It’s All About the People!
Chris Greene, Management Trainee, Oklahoma State Graduate
Moving from college into the professional world may be one of the toughest transitions
individuals have to make. From no longer having summers and month-long Christmas breaks off while also
being separated from many friends, life can seem significantly less exciting than it did just a few short
months or years ago when you were back in college.
At Hajoca, I was promised that the people are what make the business and industry special. In
the few short months I’ve been here, my teammates in Tomball have already become friends that I spend time
with outside of work. Throughout the 4-year program, Hajoca also provides trainees opportunities to keep
in touch with each other through sales training workshops, summer retreats, vendor trips, and week-long
visits to other profit centers. Even though my fellow trainees are spread across the state and the
southern region, we keep in touch with these visits and calling each other weekly.
When traveling, both for business and personal reasons, I always try to a grab a bite to eat
when in town with other trainees. I have noticed that many profit center managers (PCM’s) have built
personal relationships with other PCM’s that transcend Hajoca. But, it’s not just trainees and teammates
that become close friends through the journey with Hajoca. The foundation of the plumbing industry is
personal relationships. Many plumbers and contractors are second, third, or even fourth generation in
their trade. These individuals grow up at the supply house as an apprentice in their teens and if treated
right, come back for decades. Spending so much time daily with customers, you learn their sons’,
daughters’, and spouse’s names, their hobbies, and their passion for the business. Some even become
friends with personal relationships; for example, I am coaching a basketball team with one of our
customers.
Nobody grows up and wants to be in the plumbing industry. Nobody especially enters college and
expects to be in the plumbing industry when they graduate. But, I can assure you that the industry is not
what matters. What matters the most are the people inside the business and industry that you work in, and
the plumbing industry is defined by down-to-earth individuals willing to invest in the people who work
hard and are willing to learn.