Having a master plumber on staff is a necessity especially with the day-to-day service needed on a district with more than 1,000 restrooms. Brian Hollers, Lead Plumber, has been with Lufkin ISD for four years and enjoys the challenge of service plumbing where anything and everything can be on the service call at any particular time.
He said, “Nine times out of ten, the call is about a toilet that is stopped up. Sometimes it’s fun. At Brandon the other day the toilet was stopped up. We got our auger out there and there was a fidget spinner stuck. Cell phones, sunglasses, we see all kinds of things. Last week, LHS had a problem, and it was a deodorant stick. We see pencils, rocks. What’s it going to be today?”
Mr. Hollers has been learning tricks of the trade for quite some time. He is a 1996 graduate of Central High School where he played baseball. His step-dad was in the plumbing business, so after high school it was easy for him to pick up the skills to be a plumber. Since then, he has worked in plumbing for companies like ATCO Structures. Although the school district is a different environment, he enjoys the freedom the job brings and the schedule.
He said, “It’s an easy-going atmosphere. I enjoy going from school to school. At ATCO, I was inside the plant eight to ten to twelve hours a day.”
He also enjoys seeing the little ones.
“They high five you in the hall. There’s a little girl with special needs at Herty Primary that gets up in our arms and gives us a hug,” he said.
Mr. Hollers starts his day at 5 a.m. when he lets out his dogs, Eva and Lucy. He drinks coffee, watches the news, and is off to work by 6:05 a.m. The first thing he does at the office is checks School Dude, a program that allows employees to request service at one of the campuses.
He said, “I check School Dude for work orders to see if the custodians put in anything over night. We work early before school starts so kids and teachers aren’t there. After that, I check the supply house.”
Mr. Hollers comes from a family of skilled plumbers. His brother owns McNeese Plumbing Contractors and his other brother works there. He has a sister who is the baby of the family who is the HR Director for Woodland Heights. He has two children ages 24 and 19. One of his favorite pastimes with his dad is restoring old cars. Presently, he’s restoring a ’64 Chevelle.
Mr. Hollers is a sports fanatic. His favorite team is the Houston Texans, and he’s proud of former Panther KeKe Coutee and the success he’s had on the team.
“For my 40th birthday, I went to Canton, Ohio to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame, then went to a game in Pittsburgh. It was great,” he said with a big smile.
Mr. Hollers received his Masters license five years ago. The first step is to become a Journeyman. It takes a written and shop test along with 8,000 hours of supervision on the job, which is equivalent to four years. A Masters license requires a written test and another four years or 8,000 hours with a supervisor.
Before Mr. Hollers took the job with the school district, he mainly worked with new construction. Older buildings present some extra challenges.
He said, “You never know what someone did 50 to 60 years ago.”
With the passing of the bond election, the district will have a new middle school. He said that he appreciates the fact that his opinions will be taken into consideration.
He said, “I shared with the engineers that I would like Moen metering faucets where you push the button and the water will turn off in time. It’s great for conservation, and we won’t have to buy a lot of different parts to maintain them.”
With Spring Break a half day away, most employees are making plans on how to spend their time off. Mr. Hollers already has that all figured out.
“I’m getting married. In Vegas,” he said.
He’s only been to Las Vegas once before, but he and fiancé, Calli Lara, a student teacher at Coston Elementary, decided to tie the knot Vegas-style.
Congratulations, Mr. Hollers, on your upcoming marriage. We thank you for doing a great job keeping the district running smoothly.