Moe Aubry and John Billone are the team behind NuFlow Services of Upstate New York, but they were brothers-in-law before anything else.

“I married Moe’s sister 37 years ago, so I’ve known Moe for over 40 years,” says Billone, co-owner of NuFlow Services of Upstate New York.

Growing up around the trades, the two naturally gravitated towards plumbing despite choosing completely different careers after high school.

“My mom did not want me to be a plumber,” Billone says. “My dad was always in ditches and would come home dirty.”

“As a kid, I worked with my dad,” says Aubry, the other half of NuFlow Services of Upstate New York. “He was a carpenter, and we did rehabs. But I entered the paper recycling industry after I graduated high school.”

Billone took his mother’s advice and attended engineering and business school. However, only a year after graduation, he asked his dad if he could join the plumbing business.

“My brother Tommy and I bought a Mr. Rooter franchise back in 1992 in Rochester, New York. We operated it for 10 years and it was during that time that Moe came to work for us,” Billone says.

Changing hands

After a decade of running Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Rochester, Billone and his brother were ready for a change.

“That’s when our conversations with Moe began. He had a drive to take the business over. So Moe bought the business in 2001,” Billone says.

Interested in doing something different, Billone transitioned to real estate development in Rochester while Aubry ran the Mr. Rooter franchise. It was around this time that pipe lining technology was sprouting up in the plumbing industry. 

“I bought the license to NuFlow Technologies in 2001 right after I bought the company from John and Tommy. I was their third license holder,” Aubry says.

Aubry quickly landed a few big industrial pipe lining contracts with local food and beverage and grocery facilities. But that early success didn’t distract Aubry from his Mr. Rooter franchise, only picking up pipe lining work as it came along for the next 14 years.

Light-bulb moment

In 2015, Aubry and Billone found themselves at career crossroads once again. After 14 years, Billone was slowing down on real estate development.

“It stopped being fun,” Billone says. “Building codes were changing. Running the family real estate business was a burden. I was tired of worrying about every little thing.”

Meanwhile, Aubry’s successful Mr. Rooter business had set him up for early retirement.

“I talked with John and was debating whether I retire or we team up and focus solely on pipe lining and NuFlow,” Aubry says.

The pair founded NuFlow Services of Upstate New York, but still stuck to their day jobs in the meantime.

“We really didn’t kick it off until late 2016,” Billone says “Moe was still busy with plumbing. I was still busy with real estate. We were content. We didn’t understand what we had our hands on.”

A pipe lining job at a chain restaurant in Watertown, New York, was where the pair realized the potential of NuFlow Upstate. 

“The numbers were good, the job went smooth. That’s when we decided to put our full attention toward the lining business,” Aubry says.

With this sudden clarity, the two worked on exit plans from their other businesses.

Industry standard

Today, NuFlow Services of Upstate New York has 10 employees and serves clients as far as California and internationally in Toronto, Ontario. It specializes in industrial and commercial pipe lining jobs, serving hospitals, universities, retirement homes, commercial buildings and industrial plants. The past two years have been the largest growth period in its 10 years of operation.

“What I like most about lining is that it’s scheduled. Plumbing is usually reactionary,” Billone explains. “That dynamic allows us to stay in control. Other than the longer cash flow cycles, I prefer industrial jobs.”

Despite being busy with industrial clients, NuFlow Upstate’s commitment to being an industry resource means they field calls from homeowners in sticky situations, local plumbers and fellow pipe lining professionals.

“When the [residential] customer has a situation that really does not warrant traditional pipe replacement, we feel obligated to help,” Aubry says.

“I never tell a customer I won’t come out. I want to introduce myself. It may not be a lining job today, but it might be next week,” Billone adds.

Their hunger for complicated jobs and inclination to say yes has earned the company unique experiences and success, making NuFlow Upstate a wealth of knowledge for NuFlow Technologies license holders worldwide.

“NuFlow Technologies sends people to us with technical questions every week,” Billone says. “We walk other contractors through complicated jobs all the time. We’ve done some really complex projects that have received awards, like the Yale Museum. We’ve won NuFlow’s Project of the Year for the last three years.”

Local plumbing outfits that were once competitors have become partners.

“Mechanical contractors and plumbers reach out to us, we’re working hand in hand,” Billone says. “Sometimes our jobs need a plumber, so we’ll call them and reciprocate.”

This type of partnership represents the symbiotic relationship pipe lining technology is developing in the plumbing industry.

“Fifteen years ago, the WWETT Show would have a couple of lining vendors. Now it’s inundated with lining vendors and courses,” Billone says.

Most recently, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York approved NuFlow Upstate’s pipe lining course “Advancements in CIPP” as continuing education credits for professional engineers, land surveyors, registered architects and professional geologists.

Equipment roll call

Aubry and Billone have always been early adopters of technology. Their shop is filled with the latest and greatest lining equipment. While it’s a hefty investment, it usually pays off.

“We’re using robotics, cameras, everything. If it’s high-tech, we probably own it in multiples. I’m always the one pushing back when Moe wants to buy something. We usually compromise,” Billone says.

“You become the go-to phone call when you have specialized equipment,” he adds. “For example, our Picote Maxi Miller Power+ is a pricey piece of equipment. But we’ve used it quite a bit for small-diameter projects. People know we have it, so they call us.”

All of NuFlow Upstate’s milling equipment is Picote. It owns the Mini Cleaner and Maxi Miller, as well as the Maxi Miller Power+ models.

NuFlow Upstate went all in on UV curing technology once it hit the market. The UV pipe curing services are made possible by Sewertronics Speedy Light UV LED1800, Easy-Kleen EZ050ST-V and NuFlow’s NuCure products.

“For inversion equipment, we use KrasoTech’s KrasoSluice 200 1K and the NuTube Hybrid 700 Pro UV,” Aubry says. 

The company supports its inversion systems with two compressors, a Vanair Viper and an Atlas Copco XS400-200 Pace.

Four inspection cameras tackle different inspection applications. They use Camtronics MiniFlex2 and Vivax-Metrotech VX112 for small-diameter pipes. For larger-diameter pipes, they rely on Envirosight’s RovverX, while their lateral camera is a Vivax-Metrotech VX111. They rely on IMS Robotics’ Micro S Auto, IMS Plus, and nanocutter models for all things cutters.

Succession

After 10 years of running NuFlow Upstate, Aubry and Billone are eyeing well-deserved retirements. However, you wouldn’t know it from listening to their plans. NuFlow Upstate is looking to add another location closer to New York City to serve clients in southern New York and out of state.

“We travel all over New York, northern Pennsylvania and Connecticut, so another location makes sense for us. We’re defining our roadmap for the future, scaling the company and looking at processing systems and software,” Billone says.

As for the future of NuFlow Upstate, an intergenerational succession plan is in motion. Beau Aubry has been working at NuFlow Upstate since the doors opened. He’s 32 and already a leader in the company. 

“Beau is a huge part of our operation. He leads the guys in the field, he’s very smart and technical. He has a passion for what he does, which is getting harder to find in this line of work,” Aubry says.

Following in Billone’s footsteps, JC Billone joined NuFlow Upstate in April 2025. After graduating from the University of Rochester with a biomedical engineering degree, he worked at a successful education startup. But, like his dad, he couldn’t stay away from the family business for long.

“JC was looking for something different. After a conversation with his mother and me, he wanted to learn more about what we do,” Billone says.

The younger Billone spent four days at the WWETT Show in Indianapolis this year, taking courses, walking the exhibit floor and meeting people. His employer received his two-week notice shortly after the show.

“I love hearing my nephew and son discussing fresh ideas for NuFlow. It’s awesome,” Billone says. “We still feel that we are just scratching the surface of this business. I can’t wait to see where they take it.”