Logo design and business name ideas

Industry: Business
Ideas for the visual style: modern
Where the design will be used: uniform, letterhead, business card, van sign
Extra notes: We are a small plumbing and heating business operating in South Yorkshire. We provide the service level associated with the big businesses (British Gas etc.)but we are local. We need to get across the message that we provide a high quality service but also want to draw customers who would prefer to employ a local tradesman rather than a national company. We also have an additional branch to the business which targets letting agents who employ us to service and repair the boilers at their properties. Again, our service is high quality but our prices are competitive.

Currently we have a logo which is very generic and obvious. We are wanting to re-brand with something modern and of high quality.

The market is crowded and we need to stand out and have a presence in the area. Our idea is to have our owner as the 'face' of the company with his name at the forefront. We currently trade under the name M.B. Plumbing and Heating but want to come up with something different. The company owners full name is Michael Edgar Birds and we feel the surname 'Birds' is more memorable so want to incorporate this in the new name. A play on the idea of a bird in the logo along with the name M.Birds or even just 'Birds'...We need some creative input here.

Any ideas and feedback, both positive and negative are welcome along with a proposal for a logo design. We need the logo to be adapted so it can be put onto our t-shirts and jumpers, on our letterheads and business cards and a stand out design for our vans. We also want to adapt it slightly for our letting agents service to show we cater specifically to their needs- a slight adaptation which incorporates the idea that we look after multiple properties- in my mind it has a row of houses with the bird logo over the top encompassing them all...but this is just an initial idea.

We want a modern look. It needs to incorporates the name 'Birds' with the service- heating and water plumbing. Any colours and designs considered as long as it's different and eye catching.