Representing the future of the plumbing industry with exceptional skills, knowledge, and a positive attitude, Andrew Wilson was honored this week as the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association’s (PHCC’s) 2024 Plumbing Apprentice of the Year. Sponsored by Delta Faucet, the award was presented at PHCC CONNECT 2024 in Birmingham, Alabama.

As a third-year plumbing apprentice with Midwestern Mechanical, Inc. in Spencer, Iowa, Wilson “is at the top of the class among our 100+ apprentices,” said Cody Schroeder, education and development manager at Midwestern. “His talent goes beyond the classroom, as he is a great apprentice in the field.”

Schroeder continues that Wilson arrives to work each day with a positive attitude and “can do thought process that employers all over the world look for in an employee.” The apprentice, he says, “takes on all tasks presented to him with a vigor and intensity that are unparalleled in today’s world.”

While Wilson has just completed his third year of apprenticeship, his basic skills for the plumbing profession are strong. In fact, he was the 2024 champion of the PHCC of South Dakota Plumbing Apprentice Competition. And when Wilson is uncertain about a task, he takes time to study and analyze the situation to be sure to install with confidence and accuracy.

“Due to his attention to detail,” Schroeder said, Wilson has managed to “set the bar high” for his underclassmen. “Andrew’s ability to be taught, as well as teach others what he has learned, has placed him well within the core of his peers.”