Plumbers Union Benefits from Business Intelligence

Client: U.A. Local 32, the Seattle Plumbers and Pipefitters Union

Location: Washington

When you hear the word “plumber” you might think of someone coming to your home to repair a leaky kitchen sink, but in reality, plumbers and other pipe trades workers do a whole lot more. They maintain the infrastructure that keeps our homes, schools, offices, factories, hospitals and grocery stores in operation.

U.A. Local 32, the Seattle Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, is a 124-year-old labor organization that works to improve the lives of tradespeople in the plumbing and pipe fitting industry. Looking to more strategically allocate their resources to support Local 32 members, the organization needed a clearer understanding of the current and future state of commercial, industrial, and residential construction—one of the main economic drivers for plumbers and pipefitters.

Partnering with market research experts Critical Data, we provided data gathering and analysis assistance in the areas of construction, population forecasts, employment, and consumer spending, investigating how Local 32’s geographies of interest (16 counties in Washington) are being impacted now, and what the impact will be in the future.

Through extensive data collection and analysis, we provided Local 32 meaningful business intelligence, such as:

• The number of residential, commercial, industrial, government and utility construction permits, broken down by permit value, to indicate near-term market opportunity
• Five-year population projections, as we found a strong correlation between expected population growth and construction
• How many people are employed by plumbing-related businesses, to shed light on where plumbers and pipefitters are concentrated
• Compiled and summarized consumer spending data per county, to highlight the consumer demand for plumbing-related services

Interested in learning more about our GIS and data analytic services? Get in touch.