KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ) – A Shawano Man has received a great honor for his skills and leadership in plumbing in order to help those in need.
Randy Lorge has been named the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials 2018 Industry Person of the Year for his efforts in leading the Community Plumbing Challenge.
“It was rather surprising, I was kind of taken back,” Lorge said.
While Lorge teaches and trains current and future plumbers, much of his work is done outside of Wisconsin.
“We travel to different parts of the world, providing clean water and sanitation systems and just improving lives of people around the world.”
He says through these challenges, they are able to do what they do best, to help make a long-lasting impact for others.
“What we do in these jobs is nothing different than what we do back home, but to go to these countries and see that they don’t have some of these basics, it is breathtaking to the conditions that these folks live in.”
Currently, Lorge and his team are in New Mexico, participating in the Navajo Nation Community Plumbing Challenge, providing households with access to clean water and improved sanitation.
“The challenge will be getting safe water to the residents of the homes that we will be working on,” Lorge said. “We are going to be working on somewhere between 10 and 20 homes. They are completely off the grid, so we are going to be installing a freshwater tank along with plumbing fixtures and pumps.”
Lorge added the work does not stop once the plumbing is put in place.
“We don’t just close up the toolbox and go home. We do training with the local residents that are there so they can start their own training programs.”
Lorge is a member of UA 400 Pipes Trades in Kaukauna, and in recent years has done work in India, South Africa, and Indonesia.
“Just simple things like putting in new toilets, new sinks and places for them to wash their hands.”
Lorge says sometimes the material they have to use are not up to the standards of material in the USA, and in some cases, the tools that they have to use are not the most effective.
“Sometimes it is basically a hammer and a chisel.”
Lorge received the honor at the group’s 89th Annual Education and Business Conference on October 4th in Philadelphia.
