Interview With Jerome Sabol

ClickReady Marketing Interview With Plumb Works Owner Jerome Sabol

I recently had the chance to sit down with Plumb Works owner Jerome Sabol to talk about everything Plumb Works. We wanted to dive deep into how Jerome became involved in the plumbing business and how he got started with Plumb Works. We also discussed Plumb Works itself - the beginnings, the growth it has gone through, and how they are serving their customers and creating a strong work environment for employees today.

I want to start out with something easy. Describe Plumb Works in 3 words.

Jerome: Trustworthy, honest, and reliable.

Great! So, can you tell me a bit about how Plumb Works started? How did it begin, and how did it grow into the amazing company that it is today?

Jerome: Plumb Works was started by my older brother, Jim Sabol and his partner, Cary Mendeville, in 1989. They were both mentors of mine, and I started coming to Atlanta from Delhi plumbing and heating college in upstate New York to work for them as Plumb Works grew. I graduated from plumbing and heating college in 1990, and I chose to stay on with Plumb Works and continue working for them. 

When my brother’s partner decided to sell his part of the business in 1996, I bought 25% and became part owner of Plumb Works. My brother and I continued working together until 2018, when Jim decided to retire. Now, I’m 100% owner. I’d like for Plumb Works to continue to stay in the family, so I have plans for my nephew (who has been working with us for 20 years and is currently the Service Manager) to take over ownership as time goes on.

Were there any obstacles Plumb Works faced as it was built up? If so, how did you overcome them?

Jerome: Plumb Works was a typical startup company when it first began. We had some capital funding, but not a lot. There were probably only 2 or 3 trucks, and we all worked as plumbers ourselves at the beginning. As our business began to grow, we had to hire more people and put systems and processes in place. This included things like CRM (customer relationship management) software, hiring multiple office staff in addition to plumbers, phone systems, ipads and other technology to be sure our plumbing technicians were up to date with industry standards.  Some of the challenges we had were, as always, the financial side of things, and trying to decide what to do first. There is a lot of training that needs to be done as well. We relied on our National Plumbing Association and their business coaches to help with this process. We still use them today because learning and training is a continuous process.

I know Plumb Works is a very family-oriented company, and that your family is involved in the business. Aside from your nephew working as Service Manager, who else in your family works at Plumb Works? And can you tell me a bit more about how your employees all contribute to the success of Plumb Works?

Jerome: My wife, Sue, actually had her one-year anniversary with us recently. My brother’s wife used to work with us for a long time in financing and bookkeeping, and now Sue has taken over that role. She also works in recruiting and employee retention. 

We’ve been working a lot more on employee retention. We try to plan more events so that our employees can meet outside of work and we can be more personal with them. We want to get to know and be more involved with their families, too. Sue has really taken charge of this mission, and is really working to encourage and keep good relationships with our employees.

What are 3 things that Plumb Works values the most?

Jerome: Plumb Works has a lot of things we value. We actually have our core values listed out in our mission statement. These three values are: service excellence, trustworthiness, responsibility, integrity, value, and empathy. Our purpose/cause/passion is to be an employee-driven company where culture, accountability, and customer experience is king. We guarantee that every customer will have upfront communication on pricing with options & a timely follow-up on recommendations and customer correspondence.

We strive to give customers all of their options. We want to educate them and make sure they have all of the information they need. We also believe that we all make mistakes. What’s important is that when you make a mistake, you’re honest and come forward to make it right instead of hiding it. 

Plumb Works also values integrity. We believe that it’s not always about making the most money or making the biggest sale but about doing the right thing. We treat the customer how you want to be treated, provide good service, and go the extra mile. After all, customers will request specific plumbers that they know are trustworthy and who will treat them well.

What sets Plumb Works apart from other plumbing companies?

Jerome: We always try to side on the clients’ side on things like warranties. We also stand behind our work, and if there’s an issue, we’ll hop right on it to fix it as soon as possible. If we make a mistake, we’ll always try to make it right. We believe that doing the right thing is the best way to get repeat customers.

Which of your services is the most popular, and why do you think it’s so popular with your customers?

Jerome: We do a lot of general day-to-day service work. It can be anything that goes on in our customers’ homes, from repairing toilets, sinks, or faucets. We’re pretty much always fixing toilets. We also have yearly maintenance plans available that look at your whole plumbing system once a year. When we do these maintenance plans, we’ll make sure the customer’s system looks good, let them know if they have any problems, and if there are any problems we anticipate happening in the next few years. This service really helps give our customers peace of mind by giving them time to plan and save for any problems that may happen in the future. 

Which of your services do you think is the least popular, but that would really benefit people if they bought it more?

Jerome: Having their tank water heaters checked out. Tank water heaters need to be drained and flushed out once every 3-5 years, and doing so will actually prolong the life of your heater up to 5 years. If you don’t do this regularly, sediment can be built up and it becomes impossible to flush and drain. A lot of times our customers don’t do this, because they just don’t think about it or know to do it.

Another underrated service is looking at drains and sewer lines. We actually have cameras that we can insert into drains and sewer lines that allow us to see what shape they’re in. Most of the time when we do this, is because the drain or sewer has had a problem in the past. But, it can definitely be used as a preventative measure to see if there are any problems that will occur in the future. 

What’s the most common plumbing problem you see and what service do you provide that can help people fix or prevent it?

Jerome: Drain clogs are a problem we see weekly. It depends on if you have a newer or older home, but a lot of older homes have drains that need to be cleaned more frequently. You can use tools like screens to keep things like hair from getting trapped in the drain and prevent the drain from getting clogged. We actually have something called Plumb Works Academy, where customers can watch simple videos on common plumbing problems and how to fix them themselves. That way, you don’t always have to call a plumber and can know what to do for these problems. 

What’s the most memorable or funny plumbing job you’ve ever had?

Jerome: We once were called out to a famous singer’s home. It was a really big mansion, and he was very particular about everything we were doing. He had a big budget for all of these repairs, and his home was full of super expensive hardware. Pretty much any time you work with a celebrity is interesting and memorable. 

I’ve also seen problems where everything is just completely backed up and we’ve had to look at the piping underground. The problem always seems to be in a completely different area than we initially think it is for these kinds of problems.

What’s your favorite thing about owning Plumb Works, and why does Plumb Works matter to you?

Jerome: I could never work in the corporate world like my wife did. When you do what we do, every day is different. You never know what you’re going to run into. Sometimes everything is easy, and sometimes everything is really difficult. Whatever you fix that day, you get to see that it’s done and have that immediate satisfaction of knowing that you’ve helped a customer figure out their issue. It’s especially nice when everything goes well and you leave the customer feeling satisfied.

Of course, you’re still going to have slow or bad days. When these days happen, I tell my team members that I’ve been in this business for over 30 years, I’ve had busy and slow times, and there are always more good times than not. If you do a good job at 9 out of 10 jobs, then you’re doing pretty good. You learn from the bad jobs, and you don’t repeat your mistakes. But, you also don’t let your mistakes get you down. 

I know you have an apprenticeship program. Can you tell me a bit more about that and how these programs can help turn apprentices into evergreen Plumb Works employees?

Jerome: We’ve always been heavily involved in the state Plumbing Heating and Cooling Contractors (PHCC) association, for the past 30 years. They have apprenticeship programs and curriculums that we use. We have about 3-4 apprentices enrolled in these online programs. They’ll come in once a week and do a class. They’ll also learn through working on the job as well throughout the week. Within 3-4 years, they’ll be ready to step up from apprentice to lead service tech.

I always tell these apprentices that time goes by fast. Don’t be in a hurry. If you put your time in and put your work in then five years down the road, you’ll look back and see yourself running your own truck and on your way to making a good career. A lot of times they get antsy after a year and want to know everything right away, but you have to be patient for things like this. 

Is there anything you wish your customers knew about Plumb Works or the services you provide?

Jerome: We always try to be a part of the community. We get involved with local schools and fundraisers. We also work with Amplify which helps put on concerts throughout the year. 100% of the money from Amplify goes to Decatur Cooperative Ministry which has a homeless shelter in Decatur. They help people who are down on their luck get back on their feet.

We also really value properly training our apprentices and employees. A lot of times in this industry there are people who have been in it for a while but were never technically trained. We want our employees to be as skilled as possible, so we put that emphasis on their education and training.

Call Plumb Works for Your Plumbing Needs

Plumb Works has provided quality plumbing services to the Atlanta area since 1989. We understand that you want dependable service for your home or business. We are leaders in the plumbing industry, providing friendly, reliable, and professional services to homes and businesses. Contact us today to schedule a consultation or use our online form to request service. We're here to help you, so don't hesitate to call!

About the Author: Katie Cole is a Content Specialist for ClickReady Marketing. She graduated from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA with a BA in English Literature. She has a passion for connecting with others through writing.