Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

I founded Warrior Plumbing, an Indigenous business, as a sole proprietor in 2010. From humble beginnings driving around North Vancouver in my pick-up truck as a one-man plumbing show, I’ve grown the business into a thirty-person team dedicated to delivering quality plumbing and gas fitting services for developers, builders and homeowners across Metro Vancouver. My mission and passion are to build sustainable and healthy homes while creating career opportunities for Indigenous Youth to work on real estate projects in their own communities. Where It Began After graduation, many of my friends were in the construction industry, which sparked an interest in the field. Plumbing seemed to offer stability and fit my aspirations. My family, especially my uncles, Chief Leonard George and Matt Thomas, were instrumental in shaping my journey. They were leaders in our community, creating the economic development department, and their inspiration and support were invaluable. Their encouragement led me to work on our Nation’s real estate projects, paving the way for a job with a large mechanical contractor and my Red Seal apprenticeship path. They were instrumental in guiding my career and helped me define my purpose of getting Indigenous people working on Indigenous lands. After completing a plumbing certification at BCIT and working as an apprentice for several years in the 2000s, I was laid off just before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics due to a construction industry slowdown. At that time, a childhood friend and renowned local builder encouraged me to start my own business, offering a sizeable plumbing job that required official business status. Warrior Plumbing became an incorporated company and began taking on larger plumbing jobs. I never imagined it would grow into the size it is today, specializing in Indigenous-led residential real estate development. By 2020, Warrior Plumbing was involved in all TWN developments and providing essential plumbing and gas fitting services across Metro Vancouver. I am committed to community empowerment, sustainability, and excellence. My mission is to support and mentor Indigenous Youth like I was supported at the start of my career.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

Warrior Plumbing hires from within Indigenous communities as a priority. We learn about our new employees’ career aspirations, goals, talents, skills and personalities, giving them a supportive environment to learn, grow and thrive. This is why we now have team members from Indigenous communities across B.C. who are Red Seal-certified plumbers or are pursuing their education to obtain their journeyperson status. We dedicate our time to reaching out to and inspiring future plumbers by working closely with local industry partners, such as the TWN Community High School, Squamish Nation Trade and Training Centre, Vancouver School Board, BCIT, and Junior Achievements BC. We have established connections with ACCESS Trades, the Squamish Nation Trades Centre, VSB, and WorkBC to onboard new hires and students seeking practical experience. All team members at Warrior Plumbing have each other’s backs, and senior plumbers mentor the young team members. The company is more than a workplace; it’s a close group of like-minded people who encourage and lift each other up. We are also passionate about the work we do building Indigenous housing so that residents can live in safe, comfortable and up-to-code homes. In return, we receive community support for our work through ongoing referrals and testimonials (of customers and employees), positive feedback through our social channels, and invitations to speak at and attend industry events. Our construction partners are always ready to collaborate on meaningful development projects. We love our community, and it loves us back with wonderful engagement and opportunities, online and offline.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

Warrior Plumbing deserves the Business Impact Award because we are committed to empowering positive change for our stakeholders and the community, fostering the growth and success of our team, providing comfortable, safe and sustainable homes for Metro Vancouver residents, and creating opportunities for Indigenous Youth and their communities to thrive and prosper.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

Our inclusive culture welcomes locals and immigrants from other countries. Although many team members are Indigenous Canadians due to our mission, our international plumbers fit in quite nicely. When members are hired, we learn about the person’s background, values and who they are as individuals so we can cultivate an onboarding plan and create an empowered space for them to show up as their authentic selves. We attract great people through our work culture that we share online, when speaking at events and Youth organizations, and during the interview process. Building strong relationships with clients, staff, vendors, and the community brings people together to create positive outcomes with a shared vision. As a leader, I act as a central point for inspiring progress and growth in the community. Examples include: ● Empowering an exceptional team of trades professionals to excel in their chosen profession. ● Winning a BC Indigenous Business Award in 2022 by the BC Achievement Foundation. ● Speaking at industry events, trades schools and Indigenous organizations on sustainable development, Indigenous-led real estate and inspiring Youth to gain meaningful employment. ● Acting as a role model and mentor for Indigenous Youth who may lack direction and purpose in their lives. ● Serving the Tsleil Waututh Nation and community development as an elected councillor. ● Volunteer as a member of the Board of Directors for the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre Metro Vancouver. ● Advising non-Indigenous builder partners and clients on how to contribute to Reconciliation and enhance sustainability in their projects through modern, eco-friendly plumbing practices. ● My door is always open, and I do whatever I can to help others, whether the circumstances are work-related or personal.