PHCC's Tony Bertolino Makes the Case for Skilled Trades at America250 Event on the National Mall

Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors—National Association Vice President Tony Bertolino represented the plumbing and HVAC industry at a Great American State Fair event on the National Mall on June 30, part of the U.S. Department of Labor's America250 celebration honoring the achievements and contributions of American workers ahead of the nation's semiquincentennial.

Bertolino, co-owner of Rob Bertolino Plumbing & Heating in Virginia Beach, Virginia, joined a panel discussion moderated by Acting Secretary of Labor Keith E. Sonderling focused on the future of the skilled trades and the growing need to strengthen the plumbing and HVAC workforce through apprenticeships, career and technical education, and broader workforce development efforts.

Making the Financial Case for the Trades

"Choosing the trades is a successful way you can have a career that is lucrative and rewarding," Bertolino told the panel. "My company's plumbers are able to buy houses right now; they are not worried about the economy. What they do for a living is not going to be taken over by AI. They are not going to be shut down by anybody else." The framing places the trades explicitly against two of the anxieties most commonly cited by workers and students weighing career paths today: economic instability and automation displacing white-collar and technical work alike.

Earning While Learning

Bertolino highlighted what he described as one of the trades' greatest structural advantages over a traditional four-year degree path: apprentices begin earning immediately while building skills on the job. "You don't have to go to school first and then get the job," he said. "Typically, an apprenticeship program is paid for by your employer, so you do not have the burden of tuition. You earn while you learn. You get the job and you make a reasonable living — in most cases a really good one — while you're taught a trade." That contrast with tuition-financed degree programs has become a central talking point for trade associations nationally as they compete for a shrinking pool of entry-level workers against four-year colleges and other career pathways.

Framing the Trades Against America's 250th Anniversary

The event's timing, tied to the Department of Labor's America250 celebration, gave Bertolino a platform to connect the skilled trades directly to the country's semiquincentennial narrative. "Fortunately, Americans have no idea what it's like to deal with no clean water and no sanitary systems," he said. "The American workers have done a good job ensuring that people have a totally comfortable way of life in our country. I am really proud of what we've done." Fellow panelist Roger Wakefield reinforced the point, noting that nearly everything in the built environment — homes, schools, roads, and businesses — exists because of the skilled trades workforce Bertolino was there to represent.

A 250-Year Throughline for the Trades

Bertolino closed his remarks by tying the plumbing trade's history directly to the nation's founding. "Plumbers — and I will use plumbers because I am one — have been here since the beginning of this country, and now we're here celebrating the 250th anniversary," he said. "We've been part of building this nation from the beginning, and we will continue to be long into the future." PHCC credited Wakefield with helping secure the appearance and thanked him for his continued support of the skilled trades on the national stage.

Why a National Mall Appearance Matters for Workforce Messaging

For an industry association, a moderated panel appearance alongside the Acting Secretary of Labor on the National Mall carries outsized visibility compared with the trade press and convention circuit where workforce messaging usually plays out. It puts PHCC's recruiting pitch — steady pay, no tuition debt, and AI-resistant, hands-on work — in front of a general public audience gathered for a national civic celebration rather than an industry-only crowd, at a moment when plumbing and HVAC contractors nationwide continue to report difficulty filling technician and apprentice positions.

PHCC, formed in 1883, represents roughly 3,500 plumbing and HVACR businesses and 65,000 technicians nationally, providing legislative advocacy, education, and training services to its membership. Positioning a working contractor — rather than only association staff — as the face of that advocacy on a national stage reinforces the association's recurring message that the trades are led by people still actively running businesses and working alongside apprentices, not solely by policy staff in Washington.

What Happens Next

PHCC has not announced additional America250-tied appearances beyond the June 30 event, but the association has consistently used national workforce-development moments throughout 2026 to push its apprenticeship and career and technical education messaging in front of broader audiences. For contractors watching workforce trends, Bertolino's appearance is another data point in a sustained, coordinated industry push — spanning PHCC, ACCA, and other trade groups — to reposition the skilled trades as a first-choice career path rather than a fallback option, ahead of the semiquincentennial celebrations culminating in 2026.