GUEST COLUMN
Living into our why
A brief history of the PHCC of North Carolina
By Jim Pendergrass
WHY. This small, three-letter word has helped define
the history and outcome of a distinguished list of events
though time. For example, why did the Wright brothers
travel more than 600 miles from Ohio to the Outer Banks
of North Carolina to construct and launch a craft they be-
lieved would allow men to fly?
Oh . . . I suppose I just gave it all away . . . because
they believed something was possible.
So, why did a group of North Carolina master
plumbers come together in 1910 to form a professional
association? Because they, too, believed something was
possible. The NC contingent in Washington DC at the 2017 Legislative
Conference meeting with Representative Virginia Foxx
They believed that they could better advance the pro-
fessionalism and knowledge of their trade on behalf of
their and their neighbor’s families if they worked to-
gether in ethical ways. They believed they could better
protect their businesses when faced with legislative or
regulatory overreach if they spoke with a unified voice.
They believed in the basic premise of strength in num-
bers. And apparently, they believed that plumbers looked
good in hats and bowlers, too!
So, they established an association that through time
became today’s Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
of North Carolina, Inc. (PHCC of NC) in order to live into
that why.
2017 PHCC of NC President Thomas Barbour at a trade
show to encourage high school students in the trades
4 — May-June 2018 — The North Carolina Construction News
We believe that original Why is just as valid
now as it was then. PHCC of NC’s vision is that
we are dedicated to the advancement and edu-
cation of the plumbing and HVACR industry for
the health, safety and comfort of society and
the protection of the environment.
A commonly heard, decades-old phrase in
our industries is “The plumber protects the health of the
nation.” Today, we would add the HVACR contractor as
well, since our indoor air quality is also part of our health
concerns. Advancement . . . Education . . . Safety . . . Comfort .
. . Protection. Pursuit of these values is our Why, and we
pursue them through our mission to become so relevant
that clients and the public identifies a PHCC of NC con-
tractor as the best choice for a knowledgeable and reli-
able product and service.
What does all this look like at PHCC of NC day-by-
day? It looks like efforts, activities, and involvement on a
wide array of fronts, such as:
Cobe LaMunyan, the 2018 PHCC of NC President of the Board
of Directors presenting the first place award for plumbing at the
Skills USA competition at our Connections Conference
The 2018 SkillsUSA competition for high school
students and trade school students
• Across the state, contractors gather in local groups to
discuss and share best practices, to be informed of
pertinent activities in their area regarding job permits,
inspections, common code violations, etc. They tran-
sition from merely being competitors to being col-
leagues; • Quarterly code intensive classes are offered to help
contractors refresh their knowledge, and to learn
about any code addendums that have been put into
effect; • A four year apprenticeship program is available for
contractor members to access for training their techs
and for attracting new employees to their companies;
• PHCC staff and leadership are collaboratively involved
with a number of statewide and regional efforts
aimed at addressing the challenges of a shrinking
trades workforce, which includes work with the NC
Community College System, the Department of Public
Instruction, and NCWorks;
• A lobbyist is engaged by the association to keep
watch for NC legislation that might adversely affect a
member’s company or livelihood. Included in this is a
vigilant effort to guard against any reduction or re-
moval of licensure for the professional services our
contractors provide to the public for their health and
safety; • An annual Connections Conference trade show – held
this year in Greensboro on April 11– brings vendors
who showcase the newest products and services
available to benefit P-H-C contractors, and hosts the
regional SkillsUSA-NC contests for high school and
post-secondary school students in plumbing, HVACR,
and sheetmetal; and
• Our affiliation with the PHCC-National association
gives our members access to an extensive library of
business and technical resources, national legislative
and federal regulatory lobbying efforts, and much
more. We could go on if space permitted, and we trust you
get the idea of the scope of our association’s endeavors
to live into our Why.
If you are a P-H-C contractor, where do you fit into
this? Rest assured, the Wright brothers weren’t so naïve
as to think that if they were able to make their machine
fly, it was only for their benefit. And neither were the
people who worked with them on the project! They un-
derstood that their combined effort as a team, one might
even say as a family, multiplied the effect of their belief
in making a difference through their profession.
Will you join the PHCC team? How to join us in Living
Into Our Why can be found at www.phccnc.com.
Jim Pendergrass is PHCC of NC’s executive director.
Check out our
construction equipment at
www. jamesriversequipment .com
The North Carolina Construction News — May-June 2018 — 5