Atlantic Plumbing and Heating

With only a few months on the job, Alexander Perhanidis sparks with delight as he describes his “co-op” work placement at Atlantic Plumbing and Heating of Brookline.

“It doesn’t feel like a job,” Perhanidis said. “When I’m doing stuff with my hands and working, it’s like you just get locked in. You start to lose time in your head. That’s how I knew I found the field I want to be in.”

The Class of 2023 Plumbing student from Arlington describes a variety of plumbing and heating jobs he’s worked during his job placement through the Cooperative Education Program (often called “co-op”) – ranging from large systems on newly constructed homes to smaller repair work.

“Sometimes, I’m going to a few different job sites and we’re doing small maintenance work or installations. And there are other days where it’s multi-day projects and we’re replacing or installing whole new systems like a new boiler or water heater,” he said.

Perhanidis even got to observe a “snowmelt” system being installed on a driveway for a large home in Chestnut Hill. A snowmelt system lays underneath a driveway and heats up when snow or ice forms in the winter.

He appreciates the variety of small and large projects Atlantic Plumbing and Heating takes on in the Greater Boston area – with its mix of older and modern homes.

Perhanidis’ father is a plumber and he doesn’t mind taking after his dad. “I got introduced to it pretty early, and I found that I really did like it,” he said. “When I’m going to work, I’m having fun.”

Perhanidis is high-achieving academically, taking honors and dual-enrollment classes for college credit in history, English, and math. He has several options after graduation, which includes becoming a plumber’s apprentice to gain hours toward obtaining his Journeyman’s license. He may also enroll in college after gaining his license.

He understands there is plenty of opportunity in the plumbing and heating trade.

“In the trades, the average age of workers is getting pretty old, in the 50s and 60s. We need a new generation to join the trades,” he said. “The demand for skilled workers is going up, and the money you can make is going up.”

Liam Chapman, a manager for Atlantic Plumbing, said Perhanidis “is an incredible young man who excels both in the plumbing trade and the classroom.”

“Some young tradesmen struggle to be both a good worker and present themselves as professional, but for Alex it seems to come naturally,” Chapman said. “Alex encourages us at Atlantic to take on as many co-op students as possible by simply being a great person and employee.”