Located in rural British Columbia, Lesley McGlenen has a much greater impact on the skilled trades than her small company would lead you to believe.

Online, McGlenen goes by @ThePipeWench. She’s a plumber, gasfitter and hydronic professional. Most of her work is residential, but she dabbles in commercial work from time to time. From her shop in Scotch Creek, she travels to jobsites around Shuswap Lake, typically venturing up to two hours from home.

McGlenen’s father was a general contractor when she was young. She’d lend a hand where she could, cleaning up and helping on jobsites. Eventually, a plumbing contractor noticed her work ethic and offered her a job. She enjoyed the job for a while before trying her hand at cabinet making, all the while picking up skills that would aid her journey in the trades.

Eventually, plumbing called her back and she endeavored to finish her plumbing apprenticeship. Today, 17 years later, she’s sole proprietress of Pipe Wench Plumbing, Ltd.

“I love this trade, and the variety it provides,” said McGlenen. “I’d get bored if I did the same thing day in and day out. The diversity of work creates a few challenges, but they’re not overwhelming. Different people, places and the occasional challenge keep me on my toes.”

She loves the job so much that she felt a calling to help other women become part of the skilled trade workforce.

A heart for women in the trade

“I want to impact and empower women to see the trades as a viable career,” said McGlenen. “There’s no proper direction in school. School systems aren’t asking young women what they really want to do. Even if they did, few would say they want to be plumbers, pipefitters or HVAC techs because the awareness isn’t there.”

McGlenen’s father didn’t push his own kids—two daughters and a son—toward the skilled trades because from personal experience how it can be hard on the body.

“Because the school system doesn’t present the trades as a high value career path, young men and women alike are left to find their own way. The big difference is that the skilled trades are more intimidating for potential female apprentices.”

“I hear comments from time to time that young women are afraid of sexual harassment on a jobsite full of men,” said McGlenen. “I’ll admit, I’ve encountered some of that, but it’s always been a ‘bad apple’ scenario. The vast majority of men I encounter at work are very respectful. The ones I worked with early in my career were great guys.”

“There’s one other thing to consider,” she continued. “As sad as it is, women will face harassment in any job. Harassment isn’t exclusive to the skilled trades and it shouldn’t hang over the trades like a dark cloud. And it goes both ways. Men face harassment in the workplace from women, too. Harassment should not be a deterrent from this industry, and the fact that it’s still perceived this way shows a lack of knowledge and poor communication on our part.”

There’s a trade shortage in general, and women represent only two percent of the field—that alone represents a huge opportunity and room for improvement.

Because women in the trades are still such a rarity, McGlenen believes it’s important for women who’ve found their path as trade pros to speak openly about the broad range of possibilities.

“Women represent half the global population, yet we’re a tiny fraction of the skilled trade industry,” she said. “Why aren’t women jumping into the industry? Why do we feel our only path to success lies in a college education? It’s lack of representation, and that’s what I want to change.”

Taking it to the turf

After moving to Scotch Creek in 2020, McGlenen, an avid golfer, planned to host 30 of her friends at her local golf course. Then an idea struck her.

“I had this big group of women coming to golf, so why not make it a benefit tournament?” she said. “So, I made it official.”

In 2023, the first annual Babes GDGT (Goddamn Golf Tournament) was held at the Talking Rock Golf in Chase, BC, which benefitted the Women in Trades program at Okanagan College. “Funds raised at the golf event helped provide what women in the program need, including making the transition from the program to employment.”

“The goal of the event is to help women achieve the highest level of success possible in their selected skilled trade field,” said McGlenen. “We had 78 women at the golf tournament last year. That was a perfect number. Any more would have been too much for the first year, since I organized that event myself.”

McGlenen draws similarity between the trades and the game of golf. Both are arenas in which women often feel intimidated.

“I think it’s important for women to find excitement and challenge in golf – just as it is in the skilled trades,” she explained. “They need to make an initial push to overcome any hesitation they feel. I use golf as a business tool. Men do it, but women less so. The game can offer great networking opportunities. It’s just a matter of stepping out of your comfort zone.”

Intersecting interests

In 2022, McGlenen was signed into one of Taco Comfort Solutions’ Monday Night Live training sessions when Mike Miller, with Taco Canada, brought up the AHR Expo, suggesting that those in attendance meet up for a round of golf in Las Vegas.

So began the Taco Ryder Cup, in which a US team and a Canadian team go head-to-head on the golf course.

“It was great to meet Lesley in person and play golf with her, especially after seeing her on so many of our online training sessions,” said John Barba, Director of Training at Taco and an accomplished golfer. “She plays very well. For the record, Canada has beaten us both times, but neither of those losses were my fault! Lesley won both her matches and I won both of mine!”

“Meeting the Taco trainers and so many of the people I’d seen on social media was so much fun,” said McGlenen. “I became a part of their learning community during COVID and it’s been invaluable since.”

The COVID lockdowns increased the need for online training for tradespeople across North America, but for McGlenen, the remoteness of her shop means that she needs to look online for training opportunities anyway.

“It’s nearly a three-hour drive for me to get to a training session hosted by a rep or wholesaler, and if I want factory training, it requires airfare. Instead, I just sign in to the “Taco After Dark” or “Taco Tuesday” training sessions. I can learn a lot from Dave Holdorf, John Barba and Rick Mayo without leaving my office. The availability of Taco’s tech support crew and the training I’ve received online gives me the confidence to tackle things I may not otherwise undertake.”

Taco appreciates what McGlenen is doing for the trade, so they’ve stepped up as a key sponsor for the 2024 Babes GDGT event. Mechanical Hub has also stepped up to help support GDGT this year with sponsorships.

Babes GDGT moving forward

The next Babes GDGT (@BabesGDGT) golf event will be held at Talking Rock Golf on June 8, 2024, and it’s already sold out with 128 golfers, and more than a few on the waiting list.

Unfortunately, Okanagan College’s Women in Trades Program was recently cut due to lack of provincial funding. But there are other schools in BC with similar programs.

“The fact that the program was cut illustrates how important it is for the trades to present a compelling and attractive pitch to women,” said McGlenen. “We hope to raise twice as much money this year, and we’re taking a close look at how best to support women in the trades with the funds we raise in June.”

In McGlenen’s battle to increase the skilled trade workforce, she’s quick to remind all tradespeople, not just women, that there’s more than enough work to go around. “Me against you” is the wrong mindset.”

“I hope that offering a new perspective, and enthusiastic advocacy for the trades will help to shift the demographic of tradespeople in Canada,” she continued. “There’s so much opportunity!

“With broader awareness of the trades, especially among women, it could lead to a win-win for all—from home and business owners to everyone in the trades,” she said. “We need to collaborate and develop better processes. It’s realistic and achievable, and I’ll do everything I can to help.”

Strategic Investment Future-Proofs Manufacturing

A long-awaited expansion to Taco’s Fall River, MA, plant is underway. The $20+ million project greatly enhances and expands the manufacturer’s ability to build larger tanks, heat exchangers and a wide range of other products – while also enabling them to add capacity and reduce lead times.

Taco Comfort Solutions, based in Cranston, RI, began making plans for the plant expansion more than a decade ago. Groundbreaking began in early September ’23 and the project is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

“The expansion of Taco’s Fall River facility is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Taco team and our commitment to our customers,” said Cheryl Merchant, President and CEO, Taco Family of Companies. “The need for ASME certified fabricated products has grown tremendously as well as many facets of our market. When our customers asked us to increase our capacity to fulfill their demand, we said YES!  Our ability to innovate and grow with our customers and partners has been, and will continue to be, a key reason Taco has remained strong and innovative for 104 years,” noted Cheryl.

The Fall River plant’s previous footprint was 60,000 square feet. With the expansion, Taco is adding 52,000 square feet.

“After overcoming COVID and supply line setbacks, countless questions about details of the project, and through economic ups and downs, we determined that the time is right for this project,” said Anthony DeMoura, VP – Taco Fabricated Products Division & PIFA Foundry Operations. “The project is finally underway.”

For more than 100 years, Taco has been committed to designing and manufacturing innovative and dependable HVAC, plumbing and industrial solutions. Taco’s Fall River plant manufactures ASME Section VIII pressure vessels used in commercial and industrial heating and cooling systems.

“At Taco Fall River we design, fabricate and test both custom and standard plate heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers, expansion tanks, air and dirt separators, hydraulic balancers and other specialized pressure vessels,” added DeMoura.

According to DeMoura, the plant was previously capable of constructing vessels up to capacities of 12,000 gallons (about 10’ w x 20’ h). Taco’s plant expansion will enable the fabrication of vessels up to 40,000 gallons, more than tripling current tank sizes. “We’ll have lifting capacity within the plant capable of lifting 60 tons. In many respects, we’re building the new facility around a massive crane system.”

World class custom engineering

Taco has grown to become a premier custom fabrication provider among global manufacturers. Their veteran team of engineers, welders, assemblers and customer support personnel carry an extensive wealth of industry knowledge, design logic and technical experience.

Customized variations of all standard designs are available. Some examples of custom projects include:

• Flash tanks
• Thermal energy storage tanks
• De-aerator tanks
• Clean steam generation
• Fully custom ASME Section VIII rated pressure vessels

According to DeMoura, the expanded plant will offer these capabilities as well:

• Plate rolling (up to 1 ¼” thick)
• Steel cutting (up to 5” thick)
• Stainless steel cutting (up to 2 ½” thick)
• Robotic welding of tank heads up to 60” in diameter
• Fabrication of vessels up to 12’ in diameter
• Unmatched welding precision and quality with over 50 ASME certified pressure vessel welders

Engineering capabilities

The engineering capabilities of Taco’s ASME design team extend even further, fulfilling custom requests to meet unique requirements. All phases of fabrication are handled by Taco. Their skill and expertise stem from a culture of pride and close attention to detail, resulting in industry-leading quality and customer satisfaction.

With ASME certified welders, certified testers and a National Board Authorized Inspector in-house, Taco offers the team and equipment needed to provide fast, flexible lead times and the ability to accommodate quick turnaround and emergency requests.

“This is exciting. Our exceptional welders, fabricators, machinists, and assemblers build some impressive products already. When this project is completed, we will be able to build even bigger and more complicated products for the global marketplace, and we are doing it right here in Fall River, MA, with some of the best tradespeople in the industry,” concluded DeMoura.

Taco Hydroflo Pump Solutions has opened a new state-of-the-art facility in Lubbock, Texas.  The site opened on February 21, and substantially expands the operations of the Taco Family of Companies. Taco is headquartered in Cranston, RI.

Hydroflo’s new 45,000 s.f. location in Lubbock, Texas, is in the manufacturing and transportation hub of northwest Texas, 40 miles north of its prior location in Brownfield, Texas.  With the new facility also comes the advantage of added space for future growth, additional capabilities and team expansion.

“The opening of this new Taco Hydroflo Pump Solutions facility signifies a renewed focus on ensuring that our customers have access to the most dependable high quality vertical and submersible pumps in the market,” noted Cheryl Merchant, President and CEO, Taco Family of Companies. “Our investment in the infrastructure, testing equipment and expanded workforce is just the beginning of the next phase of the Hydroflo story.

“I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to our new landlord, Randy Teinert, the City of Lubbock, and the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce,” continued Merchant.  “Family is at the core of everything we do at Taco, and I want to thank all of you for making us feel like family. Your warm welcome to this community has made all the difference.

“The Hydroflo team, along with the more than 1,200 Taco team members, are leading us into the future,” she added.  “A future of opportunity, a future of growth and a future of well-earned success.”

According to Hydroflo’s Director of Sales, Clay Williams, the facility substantially expands their manufacturing, warehouse and quality control operations. New manufacturing equipment was purchased for the facility, and a state-of-the-art test pit have expanded their testing capabilities as well.

“The new test pit is much larger and deeper and greatly improves our range of testing,” explained Larry Jones, Hydroflo VP.  “We now have the ability to test all current pump models, something we previously had to outsource.”

Hydroflo manufactures a wide range of submersible turbine, vertical axial-flow, vertical mixed-flow, and vertical turbine pumps for use in the agricultural, commercial, industrial, municipal, marine, mining, and power generation markets. The company uses high-quality ductile iron discharge heads and fabricated steel or 316 stainless steel L, F, and T style heads. Ductile Iron bowl castings with impellers in 201 stainless steel impellers are also used for greater strength. For applications that require resistance to corrosion, Hydroflo offers castings and impellers in 316 stainless steels in order to provide the best materials of construction to meet specific application needs.

Taco Hydroflo Pump Solutions is an integral part of the Taco Family of Companies, an expanding global network of industry-leading brands that strive to be the first source for durable, high-efficiency heating, cooling, plumbing and fluid-control solutions that help its customers save money, energy and resources while maximizing comfort and productivity.

Richard Medairos, P.E., Taco Senior Systems Engineer and Commercial Trainer, was presented the Dan Holohan Lifetime Contribution to Comfort Award at Taco Comfort Solutions’ press conference at the AHR Expo on Monday, January 22, by Ben White, Program Manager, Business Operations of Taco Comfort Solutions.

Medairos is the 8th recipient of the award, and is recognized for his warmth, humor and passion that he brings with him to work every day.  Much like Dan Holohan, Rich’s passion and love of the industry is what has driven, and continues to drive, his dedication to educate and train hundreds of industry professionals moving forward.

A graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology, Medairos has over forty years of experience with demonstrated expertise in engineering, project management and planning. Throughout his career, he has worked on projects with major clients such as NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Disney World, Universal Studios Florida, Boston University, Rhode Island School of Design, First Data Corporation, and Taco’s Innovation & Development Center.

The Dan Holohan Lifetime Contribution to Comfort Award is given annually to an HVAC professional or company that has made a substantial contribution to comfort technology, advancement, or training while displaying the exceptional good humor and love of people exhibited by Dan Holohan throughout his long career.  Past award winners include Dan Holohan, Robert Bean, Bruce Marshall, Dan Foley, John Barba, Bob Barbour and John Hazen White III.