PHCC Educational Foundation Awards Record $152,000 in Scholarships to Future Plumbing and HVAC Pros

FALLS CHURCH, VA — The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) Educational Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2025 scholarships, marking a record year for the program. Sixty-six students pursuing careers in the plumbing and HVAC trades will share up to $152,000 in scholarship funding—the largest total in the Foundation’s history.

Record Year for Trades Scholarships

Applicants included plumbing and HVAC apprentices, trade school students, and college students studying fields tied directly to the plumbing-heating-cooling industry. This year’s group includes 43 apprentices and trade school students, along with 23 college students preparing for leadership roles in the trades.

“We are so happy to provide these awards that make entering a career in the trades easier,” said Foundation Chair Patrick Wallner of Wallner Plumbing in Redding, Calif. “Our dedicated sponsors and donors are eager to support the program, because they know it is a sound investment in the future of our profession.”

Industry Sponsors Expand Support 

New scholarships from Home Depot Pro and HomeServe, introduced through their Skilled Trades Initiative, helped expand the number of awards available this year. The initiative focuses on strengthening and growing the skilled trades workforce nationwide.

Investing in the Next Generation

Apprentice Brian Hoisington of Westminster, Calif., who trains through the PHCC of Orange County plumbing apprenticeship program, said the scholarship is helping him advance in his trade.

“Plumbing is not just a job for me—it is my career path, one that allows me to provide extraordinary service to clients and communities,” Hoisington wrote in a thank-you note to Foundation donors. “I am an apprentice now advancing to the position of installer, and this scholarship will help me achieve that next step in my professional growth.”

Industry Leaders Back the Program 

The Foundation thanked its contractor donors and corporate sponsors for making the 2025 awards possible. Scholarship sponsors include A.O. Smith, Bradford White Corporation, Delta Faucet Company, Ferguson Cares Foundation, Home Depot Pro, HomeServe, InSinkErator, RIDGID, Scorpion Home Services Marketing, State Water Heaters and Sterling (a Kohler brand). Additional funding came from the Texas and Massachusetts PHCC Auxiliaries, the PHCC Past National Officers, Bill Jones, Gerry Kennedy, the estate of Gil Meyerowitz, and generous donations from PHCC contractors across the country.

Applications for 2026 Open in January 

The 2026 PHCC Educational Foundation scholarship program opens in January, with applications due by May 1. Full details, including photos and thank-you notes from this year’s winners, are available at phccfoundation.org/scholarships.

Note: this release was rewritten with help from generative AI.