Michael Hawk moved from Michigan to California. He’s settling closer to the mountains, a climate more conducive to family needs and his brand of plumbing. 

Before relocating, he established a new business, The Hawk Services, which offers home maintenance, drain cleaning and basic plumbing repairs. He picked up his first set of Milwaukee tools and is working to drive the company forward. 

Hawk racked up eight years in the Air Force as a combat rescue officer. He wrestled in college and attended the Air Force Academy. The embrace of plumbing as a trade started closer to his original upbringing in southwest Colorado.

Both his father and grandfather were licensed plumbers. His dad and uncles grew their business before evolving into general contracting work for the federal government, Hawk says. 

After the Air Force, Hawk leveled up expertise in plumbing and underground jobs, working for contractors in Wyoming and Michigan, including a company that does everything from replacing toilets to performing sewer line inspections and repairs.

He gained confidence in residential construction and installations while he and his wife built their first home together in Wyoming. Nearly 100% of the plumbing work in that 4,200-square-foot space was completed independently, under dad’s supervision, bolstering the younger Hawk’s confidence and skill level while he homed in on the craft. 

HAWK TAKING FLIGHT

According to the Air Force, the role of a combat rescue officer centers on providing “the insights and skill essential for rescue missions to succeed.” 

Hawk moved to the city of Fort Jones and entered the California market in early 2025, doing business as Hawk Handyman & Plumbing Services, a general plumbing service and drain cleaning company serving the Siskiyou County area.

Today, the 33-year-old trains by being married, raising four kids, staying active with his church, volunteering as a local firefighter and managing to start, operate and run a business. By spring, it was already “going twice as fast, as far as business goes, and growing.” Hawk would like to see at least $200,000 in annual revenues before the company hires. 

“There are [fewer] plumbers out here than there were in Michigan,” he says. “It’s rural out here. I am drilling down, day in and day out. I’m focusing on the places nobody else wants to go. People haven’t had a plumber for so long, some won’t even come to these areas. There is such a shortage. They will wait for someone they trust.” 

TOOL TIME

Hawk Handyman has invested in Milwaukee equipment, and costs haven’t been too unbearable for the startup as it tracks toward a return. The stack is growing: a 4-foot urinal auger, an M18 Fuel Switch Pack with three separate drums including 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch cable units and a 100-foot, high-speed chain snake for 1.5-inch to 4-inch pipe diameters. 

The most useful tool uncovered so far has been the innovative use of a 6-foot toilet auger. 

One feature of the M12 TRAPSNAKE is an integrated locking mechanism that secures the cable for easy telescoping extension. The ability to replace cables enables maximum tool longevity. 

Hawk states it’s fast, simple to operate and has been proven effective for an application that goes further than unclogging toilets. 

Instead of picking up another pricey chain snake, right now, getting clogs loose in shower drains has never been more financially intelligent or easier, according to Hawk. That’s because he reserved capital, but also kept productivity and job efficiency high, preferring modular tool setups and relying on a single battery type. 

The entrepreneur’s business focuses on smaller plumbing jobs and drain cleaning tasks that can be completed quickly and cleared the same day. Hawk identified it as the one piece of equipment he uses consistently, especially when unclogging older drains. 

“This is long and flexible enough, I can get it in there,” he noted. “It just reached far enough to release the clog and open up the [shower] drain. I’ve also used it to get clogs loose that some of my longer, thicker snakes couldn’t get. For whatever reason, they couldn’t make it past a 90 or P-trap. 

“I know Milwaukee did not design it that way for shower drains, but it works fantastic. It is small and flexible enough to make it around any bend.” 

BACK TO MILWAUKEE

For Hawk, who is no stranger to the plumbing industry or high-stakes environments, it’s more than just pipes and augers. He sticks close to family and leads with his values, influencing his decision-making and translating directly to the underserved rural clients his newly formed plumbing business now supports. 

Responding to plumbing calls or emergencies often resembles coming to the rescue. Hawk Handyman’s approach is to show up when and where needed, perform well and to the best of one’s ability, providing that service and doing it admirably. 

Whether the result of perseverance is navigating a tight crawl space or being able to wrestle a clogged drain back into working order, the course is being shaped, leaning into application fundamentals and equipment versatility, maximizing tool performance and value. 

Hawk continues: “Just last week, I had a clogged shower drain that I thought I was not going to be able to get because of my other snakes. There has not been a drain cleaning job I have not been able to clear yet and it’s because of this tool. A couple of times it has been a last resort, without cutting out a wall or doing a demo or something else.”