Herman (Herm) Cline, the founder and former president of Cline Plumbing & Heating, started as a journeyman plumber in 1953 with Schmid/Miller in Wooster. In 1959, Herm and Robert Allison formed R & H Plumbing. Herm started Cline Plumbing & Heating two years later, working out of his home garage. In 1970, Herm and his wife, Jean, moved the business to 14 West Jackson Street and expanded it by purchasing Bair Electric. With the expansion, Cline Plumbing & Heating began carrying a full line of appliances and electrical supplies and had a prime storefront location from which to operate.
In 1986, Cline Plumbing & Heating changed the focus of its core business by leaving the retail appliance business and focusing on heating and air conditioning sales and service. It was at this time that the business moved again. Herm purchased the former Mahlon Sommers building at 163 East Adams Street and shifted the company’s focus away from retail and toward service with the relocation.