Oatey Co., a leading manufacturer in the plumbing industry since 1916, hosted its third annual Ambassador Fest plumbing influencer event last week in Cleveland, Ohio. A key perk of its award-winning social media Ambassador Program, Ambassador Fest is two-day immersive event for Oatey Ambassadors, focused on providing Ambassadors with robust training and hands-on experiences to enhance and expand their skills as tradespeople and digital content creators.   

This year’s Ambassador Fest attendees included Evan Berns, Colin Luttrell, Nick Parlet, Jeff Keller, Nick Meritt, Justin Noftle, Jesharelah (Shay) Lorette, Danielle Browne, Thomas Young, Robert Broccolo, and Germaine Nelson, collectively representing a diverse range of plumbing and building expertise from across North America. 

Ambassador Fest, which took place June 8-9 at the Oatey University training facility, featured opportunities for participants to learn about Oatey’s company and products, as well as to share their perspectives and insights from the field. Among the training experiences provided were solvent welding training, an in-depth product expo with Oatey product managers, and tours of Oatey’s manufacturing and distribution facilities. Ambassadors also participated in product feedback discussions, a product ideation competition and the first-ever Ambassador Olympics event, a hands-on application competition. At a meet-and-greet at the company’s headquarters, Ambassadors were spotlighted in a panel discussion and enjoyed networking conversations with Oatey associates. The Ambassadors also helped cheer the Cleveland Guardians to victory on Thursday evening. 

Colin Luttrell, sole proprietor of ColinThePlumberLLC in Rochester, N.Y., joined Oatey’s Ambassador Program in January after following other Ambassadors on social media for years. During his first-ever visit to Cleveland, he said he was blown away by the Ambassador Fest experience. 

“Oatey’s Ambassador Fest is a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” Luttrell said. “After watching all these wonderful people online for years, being able to meet them in person and experience Oatey University first-hand was something I’ll never forget. I can’t say enough about the Oatey staff – their passion for what they do is what makes it so awesome.”

In contrast, this was the third Ambassador Fest for Danielle Browne, a 17-year industry veteran from St. Johns, Newfoundland in Canada, who is better known as “Twig” or “the littlest plumber” within the plumbing social media community. According to Browne, who was a member of Oatey’s inaugural class of Ambassadors, this year’s event was the most robust and engaging yet.

“I have been honored to attend Ambassador Fest every year since 2021, and each year I learn more, build more meaningful connections and leave more inspired than ever about my craft. I’ve never encountered a brand more committed than Oatey to supporting the trades, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent them as an Ambassador,” she said.

For the Oatey team, the feeling is mutual.

“It was our privilege to host our Ambassadors in Cleveland for Ambassador Fest,” said Katherine Lehtinen, senior vice president of brand and digital marketing at Oatey. “Oatey is committed to supporting our end users and the skilled trades, and it is our hope that Ambassador Fest and our overall Ambassador Program help our Ambassadors continue to grow, advance and find opportunities, just as they help us to do so.”