Still crushing it 40+ years into the plumbing trade, Susan Jacobs-Marshalsea, Ms. Fix It Plumbing LLC, Foxborough, Mass. (@plumbersue on Instagram) says it’s that love of plumbing that still motivates her to this day. And there are really no plans of slowing down as of yet, “It’s probably the adrenaline that kicks in so the physical aspect of plumbing sometimes gets ignored by my body because my brain just tells me to do it. Customers with emergencies and/or plumbing issues still excite me. I will plumb as long as I can physically,” says Jacobs-Marshalsea.

And that’s a good thing. You see, Jacobs-Marshalsea has been a staunch advocate for women in the trades. “Did you know that only 3.5% of plumbers are women. Did you also know that only 2.2% of electricians are women, only 3% of tile/carpet installers are women and less than 2% of carpenters are women? I don’t know why the percentage is so low,” says Jacobs-Marshalsea. “This is why I have become overly obnoxious in my Facebook and Instagram posts. Hopefully, other women seeing me plumb may encourage/entice them to think about a trade as a career.”

When asked about what we can do as an industry to help bring women into the trades, “Exactly what you did with asking me these questions,” she says. “We women need to put ourselves out there and promote ourselves and by having news interviews, publication interviews, promote workshops/trade shows and speak at local middle/high school career fairs—anything that helps get the word out that women can be in this trade, and that we are very good at it for various reasons.”

Jacobs-Marshalsea says she really doesn’t “fight” any stigma today as far as being a woman in the trades. “I did 40+ years ago in the late 1970s, early ’80s. There weren’t many female tradeswomen back then, especially in the private sector. I’ve made a name for myself and have a great customer base and get referred often so I feel I have proved myself decades ago. Now I’m just the pink plumber lady, locally.”

But does Jacobs-Marshalsea consider herself a mentor? She’d love to mentor but very few women/girls are interested in plumbing, she says. “I think it’s the poop thing. And we all know that unless you are a drain cleaner, plumbers only come across ‘poop’ maybe 3-5 a month.”

Jacobs-Marshalsea teaches Plumbing 101 workshops to condo/homeowners, real estate agents, youth groups, parent/child, married couples, etc. so that she will have something to do, and a form of income, during retirement. “I started teaching because of the shortage of tradespeople—just little plumbing knowledge and repairs,” says Jacobs-Marshalsea.

The Beginnings

As fifth generation Master Plumber in Massachusetts, it was a no-brainer for Jacobs-Marshalsea. Jacobs Plumbing started in 1895 in Boston and her father was her mentor. “At first, he didn’t think women could plumb—late 1970s—but after a few jobs, he decided that I had the capability to do anything I set my mind to,” says Jacobs- Marshalsea.

After her father became ill and closed his business after 50 years, Susan started her own business in 2015 as S Jacobs Plumbing LLC. Susan rebranded and renamed her business around 2018 and Ms. Fix It Plumbing LLC was born. It’s as strong as ever, even more so during and after pandemic. “I assisted my father for more than 30 years in handling all aspects of his business—up to 15 guys, all the business stuff, running jobs, employees, advertising, fleet maintenance, etc—so when he closed his business I was fully up and running with my own in under a week,” says Jacobs-Marshalsea.

Today, with more than 600 residential/commercial/industrial customers, Susan has never not had her phone ring. She takes pride in still having a live-person, 24-hour answering service that she has used for more than 40 years, which helps people know that she will receive their message. “There is something about a customer calling and actually speaking with a live person, especially with an emergency, that eases their minds,” says Jacobs-Marshalsea.

“I receive that call via email within 10-30 seconds of them hanging up. I then text them within 2-4 hours, depending on the plumbing issue or if they are an existing customer. I then have them send photo(s)/video(s) of their plumbing problem and can diagnose within minutes of what needs to be done.”

And while Jacobs-Marshalsea admits she loves plumbing and all it entails, surely there must be something she doesn’t care for, no? “Crawl spaces is probably my least favorite, but because I’m a small woman, I can get into most places male plumbers cannot. And, due to the shortage of tradespeople, specifically plumbers, the T&M rates (including flat rate) have been steadily increasing, so when someone asks how much something will be and I give them a guesstimate they are astonished and try to get me to lower my guesstimate, which is the thing I dislike about having a business or being a plumber. We protect the health of the nation and we are licensed and insured and are mandated to go to Continuing Education, so that frustrates me a lot,” says Jacobs-Marshalsea.

The Personal Side

When Jacobs-Marshalsea is not plumbing, she is working elsewhere, whether it’s in her gardens, getting ready for a workshop, volunteering for many non-profits, making improvements on her own home or offering to help someone else. “I find keeping busy keeps my mind sharp and my body flexible,” she says.

“But I’d like to take 30+ days and fly to California and rent a RV van and drive across America back to MA to see the country.”

Susan is finding that her social media is important for a handful of reasons. In addition to being informative, “People love to see me in my ‘yoga positions’ or ‘what to do or not to do’ or ‘helpful hints.’ Posting frequently lightens my day, and other’s as well.”

Finally, when asked when the last time she said, Today is a great day, “Every day is a great day— the sun came up and my feet hit the floor so when I leave somewhere I always say, ‘Have a great day!’”