Jose Piña was named Franchisee of The Year for good reason. A 2021 recipient of the award, the Mr. Rooter Plumbing franchise owner embodies the American Dream. Plumbing has been in Jose Piña’s life for the past 17 years. When he started in plumbing, he knew it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life and put his whole heart into learning and mastering the trade.
For the first 14 years of his career, Jose worked as a plumber for someone else. Eventually he wanted to be his own boss and ventured off to start a small plumbing business. Recognizing his entrepreneurial spirit and capacity to lead, Jose was approached to become part of the Mr. Rooter franchise by the Neighborly company. He said he was scared at first but fell in love with the idea of franchising and has never looked back since.
Jose Piña opened his first Mr. Rooter Plumbing in San Bernardino, California, in 2017 with four men on his team and two trucks. Sensing an opportunity for expansion, Jose started his own training program. He wanted to teach the next generation of plumbers. Equipped with an amazing workforce, Jose took his well-trained plumbers and expanded into new territories. He now has Mr. Rooter locations not just in San Bernardino but also Riverside, Apple Valley, and Pomona Valley.
For Jose, none of his success would be possible without franchising. He says there’s nothing else like it. Jose said that with franchising, you get “the tools to be a business owner, not just an employee. Franchising teaches you how to grow people, help people, and be that business owner.”
Helping people grow is the most rewarding part for Jose Piña. For him, whenever one of his employees buys a house or a car, it’s an emotional trophy on the mantle. He says since he has been in the business he has watched more young men from the ages 20-30 buy more houses than any other company where I’ve ever worked. He says, “Every time they buy a car or something they’re really proud of. It’s another trophy on my mantel. Not a physical trophy, an emotional trophy – we were able to give this gentleman the opportunity not only to learn and develop, but to become a good man and buy their family the house of their dreams.”
