Plumber Support Manager Profile: Steve Bissinger

I grew up in Bucks County, PA and attended Middle Bucks area VoTech in high school for Plumbing. I worked in commercial air conditioning then residential and commercial plumbing earning my Philadelphia Journeyman’s license at age 22. I moved to New Jersey in 1992. I got my NJ Master Plumber license and started my business in 1995. I enjoyed owning my own business in NJ for 25 years.

Q: Why did you get into plumbing?
A: I got into plumbing after my dad started renovating our home growing up and he taught me to solder copper water supplies. After seeing and working on my house with my dad, I learned how the plumbing system worked. I actually enjoyed putting in these systems and making them work right. My dad said I was pretty good at it and said, “Plumbers make a lot of money.” Since I was in a family of eight, college wasn’t an option. I did it just so I could earn enough money to go race motocross.

Q: What do you like most about being a plumber?
A: The instant gratification of helping people with emergency repairs.

Q: What do you like most about your role at Rheem^®?
A: Training plumbers on our products and helping them with their businesses.

Q: What was your favorite memory of a time you helped your customers?
A: I remember a time when I helped an older woman who didn’t have much money. After presenting her with a $200 bill for repairs, she was upset and almost cried so I asked her “how much did you think this would cost?” She said $25 so I said ok I’ll take $25. Then, she cried and hugged me and insisted on making me lunch. So, I had lunch with the lady in a row house in Philly. Smiling as I write this.

Q: What was one of your proudest moments as a plumber?
A: I installed a water recycling system for Advanced Stone Technologies in Hamilton, NJ. This facility is one of only two in the U.S. that can take gigantic blocks of granite and carve sculptures out of them. The building is huge like an airplane hangar. The owner was investing millions of dollars in multi-axis robotic carving machines. He had a strict timeline and we were bidding against some really well-known mechanicals in NJ. We won the bid, installed a system that recycled the water from four of these huge robots and got it done on time. I had no experience doing this. It was during the recession and it rescued my company. We had four guys at that time, and I was a week away from laying off two of them. No leaks, it worked perfectly.

How to Contact the Plumber Support Team

Rheem’s Plumber Support Managers are located throughout the country and are here to educate plumbers on Rheem’s products and programs and to help them grow their water heater businesses. If you’d like to be introduced to the Plumber Support Manager in your region, please call 1-866-339-2388.

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