The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association (PHCC) is pleased to announce the formation of a new PHCC-affiliated state chapter in Arkansas: the Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of Arkansas PHCC (referred to now as PHCC of Arkansas).

Officially chartered in October 2022 as a PHCC-affiliated association in Arkansas, the chapter has elected officers, identified goals for 2022, and established a recruiting strategy to bring on new members to the organization. The national PHCC office will provide administrative support until full services are established at the state level.

When announcing the new chapter at the Oct. 7 PHCC Annual Business Meeting, 2021-2022 PHCC-National President Joel Long said, "One of our strategic goals is to expand our geographic reach, and we're thrilled to welcome this new chapter in Arkansas. LEADERSHIP MATTERS and there were two important individuals who made this happen in a very short amount of time: Chris West of Chris West Plumbing, Inc.and Brent McDiarmid of Glenn Mechanical Company. We look forward to working with them and the other charter members to advance the industry for our members in the great state of Arkansas!"

The Arkansas chapter will work with local members and industry partners to establish a strong state affiliate to give contractors access to the education, training, regulatory and legislative support to place them a step ahead of the competition. McDiarmid will serve as president and West as vice president.

As West pointed out, this new PHCC affiliate will work to build awareness in Arkansas about the value of PHCC membership. "We will be spreading the word that PHCC does make a difference," he said. After all, "We may be competitors, but we will all find common ground," McDiarmid added.

During the announcement, Long pointed out how quickly the chapter was formed once a decision was made to move forward and praised West and McDiarmid for providing leadership support throughout the process. "Four weeks ago, a conversation took place when Brent and Chris decided to create a chapter. When they found out they needed 10 members to get started, they got them in about two weeks!"

"We jumped through some hurdles to make sure this chapter became a reality. We want to make an impact on the organization and trades." McDiarmid said.