Ed's History

Local Legend Ed O'Connell grew up right here in Marin County. A little house on C street in San Raphael, was home base for the nefarious exploits of a gangly youth with aspirations of greatness. A long road leads from there to here, so we sat down with Ed to find out just what makes one of Marin's most unique business owners tick.

Soon tall tales of daring horse rides to school, (thats right, I said horse rides.), narrow escapes from wild woodsman, and frolicking romances in the tall summer grass filled the air. Once a prep basketball star for Marin Catholic. He filled the void in talent left at USF after the graduation of the great Bill Russell, until knee injuries sidelined the future NBA star and had him looking for a new career. Upon discovering the vast opportunities that awaited a Liberal Arts Major, Ed returned to the trade that had paid his way through school after his scholarship ran out.

He passed his Journeyman Plumber test in 1966 after 6 years of trade school and apprenticing at Ongaro Plumbing, and was promptly struck by wanderlust. "Romancing the mountains" as Ed would call it, gave way to the real world a couple of years later, when he was called to serve in the Air Force. After a short, but "highly" decorated tour which included Ed's valiant, yet under appreciated, single handed defense of the Milpitas coastline, he once again "Romanced the mountains" embarking on a worldwide, nearly decade long, journey of wonder, free love, and discovery. Landing back in Marin County, Ed decided to plant some roots and toiled away for a couple years as an employee until getting the itch to be free again. Ed's mom finally convinced him he could find that freedom by running his own business, and "Highly Recommended by My Mother!" became the mantra around which O'Connell Plumbing was built.

Twenty-six years later Ed enjoys the freedom his mom promised. He built this company around honesty, integrity, trust, and a true belief that if you go out of your way to take care of people, they will take care of you. Nothing means more to Ed than when people stop him on the street, to tell him how much they love his company, from the people who answer the phone, to the plumbers who take care of their homes, and treat them like family. Ed has built a culture where people come to work because they enjoy being of service to their neighbors and community, and value being part of a thing that's more family than company. "Old school values never go out of style, even if my clothes do." Ed says with a grin as he jumps on his scooter and roars off into the sunset. A thumbs up as he disappears over the hill is the last image of our valiant hero intent on convincing the world that not every plumber has a special place to hold a pencil in the back of their pants.

By P.G.

Note:

Ed's biggest passion, since freeing himself from the daily grind of the business,is his involvement with several environmental organizations. He is currently part of several programs, finding new ways to train and educate plumbers, and homeowners on the value of water, and how we can all work together to affect real change in our Eco-system.

If you have any questions or just want to hear an old guy tell stories, ;) shoot Ed an e-mail ed@oconnellplumbing.com or catch his blog and latest links to info right on this page.