CONTRACTOR’s Under 30 All-Stars 2025

A fourth-year apprentice, Valerie Butler works both in the field and in the office for P.I.P.E., Indianapolis, and she’ll be getting her Journeyman’s License as soon as she’s eligible. In the past eight years, it’s been a whirlwind of living for such a short time span. After graduating high school in 2017, Butler was unsure of her career path, dropping out of college after one semester. She then joined the military, but after an unfortunate injury, she came back to civilian life where she became a preschool teacher.

Butler’s father, a boiler and water heater salesman—with whom she was living at the time—was trying to convince her brother to join the trades, but he had no interest, “but he was catching my interest,” recalls Butler.

In her current position, Butler has the ability to build her own schedule so she spends a lot of time focusing on her career, as well as spending time in the office. If that wasn’t enough, she also sits on two state plumbing executive boards for the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC), and she’s the chairman of one of her own committees for the PHCC. Oh yeah, she also volunteers—about once a week at her school—and takes additional courses on top of her apprenticeship.

One day, Butler would welcome the opportunity to become an instructor at her school, making an impact for in the trades at that level. “Especially for women. To be able to show the women that yes, we are fewer, but it is possible to be in this industry and succeed,” says Butler. “I love the idea of helping the future of this industry, and the livelihood of others, so we can find more individuals with the same passion.”

For her role on the PHCC board, she was “voluntold” to be placed on the board back in August of 2022 where she was officered in as a “Member at Large” on the executive board, which translates down to the state board. According to Butler, the executive board typically meets every two to four months, and the state board meets two to three times a year (depending on the needs of the board). “But we do a lot outside of our board meetings. For example, I brought up an idea to our Executive Director here in Indiana about creating a safety program through the assistance of the Georgia PHCC because one of its members brought it up to me. Since Indiana didn’t have a program like this, and we are the largest state PHCC in the nation, it felt right creating one. I am the Chairman of the Committee program,” says Butler.

Butler realizes that she has been extremely fortunate to have all the opportunities that this industry has given her in such a short amount of time. “I am incredibly grateful for it, and I want to give back in any way that I can to this industry and all the individuals who have supported my journey,” says Butler.

There are times, however, when Butler finds it difficult to be the youngest person—and the only woman—in a room. “I walk into a room, and I start talking about plumbing, and everyone's like, ‘she has no idea what she's talking about,’ so they don't take me seriously. Initially, it does take time to work past that, but then people come around eventually,” says Butler. 

Finally, Butler participates in a lot of high school career fairs, and when the kids say, “‘I don't know what I want to do,’ I just simply say you've got time; there are so many options out there.” Butler also emphasizes that there are companies that do summer internships. “There are so many options, so many ways forward. There is no reason you have to settle for a life you’re not happy with,” adds Butler.

A manager at Motherflushers Plumbing, a residential and commercial service and repair company located in Southern California, Evan Berns is a 24-year-old service plumber and content creator who has definitely tapped into the social media algorithm. “I was fortunate enough to have my videos gain a lot of traction early on which opened a lot of doors for me inside the plumbing industry,” says Berns.

Berns has several brand partnerships, and according to Oatey, he is their youngest-ever brand ambassador, and he is the number one top-performing Oatey Ambassador. Featuring a robust social media presence, Berns goes by the username @re.plumb on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and has become one of the plumbing industry's most prominent social media influencers.

By incorporating humor and educational content in his videos and images to make plumbing fun and less intimidating, Berns uses his platform to demystify plumbing and create a connection with his audience, and by doing so, he is contributing to the industry's acceptance as a career.

“I get a lot of comments from guys asking where they should start, or thanking me for showing them a career path they hadn’t thought of. I feel so proud when I see the comments saying ‘I’m a year in or two years in and loving it,’” says Berns.

Berns fell into plumbing by accident and had a great opportunity with a family friend to be trained to take over his day-to-day operations. Initially, he just needed to get paid, but quickly found out that he enjoyed service plumbing and felt a great sense of purpose in the smallest tasks. “Plumbing sparked my interest because the skill set could be learned quickly and be used everywhere,” says Berns.

When he’s not turning wrenches, Evan is hanging out with his beautiful wife and two daughters; he is grateful to be able to provide for his family by doing something he loves. “As a plumber, content creator, and family man, the words work, life, and balance don’t exactly go hand-in-hand,” says Berns. “The key is setting reasonable expectations with your spouse—I spend a ton of time working and my wife is super supportive. When I can, I prepare content early so I can take days off from social media. It doesn’t always work out perfectly, and my wife is there to provide for the family’s needs when I have to pull a late night. But being intentional with my time helps me stay present both on the job and at home.”

As far as advice for someone just entering the trades? “Be consistent and learn something new every day. You can go as far in the trade as you want to—what you put into it is what you’ll get out of it,” says Berns.

Berns loves the fact that the trade is always changing, offering new challenges and opportunities. “Just this morning I was in the gas station—not in uniform—and the owner says ‘hey, you’re a plumber, right?’ and leads me to a leaking hose bib. There’s always a need for people in the skilled trades,” says Berns.

David Williams, Owner, Plunger Pros & Drains, holds a passion for residential plumbing, which shines through his work and social media presence, where he shares insights and tutorials that engage a growing audience of fellow plumbers and inspire aspiring tradespeople.

Williams began his plumbing career as plumbing apprentice while in high school, as he would go to school for a half day, get out early for the work program, go to work, and then go to football or track practice afterward. He stayed with plumbing while attending night classes at a community college for business administration.

Williams tested for his Journeyman’s License, and at 27 years old he tested and passed his Master Plumbing License, and eventually started his own plumbing company shortly thereafter, recently hiring his first employee. “My goal once I knew I was going to stay with plumbing as a career was always to start my own plumbing company,” says Williams. “As soon as I passed my Masters Plumbing license, I already had my mind made up that I was going to take the risk and go out on my own.”

One thing that Williams learned throughout the ownership start-up process was that it was a good idea to have a mentor or a relationship with a few other people who have already gone through it. However, “My situation is a little different from most because of my social media accounts. I was making enough money from this to support my family while I got everything ready to go and slowly built up a reputation,” says Williams. 

Using social media platforms to showcase the trade and promote it to others is the game changer. Allotting a large chunk of his time to social, Williams believes it is the number one way to drive the younger generation toward entering the trades. “I have people messaging me daily who are graduating high school and are wanting to enter the trades or others who are just looking for a career change later on in their life. I try to respond to these messages and encourage others to get into plumbing if they like to work with their hands, be challenged and make a good living,” says Williams.

And while the trades can require hard work and long hours, you can make good money. “There is no cap on how far you can go with it. If you want to stay an apprentice your entire career, you can, or if you want to own a multi-million-dollar company, you can. It’s all up to you,” says Williams.

Fun Fact: While he’s not turning wrenches, Williams enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and video games, with the ultimate goal of traveling around the world with his family.

Tucker Baney

Tucker Baney has made significant contributions to the plumbing trade through his passion for the craft, his dedication to sharing knowledge, and his active engagement both on the job and within the online community. Based in North Carolina, Tucker has accumulated six years of experience as a plumber. His journey in the trade is marked by a commitment to excellence and a deep-seated passion for plumbing. Beyond his professional achievements, Tucker values his role as a husband and father to two daughters, emphasizing a balanced approach to both work and family life.

Baney started working for a small company when he was 21 years old. “I loved working with my hands, doing hard work, learning water systems of all types, and, of course, I love all of the new tools,” says Baney.

As part of the next generation of tradespeople himself, Baney welcomes the mentorship role that comes with his work. “At my job, I do a lot of onboarding for new hires and I really try to stay connected and help them grow.”

One of Baney's notable contributions to the industry is his active presence on social media, where he shares his experiences, insights, and expertise with a growing community of followers. “Social media is extremely important to me. I’ve gotten to work with amazing companies, met some incredible people that I would call friends, and they have taught me so much about business, plumbing, social media and life,” says Baney.

Throughout his experiences in the trades, “People are what matter. Your ability to communicate, be honest, and to care about their needs and solve problems, is all that matters. The ‘work’ and the ‘skills’ come second. Focus on relationships,” emphasizes Baney.

With a “family first” philosophy, Baney says that the money will always be out there. “My kids are young, and it goes by quick. I prioritize my time to spend more of it with my family, and do my best to be efficient on all my jobs so I’m not stuck working late. Also, I never work weekends. My children are my biggest accomplishment and are my main focus in life,” says Baney.

Fun Fact: Baney’s hobbies include snowboarding, rock climbing and soccer, and his bucket list items include climbing El Capitan and backpacking in Patagonia, which reflect his adventurous spirit. Jobsite musical faves include Childish Gambino, Chris Stapleton and Fleet Foxes.