Interview:  Jack McMackin, Pan-Pacific Plumbing and Mechanical

Editor’s note:  This begins what we intend to be a series of interviews with our member-contractors.  We’d like you to meet Jack McMackin and find out about Pan-Pacific Plumbing & Mechanical.

On a rainy day in December we found ourselves in Orange County at the Irvine offices of Pan-Pacific Plumbing.  Though it was early morning, the parking lot was packed; trucks came and go as workers rushed about.  In the rear of the building, three workers were performing fabrication for a current project. 

Jack found us and we headed inside to talk.  McMackin was friendly but direct in manner; he seemed like a man who has a lot on his plate, every day.  On the way to his office we passed a warren of offices, a plan room heaped with prints and documents, and dodged some very busy-looking people.  Lining the corridors are photographs of projects the firm has worked on—hospitals, hotels, schools, sports facilities.  Jack described a few of them:  UCLA Hospital; Hyatt Regency Hotel; Walt Disney Concert Hall; Dodger Stadium. 

Taking a look at the business card McMackin handed me, I noticed the firm’s Mission Statement on the back:

“To be the best subcontractor in California by delivering exceptional customer service through completing our projects on time within budget, safely and to the highest quality standards in the industry, while maintaining excellent relationships with all the people with whom we interact.”

In the office, Jack explained,

“Our early history was one of taking calculated risks, particularly in the area of hospital construction, beginning in the 1980s.  Then and now, we preferred demanding work, and hospitals are at the top of the heap.  At an early stage we began assisting in design wherever possible.  After some initial completions we began to gain repeat work through reputation and referrals.  We’ve established strong and positive relationships with hospitals’ facility managers.  Through that we’ve gotten a good deal of major work; eventually hospitals began to insist that their prime contractors use Pan-Pacific.”

McMackin estimated that the firm’s breakdown of current work is approximately 50% hospital or healthcare, with about 70% of that being private sector projects.  He estimated that the annual dollar volume of the firm for 2007 would be in excess of $60 million, a substantial increase over last year’s $47 million figure. 

Asked how the firm increased its revenues to that extent in a single year, McMackin said,

“We actually achieved more volume this year because we’re better organized.  The internal structure of the firm is improved, and we use workers who have the right experience and certifications—particularly in health care.  We can keep them moving from job to job.  If you help us meet the budget, we can keep you working.”

With regard to labor relations, McMackin noted,

“Right now we have about 220 UA members working.  We’re on our way up to 300.  Pan-Pacific is strongly pro-worker and that means that we are pro-labor.  Our management is adamant that management come up through the trade—that they do substantial time in the field to gain the experience and credibility to lead.”

He added, “We try to treat the men like men.  All we ask is that they show up for work—and work.  And of course, we expect them to be safe.”

He also noted that relations with the UA have never been better or more cooperative, and volunteered, “The last two contracts with the UA, it seemed like the labor side read our minds as to what we wanted to achieve.  It’s never been easier to be a union contractor.”

McMackin ended the interview by saying that “PIPE works for us.  Together we are able to network with the LAUSD, the DWP and others to establish relationships and find new work.”