After completing his Plumbing Apprenticeship and becoming Red Seal certified, Camden Freeman ‘16 started a business of his own in the trade.

The son of two educational assistants, Camden Freeman ‘16 did not grow up in a family of trades people. His first exposure to the plumbing industry was through a co-op placement in high school. “From my first semester I really enjoyed it. It was a different challenge every day. We were always going to different sites and different places,” he says. “I really enjoyed working with all the guys on site too.”

Following his high school graduation, Cam was brought on as an apprentice. Over the next five years, he worked as a plumbing apprentice and trained through Mohawk College to obtain his Gas Technician and Plumbing Apprenticeship Certificates. He was then Red Seal certified in 2016.

That same year Cam began his own business, Infinitee Plumbing with business partner, Chris MacQueen. The two met while working on a job site. “As I was finishing my apprenticeship, I felt I was ready to move on and try my own thing and see what I could do with the skills I had learned,” Cam says. “I thought about it for about a year. It took me six months to get [the business] going. Six years later, we’re busy every day.”

Throughout his apprenticeship, Cam worked mostly on plumbing service for high-rise apartment buildings and condos. In his own business he focuses on various types of jobs including cleaning sewers and working with contractors on private houses for kitchen, bathroom or full home renovations. Although much different, he says his training provided him with transferrable skills he uses today. “With service work there is a lot of problem solving. You often have to think outside the box when you are [working] in a large building,” says Cam. “It also prepared me for dealing with people in different situations.”

Today, he shares his biggest struggle is finding people who want to stay in the trades. “We’ve had guys that work for us for a year to a year-and-a-half and they decide that plumbing is not for them.” In Cam’s experience, during the early years, apprentices are still learning a lot about the job and are not able to do much by themselves, which can be frustrating for some. After about year three, typically plumbing apprentices are given more projects or assignments that they have the knowledge to complete on their own. “After about five years it gets easier. By that point you typically have someone else to help you out every day too.”

Looking ahead, Cam intends to keep his team small. Currently he and his partner employ two apprentices and one labourer. “I like that we all know each other. That we talk to each other and hangout. I find it nicer than a larger team,” he says. “Also, it’s easier to manage everyone’s skills and know what to expect from each person [on the team].”

Other benefits for Cam in owning his small business include building better connections with customers and seeing a job from start to finish.

Cam’s advice to someone looking for an employer to start apprenticing with is to offer some experience even if it’s just knowing how to use tools properly. “If you have some type of skill you can start with it’s helpful.” He adds, “Honestly just show up every day. Show that you’re willing to learn.”

By Meaghan Drury ‘12

This story originally appeared in the print issue of Fall 2022 InTouch magazine.