FARGO — Sidney Leinen admits she sometimes gets a strange look when she walks into a client's home.
Leinen is one of a few women in the region who are trained and working alongside an army of men who have dominated the plumbing industry since toilets first flushed.
On Monday morning, Feb. 28, 26-year-old Leinen was backing her truck into Legacy Plumbing to load up a water heater. After rigorous training, Leinen is now on her own, fixing clogs and leaks just like the shops full of men who are plumbers in the metro area.
"I really enjoy it. It's super cool going in there and (people) being like, 'Wow, you are a female plumber, I've never seen that before,' and then just blowing them away at the end of the call because you fixed their issues," she said.
Leinen originally went to school to be a teacher, and she also worked at a hotel front desk.
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"I kind of realized that it (teaching) wasn't really my journey in life," she said.
Then she pondered a career move. Why not become a plumber? Now, she works at Legacy Plumbing, where she is not just one of the guys, but something more.
"So Sidney came in, and we refer to her as our 'Lady Boss,'" said Legacy Plumbing vice president JT Froning. "She's just doing it every day. She got an incredible attitude and 'I can do it' mentality."
Leinen admits there have been moments when a homeowner does a double take when she comes to the door.
"There have been times where you get that person that just doesn't really quite like the whole change," Leinen said. "Usually, it's a man coming to your home for plumbing, and sometimes they get a little grouchy with you, but by then end, you show them your work and you show them it's not leaking, and it looks super professional, so by the end of the call, they're usually pretty happy."
Leinen loves the work because it offers something different every day. She works nights, weekends and has on-call duty, but it's a career that finally fits, she said.
"Now here I am in my own truck, still learning every day, but getting my hands dirty and getting in there," she said.
She is helping pave the way for more women. Minnesota State University Moorhead and the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton both have plumbing programs. Wahpeton has a woman in the program right now who will soon graduate.
