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When people asked Daniel Baker, “What do you want to do with your life?” he didn’t have an answer. While studying at Covenant College to receive an interdisciplinary bachelor degree in English, psychology and missions, he couldn’t answer people’s queries of, “What are you going to do with that?”
The plumbing work he used to support himself while trying to answer those questions turned out to be the real response. Mr. Baker now hopes to use his past experience and everpresent passion for people to improve the future image of the industry.
“There’s a real problem in all trades with quality and with people being concerned with the work they’re doing,” Mr. Baker said. “I would like to be part of the process of changing that. It starts out with one person and then another person. That’s where change begins.”
When the licensed plumber started his Southside business Tight Seal Plumbing in 2004, he worked alone. He now has two other Covenant College graduates working with him.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a college degree or not,” his wife and business manager Brooke said. “You can still pursue greatness, integrity and professionalism. I think those are just the kinds of people who are attracted to Daniel and his vision.”
Daniel and Brooke Baker of Tight Seal Plumbing cover the areas around their Jefferson Heights home and East Main Street office with their business Tight Seal Plumbing sign.
Mr. Baker said that by the time they leave someone’s home, that person sees their dedication to the craft as well to the customer. They show this by arriving on time and taking an avid interest in the quality of their work as well as the effect it can have on a clients’ quality of life. Although a college degree is not necessary, Mr. Baker said he wants employees who enjoy thinking on all these levels.
“Plumbing does not have to be a boring, trite, day in day out grind,” he said. “Part of it is problem solving, part is someone who shows up and helps. Our customers know we care about them by the time we leave there.”
Most of these customers live within a five-minute drive of Mr. Baker’s Jefferson Heights home in the areas around Main Street, St. Elmo and North Chattanooga. He said this allows him to arrive quickly and establish long relationships with his fellow community members.
While there are a number of new developments in those areas, the majority of houses are more historical. After his work around the Covenant campus where a 1927 building neighbors one from 1998, Mr. Baker said he is just as at home in plumbing systems of the past as those of the present.
Regardless, he hopes his work will stand the test of the future.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to say, ‘I did what I believed, I did it with integrity and I made a difference in people’s lives,’” he said. “Plumbing is the vehicle I’ve chosen to serve. It’s such a practical thing. Everybody needs a plumber.”
E-mail Jennifer Bardoner at jbardoner@tfpcommunitynews.com
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