Rooter Hero Plumbing & Air, a plumbing and HVAC company serving residential and commercial locations in California, Arizona and Nevada, is celebrating its diversity by recognizing Rooter Hero Phoenix Operations Manager Priscilla Proctor's accomplishments as one of the company's female leads.

"Priscilla is no stranger to the hard work and dedication required of home service business employees," Rooter Hero co-founder and CEO John Akhoian said. "She has worked in nearly every aspect of a plumbing company, from the call center to the logistic department and even in the back office. Her ability to build a successful team, develop long-term processes and inspire her fellow employees has made her the perfect fit for the goals we had for our Pheonix location. She has met and exceeded them."

Proctor has worked in the home service industry for more than 20 years. In 2019, she started her career at Rooter Hero Pheonix as the dispatcher and logistics coordinator before moving to another plumbing company, where she worked her way up from the call center to operations manager. She eventually managed five plumbing locations for the company before coming back to Rooter Hero Pheonix as the operations manager in May 2022.

"As a woman in management in the skilled trades industry, I've faced some unique challenges like unconscious biases and stereotypes, but that just motivated me to demonstrate a resilience and competence that fostered a new style of leadership," Proctor said. "One of the rewarding parts of being in this role is witnessing how my team has come to value and trust my leadership. By being transparent and approachable, I've built and environment where open communication and teamwork thrive."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up about 57% of the workforce, but less than 4% of them are employed in the plumbing industry. Akhoian said that he hopes Rooter Hero can serve as an example showcasing the success women can have in the field.

For Proctor, working in the industry has been both challenging and rewarding. She says that a woman's innate ability to lift up and celebrate her team helps her earn the respect from the mostly male laborers that make up the home services industry.

"Leadership transcends gender," she said. "When you can work with a group of people and inspire them to put forward their best efforts, you earn their loyalty and respect no matter what industry you work in."