Plumbing Africa May 2017 | Page 47

PERSONALITY PROFILE Warren Burger: the future looks bright At the age of 17, Warren Burger already knew that he wanted to be a plumber. Today, he is the business development manager at Burgess and Partners Plumbing Services. Burger’s job is to identify new business oppor- tunities, as well as harnessing existing business relationships. very rewarding! The water space excites me and I see many opportunities for the future in our country with the water crisis that we are currently going through.” Getting started Growing up, Burger wasn’t much of an academic but enjoyed technical subjects like woodwork, welding, and technical drawing. He decided at the age of 17 that he was going to be a plumber and did his interview at Burgess before his matric exams had even started. He passed his exams and started at the company in January 2010 as an apprentice plumber, learning the ropes. Future plans “I am very excited about what the future holds and I’m always open to learning new things and exploring new opportunities. I’ve come to learn that things can change very quickly and unexpectedly, so for now I’m going to embrace every moment and learn as much as I can to invest in my future.” PA “I was a focused apprentice; I worked long and hard hours and tried to learn as much as possible from Jules Bila.” After a number of years doing plumbing, drain inspections and leak detection, he was promoted to managing seven plumbing teams. Burger later qualified as a plumber and was then offered the role of business development manager. “This position has enabled me to learn the more sophisticated areas of plumbing.” Things like large backup water systems, grey water systems, rainwater harvesting, building alterations, new plumbing installations, and plumbing audits. He quotes for the large projects under the mentorship of his director, Darryl Brainen. For the love of the job Burger enjoys what he does. “Being a plumber is hard work, it is dirty, and you work long hours, but it can be Warren Burger, business development manager at Burgess and Partners Plumbing Services. 45