P.E.I. Mr. Plumber owner says women ‘will change the trade, one person at a time’

Business owner Tracy Croucher doesn’t take it personally when customers ask to speak to “the man in charge.”

Croucher, who owns and operates Charlottetown-based Mr. Plumber, says it takes time for some people to “catch up with the times.”

“As long as we continue to back it up with skills and knowledge, we will change the trade, one person at a time.”

Croucher’s company is proof that her efforts to change attitudes are paying off. Mr. Plumber is the only female-owned plumbing firm in P.E.I. and it employs a number of women including a service manager, three fourth year or Red Seal plumbers and an apprentice.

“For a company our size, it is remarkable, really,” says Croucher, who became sole owner in 2023 after four years as part owner.

But while the acceptance of women in the field has gained ground in recent years, it still has a ways to go, especially in rural areas such as P.E.I., she says.

While she hasn’t faced the same types of obstacles many women in the field have because of her connection to the family business, Croucher still feels she has to earn the respect of her team. That requires work on her part because of her lack of experience in field.

Helping to change mindsets in the predominately male building trades comes in part through Croucher’s role on the board of the Construction Association of Prince Edward Island. Inclusivity is a driving focus in a province with an ever-growing shortage of skilled tradespeople.

But finding skilled tradespeople is one thing, keeping them on staff is another.

Croucher says it is why companies like hers provide employees with incentives to stay – a good wage and benefits package.

“We also focus on a flexible family atmosphere where our employees are more like team members. We have a nice work-life balance, and we work together to improve every day.”

Mr. Plumber was recently nominated by the community as a top plumbing company, receiving praise in several categories, including bathroom specialists, heating and cooling and home renovations.

The company was started by her father Blair LaPierre in 1977. Growing up, she and her siblings spent long hours “playing shop” while her parents ran the company.

“As teens, we often had to work evenings to get paperwork caught up, etc. and we were always passionate about the company.”

Croucher went on to study architecture and focused on in-floor heating for her degree thesis. When an opportunity to work for her father came up, she quickly took it.

“We worked closely for eight years with him teaching me about business and the trade, until he retired in 2023.”

Her father continues to work on a part-time basis with the estimating department.

While Croucher is responsible for general operations, including some accounting and human resources, she is comfortable doing design drawings. Learning the trade side of plumbing and heating continues to be a learning experience.

Croucher’s put out an urgent call for the introduction of mental health education into college curricula for plumbing training.

“I think people would be surprised at the level of drug and alcohol use in the construction industry,” she says. “It is a really important issue that we see every day on the jobsites.”