Plumbing – a family tradition
The plumbing trade runs in 33-year-old Michael Goodrich ’ s genes . He is the owner of 3G Plumbing in Benoni . We chat to him to find out why he chose to make a living from the trade that has been passed down for three generations in his family .
PERSONALITY PROFILE
75
By
Cherry Ellis
PA What is your job title and what does your job entail ? I am the owner of 3G Plumbing . My daily activities mainly involve the day-to-day running of the company and staff , doing quotes , and meeting with wet services engineers and construction companies at the various sites on which we work . I also carry out leak detections and drain inspections , call on clients , write reports , and plan the daily work schedules .
PA Why did you decide to get into plumbing in particular ?
My great-grandfather and grandfather were both plumbers and I knew I wanted to do a trade , so plumbing was my natural choice .
PA How did you enter the plumbing industry ? After completing my matric , I did a 45-day plumbing course and then went to work for Hutton Plumbing where I served my apprenticeship . After I passed my trade test in 2008 , I decided to start my own business — 3G Plumbing .
PA How long have you been in the plumbing industry for ? Approximately 12 years .
PA Has plumbing always been something you ’ ve wanted to do ?
I never thought about it much . I always enjoyed working with my hands and just kind of gravitated towards plumbing because it runs in the family — so I guess it must be in my genes .
PA What challenges did you face getting into the industry and how did you overcome them ?
In the beginning it was difficult to build up a clientele base . I spent many days putting flyers in post boxes . We were fortunate enough to be introduced to a couple of building contractors through the plumbing suppliers that we were dealing with . Through the contractors that we met , we started working under them doing refurbishing of hotels and so on . From there we got to meet and work with various wet services engineers and quantity surveyors , who have since used our services on their bigger projects .
PA What memorable encounter did you come across in the industry and why does it stand out ?
Working on the refurbishment of the Sandton Sun Hotel was our first massive job and very stressful . Many hours were spent working between midnight and 4:00 and then back to the office to start again at 7:00 .
PA What are some of the misconceptions about the industry that people who are not in the industry do not know about ?
People don ’ t realise that we have overheads that need to be taken into consideration when doing a job and it ’ s not just the labour content and materials .
PA What do you think needs to be changed in the industry and how can that be done ?
I think plumbers using inferior products and the lack of skills need to stop . Trying to rip clients off and get rich quick . I have found that people have lost all confidence in our tradesmen and see us as fly-bynights , rather than capable , professional tradespersons . You always hear from clients about nightmare plumbing projects gone wrong , but when you ask who did the work , it ’ s never a reputable company , because they feel we are too expensive . PA
3G Plumbing
Michael Goodrich , owner of 3G Plumbing in Benoni .
The Personality Profile is sponsored by Geberit
www . plumbingafrica . co . za August 2018 Volume 24 I Number 6