Brandon Pacheco:

Troubleshooter

Noteveryone is a fan of solving problems, but Brandon Pacheco, project manager for Hamilton, ON’s Guest Plumbing & HVAC, says troubleshooting challenges is one of his favourite parts of the job. “I love giving our team new opportunities, helping them through challenges, whether it’s personal or work related, I always try to be there for everyone to make sure they know they have backing here. And I really enjoy customer relations and building relationships, working along with my team day in and day out. Learning what their goals are, where they want to be, and being a part of getting them there is always very rewarding.”

As project manager for Guest’s plumbing and heating division, Pacheco supports the company’s 17 plumbers and ongoing projects, and visits several work sites each day. Guest now has 35 employees in total, and is currently opening a second location in Etobicoke, ON with up to 12 employees to serve the Greater Toronto Area.

Pacheco recalls always wanting to be a plumber, and from high school joined Tomel Mechanical where he completed his apprenticeship. From there he joined Guest, which does service, retrofits and new installations in residential and commercial buildings, including largescale custom homes. The company recently completed a heating project for a 10,000-sq. ft. house that included installing hydronic heating in the main floor and basement, as well as a boiler for the pool. “So, as far as scale perspective it was 20,000 sq. ft. of in-floor tubing, with about four different boilers doing each zone in the house. It was quite the project.”

While Pacheco says interest in hydronic heating “is always there,” customers can be cost averse when it comes to comparing the cost of hydronic systems to forced air. “We try to educate our customers to have them understand the cost difference and the benefits of it, but in this day and age cost is a big item. So, it’s usually for our specialty customers,” he says. “But it is less invasive, it’s even keel heat and you don’t get the dryness, and it’s more efficient. And most important for me is you don’t have ductwork going through your house.

“I did my first hydronic project as an apprentice working with my journeyman, and I thought this was something that was a ton of fun, and something I wanted to learn,” he says. “It’s definitely a lot more intricate to work on.

It can be a very delicate system, it needs to be properly balanced and managed, and it can get very in-depth and involved. Doing a project that has so many components in it, and really putting your heart into it, is always enjoyable.”

Because Guest does a lot of copper work, Pacheco says the use of pro press fittings have been a game changer. “It makes for a nice clean install, it’s drastically quicker, it looks cleaner, and it makes the installs more artistic. We can get pretty intricate with some of these mechanical rooms that we’re working in, so it’s always nice to be able to leave the job nice, neat and tidy.”

Pacheco adds that building community and maintaining strong customer and contractor relations are core values for Guest, whether that means participating in local events and charities, or addressing on-the-job problems. “Nine times out of 10 if I’m getting a call from a customer or one of our plumbers it’s about an issue, so having a solutions-based mindset and focusing on the solution rather than the problem, and getting an answer for them is really important. When the job gets done properly and in a timely manner everyone’s happy.”

In the mechanical industry since: 2010

Best advice you’ve ever received: Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, put the work in because one day it will pay off.

Advice for young people considering entering the trades: Do your research and pick a trade that you really love, it will make the learning process so much more rewarding.

The current work ride: Ford F150

Service area: Greater Hamilton and Toronto area.

Favourite part of the job? Interactions with my team. Without them my job wouldn’t be enjoyable.

Favourite car of all time: Audi R8

The most useful tool in your toolbox: Cell phone

Your favourite tool in your toolbox: iPad

Favourite TV show: Suits

By Carolyn Cooper

Favourite book: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Favourite movie: The Wolf of Wall Street

Favourite season: Spring

Favourite restaurant or local lunch hang out? CIMA Enoteca

Favourite outdoor activity: Golf

Favourite sport: Hockey

Favourite place to be: Anywhere with my wife and daughter.

Hobbies: Golf, hockey

Last book you read: Atomic Habits

by James Clear

Biggest pet peeves: Excuses

One place in the world you would like to visit: Dubai

One word or phrase that describes you: Motivated

If you could meet anyone, alive or dead, who would it be?

Michael Jordan

Are you part of a sports team? Yes, a hockey team named Forecheck. I play right wing.

Finish these sentences:

My rule of thumb is … problems are an opportunity to succeed.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a … professional hockey player.

If I had a super power, it would be … reading minds.