It’s no secret that my time as a professional in this industry has been brief. While my family has worked in trades for years, my own journey is still in its early chapters. Last month, I attended my first major industry event: Nexstar’s Super Meeting — and it certainly lived up to its name!

Each day was packed with informative, energizing sessions that covered everything from employee retention strategies to ways contractors can leverage AI in daily operations. It seemed like every hour brought a new idea, a new connection or a new way to think about business in this ever-evolving trade. The energy in the room was contagious. Every hallway conversation felt like an impromptu brainstorming session that I just so happened to pass by. People swapped business cards, success stories, and even lessons from their biggest mistakes. It didn’t feel like a conference — it felt like a reunion of people who genuinely want to see one another win.

What stood out to me most, though, wasn’t just the education: it was the sense of community.

People from all over the world came together with a shared purpose: to learn, grow, and help one another succeed. I sat with plumbers from Georgia during one session, and over lunch, I joined a group from Wisconsin, where we talked about everything from the unique challenges of running a business in different regions to funny on-the-job stories that reminded us all why we love this industry. No matter where they came from, everyone seemed united by the same spirit of pride and camaraderie that I’ve seen firsthand defines the trades.

There was something inspiring about seeing so many professionals — owners, technicians, office staff and industry partners — openly sharing their knowledge and experiences. In a world where competition often takes center stage, this event reminded me that the plumbing and mechanical industries are built on relationships, mentorship, and a genuine desire to lift others up.

During several of the sessions, the leaders encouraged attendees to walk around and share. In one session, they invited us to tell our fellow attendees our biggest hurdles: what business owners felt was holding them back. Was it a lack of understanding what their customers really needed? Were they not following up on leads? Were they being who their employees – and customers – needed them to be?

It struck me how rare it was to see people who, by all definitions of the word, were competitors, sharing insights into their business. Whether it was sharing their weaknesses or sharing what they were most proud of, I didn’t see competitors when I looked around the room. I saw community.

People were sharing things about their business, and even about themselves, that almost no one would share with their competitors. I wondered, what was different here? Why was everyone being so open about their strengths and their struggles, and even their secrets?

People from all over the world came together with a shared purpose: to learn, grow, and help one another succeed.

During a lunch break, I was chatting with a fellow attendee about what had stood out to me the most at my first conference in the industry. I shared my perspective, and he offered some of his own. He told me that, while he was sure that there were people who were holding their cards close to their chest, he said something that stuck with me.

“Super Meeting is definitely something special,” he told me. “You have competitors, sometimes from the same cities, sitting together and sharing. You don’t see that anywhere else.”

And, maybe it is something special about the conference. It certainly was something special: I met countless amazing people, learned about new and exciting companies. Maybe there was something truly magical about it.

But, I think it’s something a bit different; something a lot simpler. Super Meeting, and Nexstar Network as a whole, brings people together under a shared goal. They want to improve their business, and to support their employees above all else. That sense of shared want to better themselves: that’s what sets Nexstar’s Super Meeting apart.

There’s something special about an industry where people can be both competitors and allies, where success isn’t a zero-sum game but a shared goal. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about pipes, systems or service calls. It’s about people — and the community that keeps this industry flowing strong.

Maybe that’s the real takeaway from Super Meeting. It’s not just about business growth, but personal growth, too. It’s about realizing that success in this industry doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when people connect, collaborate, and care. Whether you’re a third-generation plumber or someone like me, just getting started, events like this remind you that you’re part of something bigger — a community that builds, fixes, and supports far more than just buildings. It builds people.

I left the conference with a renewed sense of purpose. More than that, I left with a deeper understanding of what makes this industry thrive: the people who never stop learning, sharing and showing up for one another. As someone just beginning my place in the trades, I couldn’t ask for a better introduction.