It was August 2019 when I was last published in PM magazine. I wrote about the failure of cast iron soil pipe, which now has customers often waiting two weeks or often longer for a plumber. As the plumbing instructor at Ultimate Technical Academy, the administration is adding classes to accommodate the need for plumbers as quickly as possible.
Our world is in a state of constant change. The plumbing industry was caught off guard and hit with not only the cast iron failure but demand was compounded with the uncertainty and the ever-changing situation surrounding COVID-19, vaccinations and variants. Hundreds of thousands died from the virus or related diseases. Our industry was considered essential workers, and we have lost our share to death and disability as well. We have many good, hardworking people trying to do our part to keep the U.S. population healthy and safe, but I don’t know anyone not touched in some way over the past three years. We seem to be on the downhill side of the pandemic, but only time will tell.