Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Turner.
Hi Joseph, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Joseph Turner. I was born in Lebanon CT. I’m the 4th child of 8. I have always been very active in sports and really enjoyed anything involving using my hands and mechanical work. My life took a hard turn when I was 16 after my little brother passed. I left home, dropped out of school, and started working full time as a painter. I supported myself and learned life at a young age. When I turned 18, I decided to get into plumbing. I really enjoyed it as it challenged me everyday because there are so many different skills to learn and master. I did that for about 5 years before moving into the sales side of it working for a supply house. With my knowledge of the trade, experience and thirst for more knowledge, I quickly ascended from a warehouse worker to working directly under the VP of Sales as the Inside Sales Manager for the company for about 7 years. While I was in that position, I was always developing my knowledge in the trades, including HVAC. I was always active in the plumbing trade helping family, friends and acquaintances with various plumbing and heating projects after work and on weekends. After the VP stepped down I was in the running to take his spot. Unfortunately, another candidate was picked for the position which lead me to get back into the trades and start my first business, Turner Plumbing and HVAC LLC in 2020. When covid hit, it placed a large burden on my workforce and eventually I decided to liquidate that business. In 2023, my wife and I decided to move to MN with our 5 children at the time, to start a new life in the support circle of my family. My oldest sister married a gentleman from Crosby MN, and after moving here around 2011 she convinced my parents to move here to help with her 7 children. One by one, my siblings over that timeframe started to move to MN. I was the last to leave CT. I was able to secure a job in Brainerd as a plumbing and HVAC salesman before moving here March of 2023. We left the green grass of CT and arrived to over 3′ of snow in Brainerd! After a few months working as a sales rep, with my experience and knowledge of the trades, I was promoted to GM. Unfortunately the company fell on hard times financially and had to close. After that I became a Sales Executive for an online platform serving Home Services companies including Plumbing, HVAC and Electrical from the East Coast to the West Coast. The hours were extensive and became too much after my 6th child. I was able to secure another position as GM for another local Plumbing and HVAC company for about a year before starting my current business, 218 Mechanical LLC. I really enjoy helping the people in my church community and local customers. The people of MN are very nice and down to earth. I love the diversity of lakes and the vastness of this state. The winters are hard by the time February is over, but we find doing what the locals are doing helps! We enjoy ice fishing, ice skating, snow shoeing, sledding and indoor sports like basketball, bowling, volleyball and staying active in our church community.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
With now 7 children everyday is very busy. We didn’t have the right gear for the cold the first year we were here, but as we meet more and more families we learned how to layer and what types of gear work best to keep us comfortable and safe from the sub zero temps. We are doing more of what the locals do as well which helps stay busy. We are excited to learn more about fishing and hunting!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about 218 Mechanical LLC?
At 218 Mechanical LLC, we are hyper focused on great customer service and the highest level of craftsmanship possible. We specialize in boilers, furnaces, heat pumps and air conditioners. CT groomed our abilities to calculate precise heat loads and traditional techniques working under 4th and 5th generation plumbers and heating contractors, Houses and businesses from the late 1600’s to present day structures challenged our ability to adapt and solve solutions. Our favorite brand is Bosch. The quality, performance and support is amazing. We are affiliated with all local energy companies as preferred partners and up to date on all rebate programs and federal tax credits to help mitigate the financial obligation that comes with replacing or designing HVAC systems.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
We don’t believe in luck. We believe in experience, knowledge and wisdom. All good comes from God so we thank Him for the good and learn from the bad.
