Located in the heart of Lawrenceville, Georgia, is PDI -  a family-owned wholesale distributor and retailer specializing in kitchen, bath and lighting products. PDI operates 26 locations across Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina, including 19 branches and 14 showrooms, and employs 400 people.

The company’s commitment to customer service and its core values of accountability, commitment, flexibility, integrity, loyalty and teamwork are central to its sustained success. In March, the company launched something extraordinary — a dedicated space to educate, empower and elevate its team. Named in honor of the company’s founder, Glad Mealor, the GLAD Training Center, an acronym for Group Learning and Applied Development, is more than a learning facility. It is a bold declaration of PDI’s commitment to excellence in customer service, employee development and the future of the trades.

This new center represents a forward-thinking investment that reaches beyond product training and into the heart of what makes PDI thrive: its people.

The GLAD Center’s origin story begins in 2022, when members of PDI’s training team — Zachary Massey, senior training manager, and Brandall Head, operations training manager — visited Charlotte Pipe for an educational seminar.

“Charlotte Pipe’s training facility showed us what’s possible,” Massey says. “We didn’t go there to copy its model. We went there to understand how impactful hands-on education can be. We asked ourselves: How do we take this and make it uniquely PDI?”

From that spark, the GLAD Center was born. After a year of planning and brainstorming, construction began in October 2023. By early 2025, the team had welcomed its first class — the first of what they hope will be many.

Hands-on training matters

PDI already had a robust learning management system, filled with online modules for professional and personal development. However, the team knew something was missing — the ability to touch, feel and experience the materials their company sells.

“Learning isn’t one-size-fits-all,” Massey explains. “Some people are auditory learners, some are visual, but a huge number of folks, especially in our industry, are kinesthetic learners. They need to get their hands on a pipe or a valve to really understand it.”

Head agrees, pointing to how modern warehouse systems have unintentionally limited product familiarity: “With RF scanners doing most of the work now, a new team member might never learn what a specific fitting does. That’s a problem when customer service is your priority.”

The company wanted to address the issue of helping its team members understand the nuances of the products it sells, and how they interact with other components. So, an idea was born to create a learning center with a hands-on approach. 

How it works

Each GLAD Center class includes roughly an hour of classroom instruction, followed by hands-on application inside a mock home built within the warehouse — where team members would learn how to complete the house with a working drain, waste and venting systems.

“From showing different types of PVC pipe and asking in what application each would be used, to having students practice the application of joint compounds, we were knowledge-gathering for when we would put our education into action in the second half of the course — actually plumbing a mock house,” Head explains. “We wanted to simulate real-life conditions. When our team members understand not only what a product is, but where and how it’s used, they can better support the customer.”

The classes are small, usually capped at 10 participants, which allows instructors to work closely with students and keep everyone engaged. And they’re intentionally diverse, drawing participants from various roles within the company, not only sales or operations.

I was able to participate in the company’s drain, waste and vent course — and while I have basic knowledge of the parts and products a distributor carries, seeing how the products are used to configure a system was both educational and fun (and let’s be honest — a little intimidating!) PDI’s team put us all at ease in the first hour of classroom training, where questions and information were provided at an easy-to-understand pace. There were no wrong answers to questions asked — only answers that need further refinement. It goes back to PDI’s commitment to investing in having an educated workforce. 

After the completion of our workshop training, we headed into the warehouse where a mock home had been built to support the hands-on training. Over the course of the next two hours, we crawled under the home to plumb the house using the skills learned. From understanding how many hangers were needed to hold the pipe, which pipe was needed at each juncture and how quickly and deftly one must use the joining compound, we were off and running. 

What we learned was how the piping systems interact, what happens if one’s joint compound wasn’t applied correctly (yes, I goofed, but we recovered!) and how water enters pipe — from the lowest to the tallest — and the art of capping off a pipe. And it gave me a new appreciation for all the products needed for a correct install. 

Success came when we were able to run the water, and lo and behold — no leaks and a fully plumbed bathroom and kitchen. “There’s no reason someone in marketing or IT can’t benefit from this knowledge,” adds Carl Dooley, a 29-year PDI veteran who now serves as a training specialist and driver trainer. “The more we all understand our products, the stronger our company becomes.”

A curriculum that keeps expanding

The initial GLAD Center curriculum will follow a four-week rotation, with each Monday dedicated to a different residential plumbing topic:

1.    Drain-waste-vent systems;

2.    Supply systems;

3.    Rough-in plumbing;

4.    Trim-out installation.

However, that’s only the beginning.

“In about 30 minutes, we had a list of more than 200 potential classes,” Head recalls. “From water heaters to valves to septic systems — the possibilities are endless.”

There are even plans for courses on well systems, tankless water heater conversions and residential-to-commercial transitions. The training team is also exploring product-specific instruction, such as the differences between ball valves, gate valves and check valves — all using live water lines for real-time demonstrations.

Elevating the entire organization

The impact of the GLAD Center extends beyond education: it’s changing the culture and the confidence of PDI’s team members.

“After a class, people often say, ‘Now I get it,’” Dooley says. “Even counter salespeople with years of experience have told us they didn’t know what certain products were used for — and now they do.”

That kind of knowledge pays dividends. “If you know a customer is buying 40 feet of PVC, you should be able to recommend the appropriate number of hangers,” Head says. “We’re providing our employees skills to upsell while also better servicing our customers. So it’s win, win.” And it’s also good for retention. “When employees feel invested in, they’re more likely to stay,” Massey notes. “This center says: ‘We’re putting time and resources into your future. We care about your growth.’”

Community impact

While the internal benefits are clear, the GLAD Center also has the potential to serve a much wider audience — including the community and the next generation of tradespeople.

PDI has already welcomed students from Gwinnett Tech’s interior design program to its showroom. Down the road, they envision partnerships with local high schools, trade schools and technical colleges to offer plumbing certifications, CEU credits and career exploration opportunities. “If we give back to our communities, they will give back to us,” Massey notes. It’s another way of keeping PDI’s name and reputation at the forefront. 

One idea gaining traction is a mobile training unit. “Imagine an enclosed trailer with a mini version of our mock house inside,” Head says. “We could bring plumbing education to high schools, trade shows or other PDI branches. That’s something we’re really excited about.”

There’s even talk of offering educational sessions to homeowners. “Basic plumbing knowledge benefits everyone,” Massey explains. “And if we become the go-to name in the community for that education, it only strengthens our brand.” 

He adds: “Our approach of challenging the status quo and never settling for only doing what you can goes back to what’s instilled in us, personally, but also from the company side. If you’re not growing every day, then something is wrong.”

Measuring success — and aiming higher

So far, success is measured by participation and feedback. “No leaks,” joked one instructor after our class wrapped with a perfect build. “That’s always a win.”

However, the team is already thinking bigger. Head hopes the program grows to the point where the training department needs its own dedicated facility. “Right now, we’re in a corner of the warehouse,” Massey notes. “In a year, I want someone to say, ‘We’ve outgrown this space — let’s give them a building.’ That’s my goal.”

Massey echoes the ambition, emphasizing that the team won’t settle: “Complacency is the enemy of growth. We’re going to keep challenging the status quo, adding new classes and refining the experience. This isn’t just training — it’s transformation.”

One of the most striking things about the center isn’t the curriculum — it’s the camaraderie. The team operates like a family, supporting each other, lifting each other up and sharing a common mission. “Every day is an interview,” Dooley says, reflecting on his nearly three-decade journey with the company. “PDI will give you every opportunity. You just have to take it.”

It’s a sentiment that runs deep across the organization. Whether it’s the no-judgment atmosphere that encourages asking questions or the transparency around career growth, the culture at PDI is rooted in trust and support.

Massey equates it to a quote from author Tony Dungy: “Success is uncommon; therefore, the common man doesn’t see it daily.” “What we’re doing here — it’s uncommon,” he says. “And that’s what makes it special.” As PDI continues to build its training legacy, the GLAD Center stands as a model of what’s possible when a company invests in people first.

From onboarding new employees to partnering with vendors and schools, the training team’s vision is ambitious — and attainable. The hope is that one day, there’s a class happening in the center every day, covering every product PDI carries, taught by a team of passionate educators who, like Dooley, Massey and Head, believe in the power of knowledge.

“We’re just scratching the surface,” Head says, “but it’s already changing lives.” For the team at PDI, that’s not just a goal — it’s a promise.