Hailing from Niagara Falls, New York, Russel Joe is no stranger to the trades. As Russ says “it’s in the blood.” Growing up he worked alongside his father in the family plumbing business. Post high-school, however, Russ’s career took a completely different route.

In the 10 years after high school Russ covered everything from laying down conduit, to becoming a conductor for a railroad company, to even handling finances for an automotive dealer. In between all of that, he married, became a fathered, and divorced. 

Now in his late 20’s, fathering a young daughter, and living in Massachusetts, Russ set out to build his own business. With no connections and no prior business experience, taking the leap was no simple feat. Not only was he struggling to acquire customers, but bills were adding up and Russ was feeling the pressures of running a business. 

“I went from being hyped up, to this is real….I tell you that first year and a half, I didn’t sleep very well.”

Now in his mid 30’s Russ looks back on those times as a pivotal moment. With Quality Sewer serving a multitude of clients everywhere from Maine to Boston, Russ’s big take-away from this experience comes down to hustle. 

“I don’t want to be working all day...but sometimes you get stuck and you gotta get stuff done so we can have time to do things…”

For Russ, it's an important lesson, and something he wants any young person delving into the trades, but at the end of the day it’s key to success.

 “I'm 36, still considered a millennial, some of the younger generation, they just don’t have the go power..they show up late, they don’t call…:

While Russ’s career wasn’t certainly not a traditional path, he managed to carve a way for himself and connect to people all over the country while learning the ins and outs of business from finances to logistics and scaling growth. Tune into to hear how he went from 0 to hero and what he sees next up for Quality Sewer and Drain.