Susan Jacobs-Marshalsea’s decision to enter the plumbing trade was easy. Representing the fifth generation of Master Plumbers, she was determined to carry on the tradition of Jacobs Plumbing, “A Family of Master Plumbers Since 1895!” But coming up in the late 1970s and early ’80s meant proving she belonged.

“Being young in a man’s world made you question yourself daily, weekly,” Jacobs-Marshalsea says. “But, I had the support of my father who took me under his wing and showed me everything he knew. As I grew over the next 45-plus years, I just found it within myself that I’m good at my job. When you walk through somebody’s door, you have to show them that you know what you’re doing.”

While Jacobs-Marshalsea describes the past as “sexist” and “chauvinistic,” today, the owner of Ms. Fix It in Foxborough, Massachusetts, says more men — especially elderly ones — are actually “in awe” of her. 

“If I’m working in the kitchen for example, they sit down at the dining table and chat with me the entire time,” she says. “They just say things like, ‘You know in my day, women didn’t do this — but maybe they could have.’ It’s kind of eye opening for them.” 

Unfortunately, bias still exists. Jacobs- Marshalsea’s business specializes in plumbing  repairs and emergencies for residential and commercial properties, and she gets many female customers who are specifically looking for women in the trades, as other contractors have taken advantage of them or spoken to them condescendingly. 

“I encourage them to ask questions and to watch me, which is good for me. It makes me feel more empowered to empower others,” Jacobs-Marshalsea says. 

It’s clear that Jacobs-Marshalsea has embodied that spirit and run with it. As this time of year offers a reminder to appreciate what we have and share it with others, read our Q&A to learn how she has used her knowledge, experience and resources to give back to her customers and community. 

RUGGED: You run a few ‘Plumbing 101’ workshops a year to teach homeowners basic plumbing skills. How did that start? 

Jacobs-Marshalsea: In 2015, I approached the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts to see if they wanted to do a plumbing program for a badge, and I also had a vendor table at one of the Girl Scout camps in the state. The girls in the Girl Scouts were not interested at all, but the leaders, who were moms, were very interested. That’s how I actually started teaching. It’s still mostly women, but I also have a lot of husband-and-wife teams who attend together. I’m finding that because of the labor shortage and how expensive everything is, people are trying to do stuff on their own, and I don’t blame them. 

So, I try to provide any information I can. If I can save one person from making a service call, I’m helping them save 200 bucks on just one job. I’m passing on my knowledge so they’re not afraid to try something on their own. I probably have at least half a dozen women who I’ve taught who continually have texted me and sent me pictures of what they’re trying to do, and then I’ll walk them through it over FaceTime. They know that I’m here if they get themselves in trouble. 

You’ve also gathered an impressive following on social media. Are you helping homeowners there as well? 

I think it was March 2020 when I started a Facebook group called “Plumbing Questions.” We have about 15,000 members from all 50 states and about 30 other countries who ask questions. There are about 15, 20 other plumbers from around the world who will jump in and answer them. One time I ended up direct messaging a girl and walking her through her plumbing problem for about 30 minutes, and she did it. She was crying, she was frustrated. And she was just so thankful. That’s why I do it. There are a ton of YouTube videos and plumbing groups, but they can be very negative and condescending. I protect this group like a mama bear, and I will kick anyone off if they’re bringing negativity to it.

What other ways are you giving back to your community? 

Around six years ago, my children and I started a nonprofit in my late husband’s name, the Ron Marshalsea Jr. Trade Scholarship. Each year, we award a Norwood High School graduate $1,000 toward a trade school. I also help fundraise for the Charley’s Angels Pet Initiative, which raises money and food for low-income people or people in trouble who have pets, because a lot of people are losing their jobs right now and don’t want to get rid of their pet. Additionally, I work with the Norwood Food Pantry; I do food drives once or twice a year for them and donated probably 300, 400 pounds of tomatoes this summer. Again, it’s helping others, but it’s also helping me.

It’s clear that your community work brings you a sense of fulfillment. Is there anything else in your life that is key for your mental health and wellness?

People are always asking me, “When are you going to retire?” Well, I’m never going to retire because I love my job. I get a lot of that crap on my Instagram page, guys who will comment something like, “Granny is still working.” Damn straight I am! When I have those types of days where I’m frustrated or really tired, I actually go out in my yard and garden. Even though I’m filthy, rotten and dirty from plumbing, I go out and work in the garden and it rejuvenates me. No phone —  just me, my hands in the dirt, listening to the birds. It’s self-soothing. 

I plant a ton of flowers, but I love growing food as well. Last year, my cucumbers were nuts; I think I grew 600 of them. But, I literally grow everything: tomatoes, squash, peppers, green beans and pea pods. I also just got into microgreens. I love to cook and put together meals — I made pickles last year and actually brought them to the food pantry, but they couldn’t take them since they were made in somebody’s personal house. But, all of the volunteers at the food pantry actually got to eat them, which was cool.

How have you kept your body healthy and strong after all these years of plumbing? 

You know, because I’m 63 and I’ve been doing this for 45 years, my body almost feels like it’s 80. I know if I sit too long, my body doesn’t want to move and I get stiff. So, I think one way I’ve stayed in shape is to physically do stuff. That’s probably also why I garden or why I’m always doing something around the house — whether I’m painting a room or changing light fixtures. On the job, I always take safety precautions and wear goggles, gloves and boots. But I mostly just do service work now, so I don’t have those jobs that put me in dangerous situations, thank God. I remember in the ‘80s, I would be in school crawl spaces kneeling on walks and dealing with asbestos pipes. I don’t do that kind of stuff anymore.

Let’s talk about that. You recently shifted to only focus on service work and emergencies. Why? 

I think it’s out of need because especially in my area, a lot of national, larger plumbing, heating and electrical companies are buying up the little shops and using flat rate pricing, which is not something I believe in because the customer is usually overcharged. I can do these little jobs and charge accordingly based on time and material. There’s so much service work out there that I can just choose to do what I want. 

I was just at a 92-year-old woman’s house. Someone else had installed a new oil tank in her garage, but they didn’t remove the copper line where the old tank used to be, and there was still oil in it that I could smell from her kitchen. How do you do that? She’s elderly, she can’t be smelling oil fumes in her house. It just shows a lot of companies are overcharging and not doing things the right way for the right reason.

Is there any advice you would have for someone looking to have a long and successful career in the trades? 

Going into the trades is a great career choice that offers good money. Plus, AI cannot do what we do. Ultimately, be fair to the customer and you will reap the benefit. Your name will be given out all the time because you were fair; I literally do not have to advertise. Being fair to a customer is a form of giving back to the community. And that’s one of the things I tell people: “If you are fair to everybody, they’ll be fair back to you.”