickabaugh is a 20-year Marine Corps reservist who spent seven years with the Madison Fire Department and four years with the Huntsville Police Department. When they decided to start a business together in Huntsville, then, service was hardwired into their DNA.

You can see their military background everywhere, from their structured operations systems to their “Top P.I.C.K.” company credo. “P.I.C.K.” is an acronym standing for Perseverance, Integrity, Compassion, and Knowledge. “That’s the basis for our approach not only to our customers, but to our employees,” Rickabaugh explains.

Building Trust Through Excellence

Both companies have made their reputations by going far beyond what’s expected. When an entire condo building lost water during repairs, for example, Rickabaugh told their marketing manager Travis to “go get a bunch of 24-packs of bottled water, get gallons of water, and drop them on every single doorstep.” Why? “We want this to be the least of their worries,” Rickabaugh says. “It’s about thinking of those extra things to do to make the homeowner or tenant more comfortable.”

This cultural foundation comes from both partners’ service backgrounds. Rickabaugh credits his time with the Madison Fire Department for shaping his understanding of emergency response. “I enjoyed the heck out of the fire department, and I miss those guys all the time,” he says. After that experience and his four years with the Huntsville police, he knew he wanted to build something that captured that same sense of mission he felt in his years as a first responder.

“This company really scratches the itch I had—that I got from the fire department, police department, and military,” he explains. “Sometimes, this is the worst day of the customer’s life. When we’re coming out there after a tornado rips the roof off their house—it’s an absolutely terrible situation. And we’ve developed that compassion and those connections in the community to respond appropriately.”

Ball echoes this sentiment from his own perspective. “We’re helping and serving people—not just doing remodels and nice upgrades, but helping people who actually need something, whether that’s because of water damage, fire damage, etc. So filling that service need was important to us.”

Their hiring philosophy in particular reflects their military backgrounds and service-first mentality. “We say we hire, fire, and live by our core values,” Ball explains. “We’re looking for people who are willing to work hard—people who understand that it might be 2 a.m. when you’ve got to go out on a job. Maybe you’ve already put in 8 to 10 hours when another call comes in. You need perseverance and integrity.”

Andrew agrees, and he emphasizes that the companies are also looking for “compassion, integrity, and a service mindset: serving people without expecting something in return.” For example, Andrew recalls a time when Alex, one of their plumbing service experts, had worked a particularly long day but still stopped on his way home and pulled people’s cars out of ditches. Such acts of service exemplify the company values, and they don’t go unnoticed; the companies hold quarterly recognition ceremonies to highlight and reward exceptional service.

The reality of restoration work requires this mindset. “A lot of our customers have lost their biggest investment, and they’re stressed to the max. They don’t know what to do. So we have to show compassion, even if they’re not in a compassionate mindset toward us,” Ball says. “We know they’re not angry at us—they’re upset about the situation.”

A New Company with a New Mindset

The partners’ timing for starting Rick-n-Ball in 2018 was less than ideal; they got their SBA funding during a government shutdown. Both men learned patience and perspective through their service careers, though, so they kept at it. Rickabaugh remembers the early days with just the two of them: “I remember—Kevin, you probably remember—we’re under a crawl space together, questioning our decisions in life. And then we look over at each other and say, ‘Yo—perseverance. Gotta persevere.” But what started out as a challenge actually became their first marketing win. Rickabaugh had a hunch that a local news interview as a veteran-owned business affected by the shutdown would generate work. “I think we scored three jobs off of that,” he says.

Your Home. Your Choice.

Here’s the most important thing every homeowner needs to know: you choose who restores your home. Too many people don’t realize that when they file an insurance claim, the insurance company will often suggest a contractor that’s part of its TPA (third-party administrator) network. Those outfits answer to the insurer first, which can leave you—after years of faithfully paying premiums—short-changed when it comes to repairs. Rick-n-Ball refuses to play that game. “We work for the homeowner because you’re the one who hired us,” Rickabaugh emphasizes, and they hold the insurance company to its promise: to fund a complete return to your pre-loss condition.

Because Rick-n-Ball uses the same estimating software as the insurance carriers, there’s no smoke and mirrors, either: every customer gets a true, apples-to-apples comparison. Because the company’s sole loyalty is to you, they fight for every dollar. “Cutting corners may be cheaper, but it’s not what you deserve after a disaster.” Rickabaugh says. Instead, he’s founded a company that advocates on your behalf, ensuring your home is restored properly, safely, and without compromise.

Rick-n-Ball’s sweet spot is homeowners who demand quality and professionalism. “We handle that crucial mitigation phase—drying, dehumidifying, and cleaning up water or fire damage—before it has a chance to spawn mold or structural issues,” says Rickabaugh. From there, they transition seamlessly into a full reconstruction, managed end-to-end through their trusted network of contractors. You’ll never wonder what happens next; their project-management system keeps you informed at every stage.

For many clients, the reconstruction feels like a turning point. Ball admits he gets a real thrill when the drywall goes up and paint starts to bring a damaged room back to life. It’s more than just fixing a house: it’s restoring peace of mind. And he likes to remind homeowners that a major loss can be an unexpected opportunity: many choose to remodel floor plans, upgrade fixtures, or refresh finishes. What began as a catastrophe can end with a home that’s not just restored, but even more beautiful and valuable than before.

In the end, Rick-n-Ball stands out because they never forget who they answer to: you. When you’re facing the stress of water, mold, fire, or storm damage, remember: your home, your contractor, your choice. You have the right to select the team that will fight for your best interests—and that’s exactly what this company promises to do.

Enter 1-Tom-Plumber: A Strategic Partnership

A few years ago, Rickabaugh discovered something troubling about the traditional plumber-to-restoration company referral system, and it bothered him enough to take action.

“There’s a big underground market that homeowners may not be aware of: Oftentimes, when you call a plumber and you have water damage, that plumber will refer a restoration company, and that plumber is nine times out of ten getting compensated—$500, $700, $1,000 or more,” he reveals. “So the problem with that is the plumber may not be referring you to the best restoration company, but rather the highest-paying restoration company. It’s important for the homeowner to do a little bit of research on their own before blindly following a referral.”

Rickabaugh chose to cut right through this conflict of interest. “We’re not playing that game at Rick-n-Ball.”

The solution? Launch 1-Tom-Plumber Huntsville in June 2023. “1-Tom-Plumber is a perfect answer because it is an excellent standalone company in that it provides premier plumbing services, a premier emergency response,” Rickabaugh explains. When customers need both plumbing and restoration, though, “the two are a match made in heaven.”

A Woman-Led Approach to Emergency Plumbing

1-Tom-Plumber’s design reflects a key insight: research shows that 82% of emergency plumbing phone calls come from the woman of the household. Everything about the company acknowledges that reality.

“That’s why everything’s pink. That’s why we’ve got the big pink plunger on the side of the van,” Andrew explains. “It is designed for the comfort of the woman in the household—with professionalism, cleanliness, uniforms, making sure that technicians have a change of uniform before they go into people’s homes. We’re also a non-smoking company.”

Running daily operations is Alicia Rickabaugh, Andrew’s wife, who brings 16 years of property management experience. But she wasn’t simply handed the position. Kevin actually suggested her for operations manager—”It hadn’t even crossed my mind,” Andrew says. “That’s why I love Kevin—he’ll come out with these ideas that should be right in front of my face.”

Alicia had grown tired of property management after 16 years. “That particular career field tends to become stagnant. It has very high turnover—whether it’s the management company changing, the ownership changing, or the on-site staff changing,” she explains. “I just wasn’t excited about it anymore. It didn’t bring me any kind of joy—it was just a job.”

The turning point came at a 1-Tom-Plumber meeting in Cincinnati. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited about something in my life,” Alicia recalls. She was so enthusiastic that she told Kevin and Andrew, “If you don’t end up offering me this position, I’m going to be disappointed.” She put in her notice to the property management company that same day.

Her approach emphasizes finding the right people for emergency work. “We’re looking for a particular kind of person—someone who understands the message behind 1-Tom-Plumber, who understands the need to be clean and professional and to be different from other companies,” she explains. That includes “finding people who are willing to sacrifice time with their families to go and answer a call at 2 o’clock in the morning, 365, 24/7, including holidays like Christmas. You’re going to the call to help somebody else who’s having the worst day of their life.” And Alicia’s approach with 1-Tom-Plumber follows the same customer-first philosophy as her partner company: “We don’t just go in and fix it. We explain what we’re doing and why, talk about pricing up front, and give them options.”

Local Presence, Local Growth

From Ball’s garage to over 30 employees with full benefits—401(k), medical, dental, vision, life insurance, etc.—the company’s growth in Huntsville has been impressive. “You can’t do it without quality people—people who are dedicated to your vision,” Ball points out. “But then, we’re also trying to give our employees a place where it’s not just a job, but a place where they can come and have a career.”

The five-to-ten-year vision is ambitious but grounded. “Rick-n-Ball and 1-Tom-Plumber will be bigger,” Andrew predicts. “We are becoming a household name of sorts, and I really believe that’s going to continue. We’re going to be the go-to company. Like, if you want something done, people will already know: call Rick-n-Ball, 833-DRY-U-OUT. Call 1-Tom-Plumber, the name is the phone number. Just like that.”

When Ball thinks about what sets them apart, it comes back to something simple: “We really love working with customers who need and appreciate us. That’s the bottom line.” Whether it’s Rick-n-Ball handling your storm damage or 1-Tom-Plumber fixing your leaking pipe at midnight, you’re getting people who understand that “when that flag goes up, when it’s time to kick into high gear—we can do that.” They bring the same dedication to your home emergency that they once brought to protecting their community as first responders.

In a rapidly growing city where newcomers might feel overwhelmed by choices, these companies offer something increasingly rare: old-fashioned accountability with modern expertise and the simple promise that when disaster strikes, you’re not just getting a contractor—you’re getting neighbors who genuinely care about making things right.

Rick-n-Ball Restoration can be reached at 833-DRY-U-OUT, and 1-Tom-Plumber’s name serves as their phone number for easy recall during emergencies.