SAVOY, Ill. (WCIA) — You may have heard of traveling nurses and dance competitions, but what about traveling plumbers and plumbing competitions? For Andrew Hall, that’s been his reality for the last few months while traveling and working on various projects.
He graduated from Dieterich High School and went to Bradley University in Peoria for a few years, hoping to pursue a path in the medical field. Later on, he decided he wanted a change of pace.
“I’ve always liked working with my hands and solving problems,” Hall said.
It was a no-brainer for him to pick up tools and change careers. After spending time at Midwest Technical Institute in Springfield, and then joining the team at a sprinkler company in Effingham, he eventually made his way to Local 149 in Savoy.
Besides hands-on training in 149’s big, new space, he also spent a lot of time in classrooms and labs over five years.
“Each class is different,” Hall said. “One week will be a science study, so you learn about the science behind what you’re doing, the other one will be mathematics.”
Eventually, that evolved into more complicated topics such as learning how pumps, drainage systems and water supply systems work.
Matt Kelly, Local 149’s business manager, has watched Hall grow every step of the way.
“He was one of the best apprentices we could have asked for,” Kelly said. “Super positive, really intelligent, really nice.”
Now, Hall is taking those traits to the next level. He won the Illinois Pipe Trades Plumbing Championship for Apprentices in the spring.
“We send apprentices every year and no one has done as well as him,” Kelly said.
Hall’s next stop is the national competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He’ll be competing against six others in the plumbing category.
While preparing for it, he’s also balancing full-time work as a traveling plumber on a pipefitting job.
“We’re in Indiana, we are living in a camper, it’s a decent camper though,” Hall jokingly described. “So it’s not like we’re cramped by any means.”
Despite the 10-12 hour shifts and sometimes six-day work weeks, Hall said he loves his job and is forever thankful for trusting his gut while switching career paths.
“It’s honest work, but it’s very fulfilling at the same time,” he said. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of about going into a trade like this.”
Hall isn’t stopping in Kokomo, Indiana. In October, his young family will hit the road and head west. They’ll be taking their time getting out there, that way they can enjoy their vacation and have some well-deserved time off.
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