Excerpted from a keynote address to the Pennsylvania PHCC, April 29, 2000
About once or twice a year, I get a phone call from a business broker retained by some plumbing
contractor looking to sell his company, or sometimes it's just a contractor's accountant trying to come up
with a sale price. They get referred to me because they don't have a good handle on how to evaluate the
worth of a plumbing business. I'm not exactly an expert in this area, but I do my best to help.
Every time I talk to one of these people, I go away from the conversation feeling sad. That's because I've
been part of this industry for more than 20 years and have grown very fond of plumbing and heating
contractors. You folks are the heart and soul of this industry. It's hard to think of any other people who work
so hard and deliver so much genuine value.