Go Plumb Young Man

Job prospects are dim... except for the trades. The Manchester Union Leader reports that the New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau forecasts strong job growth for plumbers, pipefitters, roofers, cement masons, diesel mechanics, electricians, boilermakers, carpenters, and sheet metal workers for the next seven years. Accordingly, people who would have never considered the trades are attending trade school and signing up as apprentices.

"Plumbing probably wouldn't have crossed my mind if I had something lined up right out of college -- which five years ago was not uncommon," said 24 year old Nick Moreau.

Plumber Philip Cocchiaro delares, "You learn repair work, you'll always have food on the table."

"You've always got something you can fall back on," advises plumber, Bill Welcome. "You're always going to need a plumber, you're always going to need a mechanic for your car, and you're always going to need an electrician."

We've got a shortage of labor while college graduates have a shortage of jobs and an excess of debt. Maybe some should consider a trade before considering college. This a great time for contractors to approach high school guidance counselors to advise them about the prospects in our fields.

Download this FREE HVAC industry recruiting brochure from the Service Roundtable's Free Stuff page. Check out the other Free Stuff from the Service Roundtable.

Great Example of Good Contractor PR

We know that George noticed a duck hanging out by a storm drain on Saturday and discovered a collection of ducklings behind the metal grate guarding the drain. George tried to lift the drain, but couldn't. So he called the fire department and the police. Either the firefighters or police officers freed the trapped ducklings while George watched.

This would have been the end of the story, except it was written up by the Associated Press. How did that happen?

We don't know how the story wound up on the wire services, but given the company connection, it wouldn't surprise me if George called the boss saying, "You'll never guess what happened."

The boss must have then called or emailed a reporter. Why do I suspect the boss? Because George was identified in the story as a plumber "on call for Mr. Rooter."

What does the company have to do with this? After all, George wasn't at work. He was on call. George didn't save the ducklings, the police or firefighters did. The company has nothing to do with this, other than employing plumbers who care about baby ducks.

Yet, by including George's company affiliation, Mr. Rooter gets lots of free exposure. Moreover, it gets its name associated with the warm and fuzzy feeling of saving little ducks.

On the other hand, it highlights that a plumber working for a company specializing in sewer and drain cleaning had to call the police and fire departments for help clearing ducklings out of a storm drain. While the storm drain isn't the same, it still sounds funny.

Even if the wire service picked the story up by chance, with no input from the company, it shows how public relations opportunities abound. What good deeds do your employees do for your customers? What do your employees do in their free time? What are their hobbies, volunteer activities, and accomplishments? Can you turn these into good PR for your company?

If a plumbing company can get positive PR when an employees is credited with saving ducklings he really failed to rescue, while on call, but not on the clock, anything is possible.

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