The skills gap is an often-cited concern in the plumbing industry, but there is no easy, silver bullet solution. Rather, it simply takes a collective effort from people like Jeff Matthews, owner of Precision Plumbing & Contracting Services in Temperanceville, Virginia, which is featured in the February 2019 issue.

In this video, Matthews talks about how he got started in the industry and the approach he’s taken in building up his company. He also addresses the issue of the skills gap and thoughts he has on how to handle it.

“This business is a vessel and I think it’s a vessel to get everybody to where they want to go, whether they want to stay on this boat rowing forever or whether they want to jump off at the next port. That’s up to them,” Matthews says. “But everybody here as a group, we have to row together to get this vessel to where it’s got to be. I think it snowballs from there. If more people are in the industry and have the opportunity, it’s a way to bless future generations.”