After reading my column last month about replenishing the workforce, an industry vet reached out to me to share his story.
“I was literally ‘born’ into this industry. My father, Carrol Varner, started a wholesale plumbing, HVAC and pool supply business in 1970 in San Rafael, California, called Varner Supply. I started out sweeping the floors in the warehouse when I was 7 years old. His business was very successful, and at one time, Varner Supply — with two branches and two showroom — was the largest Kohler distributor in Northern California,” says John Varner, a branch manager and mentor support specialist with California-based PHCP-PVF distributor, PACE Supply.