For Breitlow, plumbing not just a pipe dream

When Christina Breitlow was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, she switched majors several times.

Nothing seemed to interest her for more than a semester. Then, midway through her junior year, she got some advice from her father, Steve Breitlow, business manager of Plumbers Union Local 75. He suggested she get an apprenticeship, so she filled out an application.

That advice paid off. Today, Breitlow is a journeyman plumber at Horner Plumbing.

“The best part about my career is knowing that I have had a direct hand in building the communities that surround me, my family and friends,” Breitlow said. “From the start of my apprenticeship in 2010 to today, the city of Milwaukee and surrounding areas have grown and improved so much. It is extremely gratifying to be one of so many men and women who continue to work together to build and sustain our area.”

Her colleague Bob Gums says that Breitlow has represented women in construction in many different ways, both on the job site and through the local union.

“She is a proud representative of what women have to offer the construction industry,” Gums said.

Breitlow’s father has set an example she has always tried to follow.

“He has instilled core values in me from childhood on that have helped me throughout my apprenticeship and continue to guide me today,” she said. “From the time he was picking me up from elementary school in his work van to him serving as the business manager of our Local, he has always said, ‘What you do matters.’

“I’ve seen him work selflessly, not to promote himself, but to promote the job at hand. I have learned that there is not just one path that gets you to a place. It is the people, the challenges, the risks, the things you may think are completely unrelated to your career, that make a difference. If you are willing to give it your all, you will succeed.”

One of the biggest lessons she has taken from her father is to promote others and not just herself.

“So much more can be accomplished by a team rather than alone. I have learned to welcome differences, some I learn from, some motivate me,” Christina Breitlow said.