Plumbing Africa June 2019 | Page 52

50 PERSONALITY PROFILE Building the bridge to overcome the challenge Winner of the IOPSA Plumber of the Year award, Deon Nel sat down with Plumbing Africa to tell us a bit about himself. By Benjamin Brits Growing up in the Roodepoort, Gauteng, when Nel left school he had already been working for his father, who had his own plumbing business at the time. This is where he learnt the plumbing trade. “I love water and pipes always fascinate me. I qualified as a plumber at my father’s business, and then in 2007 I started my own company, Rapid Plumbing,” says Nel. He recalls that while working and qualifying with his father, he was given all of the difficult jobs to do: digging, laying pipes, installing drain pipes, and so on. He never had it easy, he says, which is often the case when kids work for their parents. “My father showed me the right way and I learned a lot. I learned so much and loved it from day one. So, I thought to myself, if I could make a living out of it, then why not give it a try?” STARTING A NEW CHAPTER When Nel started his own business, he recalls, “it was very difficult because one doesn’t have a lot of money when you start a business. I started out with a little Toyota Tazz and I would put the drain rods through the window. I initially worked alone and as I got busier I started with bigger jobs like geyser installations where I would get someone to help me on a casual basis.” What landed Rapid Plumbing on the map, and the start of the company’s success, was the interest from insurance companies. “I was approached by an insurance company and I went in for an interview. They were happy with my work, but also with my efficiency and the great manner that I have in dealing with my clients. This is the point where we really became recognised,” says Nel. From that point, the company grew to where it is today, with its own offices, employing its own administration staff and with four teams out on the road. Nel makes up the fifth team as he still handles jobs himself, and also does a lot of geyser inspections for insurance companies, specifically to check that installations have been done correctly by other contract plumbers. NOT ALL SMOOTH WATER “From the beginning it was difficult, and there were stages where I wanted to just throw in the towel. In one instance, I did a lot of work for a developer, and I did real quality work, but the owner of that June 2019 Volume 25 I Number 4 company landed up running away — with the money I was owed. These sorts of situations create a very stressful life. A point will come where you want to just give up,” says Nel. “If it wasn’t for my father and mother, I don’t think I would have got to this point. They really supported me and helped me a lot. I can seriously attribute where I find myself today to their support. They pushed me to keep going and they supported me in every way. “At the end of the day I built the bridge I needed and I got over the challenges by pushing on, but it’s important to know that once you are a ‘qualified plumber’, you don’t know everything — it’s not only about learning plumbing. I had to also learn to be a qualified solar and heat pump installer. There are a lot of things you have to learn because the plumbing field is vast, and you also can’t do every installation, because there is work that requires a specialist,” he explains. Nel adds: “When the Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA) and the Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB) started I joined immediately. Had it not been for these two bodies, we would not have been able to make the plumbing industry better, and plumbers would just do what they want, which is obviously not right. Both IOPSA and the PIRB are making life better for us on the ground, which we never had before.” OUTSIDE OF WORK “I like hunting, so I try and go hunting once a year and I like to go out with the boats, skiing and so on. Like I said, I love water! I like fishing a lot as well, but this is all really when I get time, of course, because I am always very busy with work. I am fortunate to be able to say that I have accomplished most of my goals, so I am happy with where I am in my life,” Nel shares. THE MEANING OF BEING RECOGNISED Winning the Plumber of the Year was a surprise for Nel because he saw the other plumbing companies there as well, so he thought he was just there to fill the seat. “When I was announced as the winner I really couldn’t believe it,” he laughs. “I’m very glad there are people acknowledging that there are plumbers doing excellent work,” he says. “It’s a great feeling to get the credit. Plumbers in the public eye are generally the ‘bad guys’ www.plumbingafrica.co.za