American Plumber Stories

Solutions will Equip Trade Contractors with Powerful Tools to Run and Grow Their Businesses Mechanical Hub was onsite last week at ServiceTitan Pantheon 2023, its annual user conference, and if there was ever any doubt or fear that artificial intelligence (AI) was coming to the trades, Pantheon 2023 put those thoughts to rest.   More Read more

Solutions will Equip Trade Contractors with Powerful Tools to Run and Grow Their Businesses

Mechanical Hub was onsite last week at ServiceTitan Pantheon 2023, its annual user conference, and if there was ever any doubt or fear that artificial intelligence (AI) was coming to the trades, Pantheon 2023 put those thoughts to rest.

 

More than 1,500 service contractors, ServiceTitan team members and exhibiting partners spent three days exploring the “Journey to the Top” theme, which included more than 50 sessions to help contractors stay on track with next-level training, tools, and insights. In addition to the sessions, attendees enjoyed networking events, product plaza exhibit space, keynotes from industry VIPs and a closing fireside chat with tennis great Venus Williams.

“Over the past year, the world has seen a dramatic acceleration in AI advancements and ServiceTitan is making sure that the trades industry will be at the forefront of this technological revolution,” said Vahe Kuzoyan, president and co-founder at ServiceTitan.

To ensure Kuzoyan’s statement rang true, ServiceTitan introduced a suite of new products to empower residential and commercial contractors with groundbreaking technology to supercharge their businesses. Powered by Titan Intelligence, the company’s own AI solution purpose-built for the trades, these new cutting-edge solutions allow its customers to automate, predict, and optimize across their entire business.

Several of the new AI-powered products introduced at Pantheon include:

  • Ads Optimizer maximizes the ROI of every dollar spent on an advertising campaign by educating Google Ads to focus on potential customers who are actively looking for service providers while avoiding users who aren’t. The feature also predicts which zip codes will have the most demand and automatically prioritizes ads for those specific locations.
  • Dispatch Pro runs thousands of scenarios to get the right technician to the right job, allowing dispatchers to invest more time delivering a superior customer experience. Dispatch Pro’s algorithm also finds the best technician for every job based on the technician’s specific set of skills, recent sales performance, proximity to the job, and more – all to maximize profit.
  • Integrated Financing gives contractors the tools they need to grow their business and protect their margins. The feature allows ServiceTitan’s customers to strategically control plans from multiple preferred financing providers on a single job, improving their customers’ approval rates. It also gives technicians confidence in offering plans that will ultimately win more high-value jobs easily.
  • Second Chance Leads automatically detects unbooked phone calls from potential customers within minutes of the call ending, and specifically flags missed calls that the algorithm believes can be saved. The tool works in the background to identify missed opportunities, so ServiceTitan customers don’t have to.

“At ServiceTitan, AI means ‘Automated ROI,’” said Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of ServiceTitan. “We want to automate all the inefficient processes that steal precious hours away from contractors and their teams every single day, and at the same time provide actionable insights and powerful features to meaningfully grow their revenue. Our AI-powered tools allow our customers to focus their time and energy on what they’re best at, and most passionate about — solving problems for their customers and delivering the best quality service.”

While the session and networking was top-notch, Mechanical Hub was also selected as a session leader. They worked with Pfister Faucets and American Plumber Stories to present, ‘Building for Tomorrow: Recruiting & Retainment Tactics.’ The session highlighted Universal Plumbing’s Larry Jones, CEO and Shalanda Morris, Business Manager, and discussed their best practices finding, training and retaining employees. In addition, we looked for answers to address major roadblocks in recruitment, and shared some creative strategies to help contractors find their next rock star employee. A packed crowd of contractors also got to watch season four, episode one of American Plumber Stories.

Mike Prencavage Jr., owner of The Family Plumber, Los Alamitos, Calif., shared, “I attend pantheon for inspiration and motivation to grow my company. Being surrounded by great leaders and business owners in the industry does so much to rejuvenate my drive to succeed. AI will help streamline not only front office processes but also front line sales interactions. It’s important to never loose sight of the ‘customer experience’ and I feel that AI will only help to improve that high level of service. Servicetitans projected plans to incorporate these AI features are only going to help the industry and better the homeowners experience overall.”

For those that don’t use ServiceTitan and have never attened a Pantheon, it’s a learning and networking event for contractors of all sizes and experience in the home and commercial service industry. While most attendees are business owners, managers, IT professionals, or members of the finance team, all trades professionals are invited and encouraged to attend.

ServiceTitan was founded in 2007, and helps residential contractors manage a range of tasks including booking jobs, dispatching technicians, processing payments and overseeing marketing campaigns.

Pfister® Faucets, a trusted leader in the plumbing industry since 1910, is kicking off Season 4 of American Plumber Stories, a popular docuseries that features the lives of plumbers throughout the U.S. A new generation is seeing the plumbing trades with new eyes. Now, in its fourth season, the wildly successful American Plumber Stories docuseries Read more

Pfister® Faucets, a trusted leader in the plumbing industry since 1910, is kicking off Season 4 of American Plumber Stories, a popular docuseries that features the lives of plumbers throughout the U.S. A new generation is seeing the plumbing trades with new eyes. Now, in its fourth season, the wildly successful American Plumber Stories docuseries will highlight stories of building the workforce, told by young plumbers whose lives are being changed in phenomenal ways by the plumbing trade.

‘Young Guns,’ featuring Fulmer Plumbing out of South Carolina, premiers September 5.

American Plumber Stories aims to promote the plumbing trade to the next generation of professionals. The show highlights the stories of plumbers around the nation including how they got started in the plumbing trade and the passion they have for their profession. These stories show how they built a career that allows them to lead financially rewarding and fulfilling lives.

Over the past year, the docuseries built up a large following in the plumbing industry who passionately supports the mission that Pfister® Faucets, the creator of the docuseries, is pursuing. From plumbing businesses, plumbing product manufacturers to industry associations, many were inspired to join forces to turn American Plumber Stories into the movement it has become today.

‘Plumb Market,’ featuring Petri Plumbing out of New York, premiers September 25.

RIDGID, who has been instrumental as a partner since Season 2, will be joined by four new partners in Season 4, manufacturing leaders Oatey, Cintas, A. O. Smith, and State Water Heaters. These partnerships provide a tremendous footprint to distribute American Plumber Stories episodes on their high-reach social media platforms and to promote the docuseries at their trade show booths across the country.

“RIDGID is celebrating our 100-year anniversary this year, and we’ve had a lot of fun sharing stories with plumbers from the past, present and future. American Plumber Stories, and the work Pfister® Faucets is doing with this program, have helped a wider audience hear stories like these, and get to know and appreciate the hard work that goes into this profession. We’re excited to continue to support this show and its mission,” says Becky Brotherton, Director of Brand & Engagement Marketing, RIDGID.

Mechanical Hub, the largest independent plumbing-focused online resource platform, is collaborating with Pfister®Faucets to distribute American Plumber Stories episodes through its media platforms to nearly 1M social and digital media followers. Plumbers who are featured in the episodes will also appear on the Appetite for Construction podcasts that go into more depth about each of the inspiring stories in Season 4.

“After hearing the feedback from our listeners, as well as from our digital and social media audiences, we highly anticipate another year of partnering with Pfister® in supporting the American Plumber Stories docuseries on YouTube. We’ve seen in recent years just how important and essential the men and women that make up our plumbing family are to the health of the country,” says John Mesenbrink, President, Mechanical Hub.

“We feel that the American Plumber Stories series highlights and shines a bright light on the plumbers and organizations who help build the backbone of our nation, while encouraging the next generation of workers to join the trades,” says Mesenbrink.

The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — National Association (PHCC), the premier trade organization for plumbing and HVAC professionals, has teamed up with American Plumber Stories and supports its message on a national level to its members, as well as in state and local chapters throughout the country.

One of the most visible faces of American Plumber Stories is its host, Craig Morgan. The country music icon is a TV personality (Beyond the Edge on CBS and others), celebrated outdoorsman, member of the Grand Ole Opry and Army veteran. Morgan has charted more than 25 songs on Billboard Top 100.

While Season 1 entertained with a look into the lives of ordinary plumbers with sometimes extraordinary lifestyles, Season 2 emphasized education in the trade and the opportunity this rewarding profession has to offer. Season 3 highlighted some of the most inspiring stories, told by plumbers whose lives were changed forever by the trade and Season 4 will share the stories of job creation, workforce development and solutions for those getting into the trade.

Season 4 Episode Release Week, Title and Participants

  • September 5th, Young Guns, Fulmer Heating, Plumbing & Cooling (South Carolina)
  • September 25th, Plumb Market, Petri Plumbing (New York)
  • October 16th, Roping the Future, Big Sky Plumbing (Utah)
  • November 6th, Royal Flush, Universal Plumbing (Nevada)
  • November 27th, Influence-HER, Deluxe Plumbing (Pennsylvania)
  • December 18th, Plumbing to Perform, Louisville Plumbing Company (Kentucky)

New episodes of American Plumber Stories can now be watched on www.AmericanPlumberStories.com.

Interested plumbers who would like to share their own story can do so here: https://www.americanplumberstories.com/pages/i-am-an-american-plumber

Eric Aune with Mechanical Hub joins American Plumber Stories for a “Signing Day” special at the Build My Future event, hosted by the Iowa Skilled Trades. Take a look at the exhibitors and the hands-on experiences offered for students considering a career in the trades. Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds, also presents at the celebration and Read more

Eric Aune with Mechanical Hub joins American Plumber Stories for a “Signing Day” special at the Build My Future event, hosted by the Iowa Skilled Trades. Take a look at the exhibitors and the hands-on experiences offered for students considering a career in the trades. Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds, also presents at the celebration and signs each student’s letter of intent as they commit to their future in the trades after high school.