Spartan Industry Heroes:
Linda Hudek with LH Plumbing Services, LLC

At Spartan Tool, we’re proud to spotlight exceptional professionals in our industry through our Spartan Industry Heroes series. Kicking off January, we had the privilege of sitting down with Linda Hudek, the force behind LH Plumbing. Linda is a proud licensed master plumber based in Fairfield, Ohio and she sat down with us to share her journey into the industry and her insights as a business owner.

Linda’s journey into plumbing began in her senior year of high school, when she decided to work for her father’s company one summer . “I asked if I could work for him the summer of my senior year, and he begrudgingly said yes. I started working for him and decided I really liked it, and the rest is history. I like to conquer things, so the challenge I thought was great and I love to work with my hands as well.”

As Linda progressed in her career, her entrepreneurial spirit took hold. She always knew she wanted to work for herself and build something of her own. That determination led her to establish L H Plumbing, where she combines her skills and passion to make a meaningful impact on her community. “I love the satisfaction I get from doing something so tangible and that’s so necessary for people’s everyday lives.” While Linda finds immense satisfaction in the tangible outcomes of her work, she acknowledges that not every aspect of the job is enjoyable. Small tasks, or the administrative side of the business aren’t her favorites. However, her love for the field work and problem solving keeps her motivated.

Linda draws inspiration from others in the industry, including Mary-Anne Bowcott, known as The Lady Plumber  @the_ladyplumber on social media. “I've met her in person as well, and she's super sweet, super genuine. Her content especially last year, it kind of encouraged me to continue with social media,” Linda said. Linda shares on the job content and insights into the profession on social media, where her Instagram account boasts over 17,000 followers. You can find her at @thebrunetteplumber.

She loves that the trades are being highlighted on social media and hopes she can help grow more awareness to the trades locally as well. “I would like to do more speaking engagements at schools. I would love to talk to middle and high schoolers who are still moldable and haven't always made their decisions yet.” Currently Linda is also teaching code at the local CMPA, Cincinnati Master Plumbers Association. She hopes she can continue give to the trade, as the trade has given so much to her. “I want to maintain the integrity of the trade, to maintain the integrity of our licensure to, to communicate to people, clients how important it is to hire people that know what they're doing. Also, to encourage business owners to stay honest and not turn this into a trade where we're just trying to sell people stuff."

"I want to promote good craftsmanship, quality of work. That's very important to me.”

Her advice for those considering a career in plumbing and/or drain cleaning emphasizes honesty and exploration. “First of all, be honest with yourself about what type of work that you're willing to do. Go to work for somebody for a little bit, see if you actually like it. But be very honest with yourself. If you're someone who's not self-motivated, if you're not willing to get dirty, if you're not willing to do physical things… obviously this isn't going to be for you.” She also stressed the importance of gaining exposure to various types of plumbing work to identify personal interests and specialties. “If possible, you find a company that is going to send you to an apprenticeship program and either pay for the apprenticeship or you guys can work it out together to where you're going to school while you work, I think that is the optimal way to do it. You don’t have to go to school, depending on your state, but I think if you have the opportunity for schooling, it's the best. It truly is where you're learning code, and you have an actual journeyman apprenticeship license. I recommend that and learn as much as possible. That first year, you're going to do labor, labor only, you know, you're going to be a grunt, and that's normal. It kind of has to be that way for the most part. I would suggest going with somebody who has a varied amount of work. They might do some service, some new construction, and to expose yourself to all the different, varied types of plumbing, because there are many. And then you can hone in on what you really like. Maybe you just want to test backflows, maybe you only want to do drains, or maybe you want to do it all like I do. You’ve got to figure that out, so definitely work for somebody that can expose you to different types of plumbing.”

Linda relies on a range of Spartan Tool equipment to deliver top-notch service, including the Elite Soldier Hydro Jet, Model 718 battery operated sink machine and Traveler 3.0 inspection camera. For Linda, the customer service & support from Spartan Tool is just as crucial as the quality of the machines. “It's not just the soldier, it's Spartan in particular. To me, when you spend as much money as you're going to spend on a jetter -- because that's a high dollar piece of equipment, at least for me it is -- having that support and customer service from the company is like number one or just as important to the quality of the machine. The Elite Soldier in particular, I love the way it looks. It looks so good showing up to a customer's place, and it's not some raggedy old jetter. I love the finish look of it, and I think customers appreciate that. I love the antifreeze option, also the remote-control option is so incredibly helpful. It saves you time for sure and makes it easier, because I work alone. Plus, the size of it, I like the 350-foot reel capacity, the 200-gallon tank for water.”

When asked where she wanted to see herself in the future and whats next for L H Plumbing, Linda said, “I don't really see myself wanting to hire people because I do like working alone, and I'm not as interested in growing the business to some big size and selling it. I like to do the work, and I like doing it the way I do. I would like to add, a couple other things to my arsenal. I do a varied amount right now, so my goal has always been not so much to grow the size of my business, but to grow my abilities in it. I like to be able to do different things, and I like to accomplish those things, that's what motivates me.

"Success to me is I see a challenge and I conquer it.”