Good works result in Challenger Space Center job for Arizona Green Plumber

PEORIA, ARIZ. — John Smith, the Arizona Green Plumber who operates Rooter 2000 Plumbing in Phoenix and Tucson, has once again found that philanthropy can pay off. When we named Smith our Contractor of the Year in 2011, we pointed out that his water-conservation work for Ronald McDonald House of Southern Arizona had landed him on the board of the facility, along with McDonalds’ franchisees who directed plumbing work his way.

Now Smith’s work for another non-profit, Homeward Bound, has resulted in a project for the Challenger Space Center here.

Each year, R2K (Rooter 2000) Plumbing makes an effort to assist an organization within the community with any plumbing needs that they are having difficulty meeting. This year, R2K Plumbing decided to partner with Homeward Bound after seeing what a positive service they provided for the community. The mission of the Phoenix-based organization is to, “break multi-generational cycles of homelessness, welfare dependence and domestic violence and creates self-reliance through housing and compassionate client-centered services.”

While Homeward Bound was hard at work helping families get back on their feet, their plumbing fixtures were in need of repair. For an organization that was starting to take steps to become greener, they just weren't able to accomplish their water saving goals with their current equipment.

“By partnering up with Niagara Conservation, R2K Plumbing was able to provide Homeward Bound with reliable, up-to-date fixtures that combined unmatched quality with water and money saving technology,” Smith said.

Phoenix television station KTVK, Channel 3, learned of R2K’s work at Homeward Bound and invited Smith to be a guest on a Sunday segment of Good Morning Arizona. The part of the show on which he was featured was designed to showcase businesses in the community that were reaching out to help others. During the program, Smith provided his company's website and invited listeners to visit the firm’s Community Projects page. He was curious to see whether any other non-profit organizations might reach out to us in need of our services.

The next day, Smith was pleasantly surprised to get a call from Tim Harris of the Challenger Space Center. Their non-profit facility had been in operation for 12 years, but had never undergone any plumbing updates. They had seen Smith’s segment on television and were hoping that he might be able to help. The Challenger Space Center had several plumbing issues in need of repairs, and they were also hoping to make improvements to their facility that would make it more environmentally friendly.

“After a walk-through review the next day, it was obvious that their number one need was for new faucets throughout their facility,” Smith said. “We reached out to our community partner, Delta Faucet, and they immediately jumped on board. Together, we were able to meet the needs of the Challenger Space Center and establish an ongoing relationship in which we assist the facility with their future plumbing needs.”

Additional information is available at www.r2kplumbing.com or at www.johnsmithgreenplumber.com.