Local retired plumber writes memoir

By Liz Tenney Jarvis

For over forty years, Joey Snider’s plumbing business, J.R. Snider, Ltd. operated out of the Middleburg area. Having learned the trade from the age of 12 from his father, the late Ray Snider, Joey Snider took over the business after college and became a master plumber as well as a water treatment specialist.  

In 2023, after selling his business and retiring, Snider contemplated his next steps. As a man always on the go, he was quick to realize that he was eager to pass along not only his institutional knowledge but he wanted to inspire a new generation of workers as well. Writing and self-publishing a book was the ticket. Snider made contact with a publishing platform and “If Water Runs Through It, We Do It: Memoirs of a Plumber” was recently released.

Snider’s book is aimed primarily at those who may be wondering what direction to take either post high school, college or even those at a crossroads later in life. He believes that the possibilities are endless as long as a strong work ethic and a desire to learn are solidly in place. Credibility, Kindness, Respect, and Understanding are the core values on which the business is based and Snider kept these, along with many more strengths, posted on the wall of his business office. 

Further, his book contains chapters such as “Intestinal Fortitude;” “Balancing Career and Family;” and “So You Really Want To Be An Entrepreneur?” Team building skills (“Snider’s Riders”) and commitment to the job are some of the many topics covered not only by definition but by learning from Snider’s years of experience, his successes, problem solving and lessons learned.

Where the stereotypical image of the cigar-chomping, burly plumber lugging tons of heavy tools may be from generations past, both changes in work materials and technology have made the job not only lighter but user-friendly. 

Take for example working with cast iron pipes in contrast to PVC or hanging a tankless water heater on the wall as opposed to wrangling massive water heaters. A change in perception of the industry has therefore opened up opportunities that many thought not possible. 

Snider is also predicting that Artificial Intelligence will play a significant role in the industry. He believes that AI savvy employees will be highly sought after in his former line of work.

Snider’s book is also highly entertaining, as one can imagine, with tales of the people, places and surprises in dark recesses that he has encountered.  He repeatedly made a mental note over the years jokingly saying, “I’ll put that in my book when I retire!”  Of course, the curious will want to know such things as “what is the strangest thing you’ve found in the pipes having been flushed down.”  Snider has a whole section devoted to that.

The praise for the book is outlined in the opening pages as a multitude of personal testimonies speak to high quality of Snider’s work as well as his compelling memoir. Snider and his office family have interacted with many different types of people and businesses. These testimonies reflect the great esteem in which Snider is regarded. They show deep appreciation for the book as a guide as well as a quality representation of being in the service industry.

Snider says that he hopes his short stories, his opinions and advice are interesting and 
inspirational to both young men and women curious about the trades. “If this book 
helps one person find a hidden passion, then I will be very happy and proud and consider my time well spent,” he concludes.  

Available on Amazon. com.