Episode 117: The Business of Mechanical & Pool Plumbing with Justin Bowie of JMax
Today Brad speaks with Justin Bowie of JMax Companies, which consists of Pool Plumbing and JMax Plumbing and Mechanical.
Justin got his start working “at the very bottom” for what was then the biggest plumbing company in the valley. He eventually earned his place as General Manager and led the charge until the Great Recession, after which he formed his own business.
He goes on to speak on lessons and skills that he was able to apply after getting into business for himself, as well as those pain points that he had to endure a lot of trial and error to get a handle on—from considerations around working capital, to investing in training.
Justin then describes his scope of work and the most crucial factors in pool plumbing, as well as the technologies and trends that have evolved over the years and how these changes impact hydraulic design.
Asked how he is able to maintain strong, mutually beneficial relationships with his vendors, Justin says that it’s all about going out of their way to take the tougher jobs and being consistent with the quality of their work.
Finally, Justin touches on JMax Companies’ plumbing and mechanical division and how his residential projects differ from pool work.
Topics Discussed:
[02:21] How Justin got started in pool plumbing
[05:23] Business lessons Justin learned from working for another plumbing company
[07:52] What Justin knows now that he wishes he knew then
[09:54] Staying financially sound and getting on the same page with builders
[12:58] What separates good clients from bad ones
[15:17] JMax’s scope of work and how the market has changed
[20:08] Stress factors inherent in pool plumbing
[25:25] Frequency of training at JMax and maintaining vendor relationships
[31:45] Clients to avoid
[32:47] Building an online presence
[37:05] Justin’s favorite projects
[42:29] How residential and mechanical plumbing differs from pool plumbing
[50:39] What Justin takes most pride in today
[51:48] Justin’s exciting upcoming projects
Connect with Guest:
JMax Companies Website: https://www.jmaxcompanies.com/
JMax Plumbing Website: https://jmaxplumbing.com/
JMax Mechanical Website: https://www.jmaxmechanical.com/
JMax Academy Website: https://www.jmaxacademy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearded_plumber/
Connect with Brad Leavitt:
Website - https://www.aftconstructionpodcast.com/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/aft_construction
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aftconstruction
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.ph/AFT_CONSTRUCTION/
Key Quotes by Justin:
My favorite relationships are those where you get mutual respect. If I’m dealing with a general contractor, their expertise is this, and my expertise is plumbing. I want them to respect that I have a ton of experience and we’ve been through mistakes and let us do our thing.
The most important part of plumbing is making sure that you’ve sized everything correctly, because the [consequences] of that are energy loss and systems not doing what they’re supposed to do.
I think having long-standing relationships with my vendors has been the most help. [...] Fortunately, those relationships have paid off tons.
This industry is small. Pool plumbing—and pools in general—is so small that you pretty much know people before you meet them. Just get in front of them; talk to them. Figure out if they have the same values that you do.
