Meet our Industry Person of the Week, Kelly Ireland, master plumber and owner of TPG Mechanical LLC.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Kelly: I started by getting into Philadelphia’s local plumbers union in 2012.
Q: What do you love the most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Kelly: I love the diversity of the job, there’s always something to learn and you’re rarely stuck doing the same thing every day. I am most proud of my accomplishments preserving a male-dominated career, becoming a master plumber, and now running my own residential plumbing business.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Kelly: Always stay open to learning and eager to work. Your name is on every project making it something to be proud of.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
Kelly: I started out in commercial plumbing, mostly new construction, but have also worked in renovation. When work slowed due to covid I started getting calls for residential plumbing. It was the start of my ever-growing residential service plumbing business. Something I never had any interest in doing. 4 years later I’ve been extremely successful all by word of mouth. I work to be the change we need to see in residential service work. I empower my customers and they empower me. It’s been a nice change of scenery from the competitive world I was used to working in. I do miss the work, but helping folks on a personal level feels much more valuable than building offices.
Connect with Kelly on Instagram @tinyplumbergirl @tpgmechanical
THANK YOU, KELLY! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
