Volunteering in the DPH Industry Offers Benefits

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “altruism” as “the unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others.” While this certainly describes people who volunteer, there are many other reasons why people volunteer. Meeting others, making contacts for possible employment, developing an additional skill set, having fun – these are not exactly altruistic reasons, even if they are a by-product of volunteering.

My entire life I was pushed to study computers and technology. When I was in college in New York, I was an IT guy for a small business. When I moved to California, I found a tech support job for a software company. There I was, following along on my technical career track, when on an outside support job for a plumbing wholesale distributor, I began to find myself fascinated by faucets.

Like many people, I’d always thought, “What is there to a faucet? You turn it on, you turn it off. The water is hot, the water is cold.” Clearly, I didn’t know anything.

During these on-site tech support trips, I began to have conversations with the owner of the plumbing wholesale company about plumbing fixtures. I was amazed by how much there was to know about decorative plumbing. I became obsessed with it and wanted to change the water delivery system from that day onwards!

At that time, my computer geek life was pretty miserable, and I had decided to go back to New York to seek better opportunities. When I told the owner of the plumbing wholesale company my plan, he offered me a position: a position that didn’t even exist, but luckily he saw something in me that made him keep me in his employ for almost a year, doing everything and anything that had to do with plumbing fixtures.

My boss and his partner had always wanted to have a truly high-end faucet company with a product that was manufactured in the U.S. They had the capability and resources to do it, they just needed the person to run it. When all the pieces fell into place, they decided that I was that person.

By working on our first four complete lines from A-Z for about four years before we launched the brand, I learned a lot about plumbing fixtures. It was an amazing experience to see an idea becoming a reality on the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines. Now I was part of a process, making a product and knowing that it would be used every day.

I love knowing that something I’ve made is so useful. Making plumbing fixtures is like writing a computer program; it’s a tool that needs a benefit. You need to know your audience, the tool needs to be user-friendly and, in both cases, you have to install it.

Finding what fits

I needed to do more market research on the decorative plumbing industry when I began my journey, and that’s when I heard about the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association (DPHA). I decided that I needed to join this organization to really get the benefit of its knowledge.

Once I joined the DPHA, I began meeting people from different sides of the business: showrooms, representatives, trade professionals and other manufacturers. It was quickly apparent to me that these people have a passion for what they do, just as I do.

Every industry has trade organizations. Many people join because they feel they have to, not necessarily because they want to. To use the tool metaphor again, my feeling is that you wouldn’t buy a tool without a benefit or if you knew the tool wouldn’t be useful to you, would you? So why not educate yourself to the benefits of the various associations connected with your industry so you can fully appreciate those benefits you will enjoy once you become a member?

The decorative plumbing industry is a relatively small industry, and the beauty of this is that the members, almost by default, become close to one another. This is why I like to volunteer my knowledge and experience within the industry, and I enjoy knowing that there are people who like to share their experience and knowledge with me. I am always amazed at how many ideas come out of what start as the simplest conversations.