Know Your Mom and Pop: American Pride Plumbing & Heating

Being a plumber is a seemingly thankless job. It’s the type of work no one truly appreciates until the toilet becomes so clogged that water flows over the side or a pipe bursts at 3am. Plumbers are more known for their infamous crack than their dedication to the craft. A lot of work goes into ensuring that the customer’s needs are met, and catering to those needs can sometimes be more demanding than the labor itself. It’s an important job, and American Pride Plumbing & Heating, LLC owner Greg Chihoski wears many hats being his own boss and only employee.

Though he didn’t become an incorporated business until 2011, Chihoski has been plumbing for the past 15 years. He started working for a small company and learned that he had a talent for the job. He went to school, accumulated tools and started his apprenticeship. Through the years, he has become a licensed Master Plumber, Master Pipe Fitter and a Certified Back-Flow Assembly Tester. The next logical step was to branch out on his own, building a loyal customer base and a reputation as a “reasonably priced plumber that does quality work.”

“It got to the point where I had everything I needed to go out on my own,” Chihoski said of his decision. “I already had some steady customers through the music scene.”

It was the local music scene that may have inadvertently led Chihoski to branch out on his own. Playing in bands since 1989, he made a lot of friends and acquaintances in the scene, and a few of them needed plumbing work. Whether working at the clubs themselves or the house of an employee, he gave each job the same level of quality no matter the size or cost. He has since expanded to working all over the state, all the way from big construction companies, property management companies and successful local businesses to friends who just bought a new home and want to start out on the right foot.

With so many wrenches being thrown into the plans, there is no typical work day for a plumber. Chihoski attempts to stick to the same routine, though the day usually has different plans. Working for himself, he does all of the estimating, bidding, installation and services. Once the plumbing work is done, it’s on to the billing and paperwork that every business owner must do.

“On an average day, my phone starts ringing at 6:30am,” Chihoski describes. “I usually have either billing or quotes to work on or send out. Then I drop my daughter, Devyn, off at day care, head to the supply house, then my first job.” Never quite knowing how long the day might last, he has to prepare for anything, whether it be finding raw sewage in a basement or getting an emergency call that keeps him working nearly through the night.

Being a local musician (he plays bass in Reason to Fight and guitar in Gutter Monk), Chihoski has figured out a way to combine his full-time job with his full-time passion. He uses the American Pride name to book national punk shows in Rhode Island. He has brought Sick of it All, Ignite, Gray Area and H2O to Providence; bringing the same DIY attitude that he has for his plumbing business. Chihoski uses his shows as a tool to promote his company. “Instead of taking out ads, I just put on shows sponsored by the plumbing company.”

American Pride Plumbing & Heating, LLC has a driven owner with plans for a bright future. Wanting to grow the business enough to add two or three licensed plumbers while still being able to keeps rates low and quality high, his vision is clear, and also supportive of the music scene that he grew up in. “I will try to hire experienced people from the local music scene who take pride in their work.”

American Pride Plumbing & Heating, LLC offers plumbing and heating repair, including heating systems, water heaters, faucets, toilets, showers, roof drains, sewage ejectors, gas piping, cast iron stack and pipe replacements, laundry hook-ups, winterizing and minor drain cleaning. Greg Chihoski can be contacted at 401-536-2716. Please text if it is an after hours emergency. Check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanPridePlumbing?fref=ts.

American Pride Booking has two shows coming up at Simon’s 677, located at 677 Valley St in Providence. Madball is coming to town on December 7, with Turnstile, Death Before Dishonor, Take Offense, Downpresser, and Gutter Monk. Agnostic Front plays December 17, with Revenge, Reason to Fight, and The Struggle.