Workforce Development Breakfast: Ideas to Inspire the Next Gen

American Plumber Stories, created by Pfister Faucets, has crossed the country capturing some of the most inspirational and entertaining stories designed to help the next generation appreciate and understand how important the trades are and the impact it can have on their lives. The 2022 CONNECT Workforce Development Breakfast will feature stories from Season 3 of American Plumber Stories.

Larry was working as a plumber at the Medical College of Georgia during the day and performing service repairs for his colleagues at night. The demand became so overwhelming that he felt the needed to start his own company. He traded his wife’s car for a pickup truck and founded Universal Plumbing out of their home. Since then, the company has enjoyed quite a bit of success and received many accolades, but one of the greatest accomplishments is training the next generation of plumbing professionals and business owners. There have been at least seven plumbing companies in Augusta, Atlanta, and surrounding areas that were built by former employees who were given their start and trained at Universal Plumbing. Many still reach out for support to this day. Another great source of pride is the young people that they bring on board through Universal Plumbing's Drainee Trainee program.

It officially began in 2019, but unofficially, Universal Plumbing has been hiring, training, and mentoring young people since the beginning. They partner with the local school district and chamber of commerce to recruit high school students who will work during the summer months. They are introduced to every aspect of the business - office, warehouse, business meetings and events, and different types of plumbing - service repair, new construction, and drain cleaning. At the end of the summer, the trainees discuss their plans for school and work, and decide if plumbing, and/or our company is currently a good fit for them. Universal typically takes one to two trainees per year and currently have three on staff - one senior at Georgia State University, an electrical contracting student at Augusta Technical College, and recent high school graduate.

This is a story and a presentation you do not want to miss!