SUCCESS STORY: Hernia Saved Plumber’s Life, Education Saved His Business
by Kelly Faloon
January 21, 2010
Kyle Rossum with father, Kelly stand front and center with the crew from KC’s 23½ Hour Plumbing Service.
Kelly Russum is no stranger to adversity. Long before he battled life-threatening cancer, he struggled to keep his plumbing business alive. Had it not been for Plumbers’ Success International (PSI), not once, but twice coming to his aid, the long-term health of Russum’s business would be in serious doubt. As it is, Russum has been able to concentrate on that which is most important to him and his family — getting well.
Help sometimes occurs in strange ways, as Russum discovered — he had no idea that a hernia could save his life. But, first: a little history of Russum’s first road to success, with a little help from his friends at PSI.
Russum is the owner and president of KC’s 23½ Hour Plumbing, located in Palm Springs, Calif. He and Chuck Barrett started the company together in 1980 —“K” for Kelly and “C” for Chuck. Five years later, Russum bought Barrett out when Barrett moved to Arizona.
Why KC’s 23½ Hour Plumbing and not KC’s 24 Hour Plumbing?
“I felt that everyone says they are a 24-hour business,” Russum explained. “The fact is, most of them can’t be reached after hours. I thought we would be different; this way, if we can’t be reached, we can say we were on our half-hour break. You would be amazed how many people comment on this; we even have checks sent to us made out to just 23½ Hour Plumbing.”
In the late ’80s/early ’90s, Russum added new construction to the service and repair business. The company was about $125,000 in arrears in payments due to the new construction segment, but eventually paid off the debt. Service and repair work primarily came from home warranty companies.
“Not a good thing when you’re trying to make a living,” Russum said. “It barely kept the doors open.” The company was not profitable, taking in only about $500,000 in revenue.
“My father-in-law tried to teach me the mechanics of business,” he added. “I realized later that I had learned a lot from him, but I wasn’t applying the knowledge to running my company.”
Russum had heard about Plumbers’ Success International and, in July 2001, attended a PSI Profit Day. He was so impressed with the wealth of information the group offered that he signed up the same day, and began learning and instituting the programs immediately.
After joining PSI and focusing KC’s 23½ Hour Plumbing on the residential service and repair business, the company’s revenue tripled, even with fewer plumbers on the payroll. The company had 10 to 12 plumbers before joining PSI; it now employs seven, including one apprentice, and operates more profitably than ever before.
“One thing I’ve learned from PSI is that business is business; it doesn’t matter what kind of business you are in, the principles are the same,” Russum noted. “PSI’s teaching methods helped drive home the lessons my father-in-law taught me.
“My loyalty will always be with PSI; I still learn daily from them.”
ANOTHER BATTLE FRONT
At 57, Russum has been a fairly healthy guy. His most major health problem was a hernia 17 years ago, which was treated by surgery.
Or so he thought. A second hernia developed in July 2009, much more painful than the first one. So Russum went back to his doctor, who told him that he had two hernias (the first one hadn’t healed correctly), and needed surgery right away.
Russum was referred to a hernia doctor, who explained the surgery — about a four-hour procedure with a two-week recovery period. He scheduled Russum for a pre-op appointment the following week, with the surgery scheduled a few days after that.
His pre-op visit with the hernia doctor went well, and the doctor suggested that Russum get his pre-op testing done early at the hospital across the street. So he did, filling out all the paperwork, getting a heart exam and a blood test.
But something unexpected turned up in the pre-op blood test.
“My wife Debbie called me on the day of the surgery, and said the hospital had cancelled the surgery, and I needed to make an appointment with my doctor. He said there was something wrong with my blood count.”
Russum was sure it wasn’t good news. And it wasn’t. The doctor told him that he had leukemia. “This floored me; we don’t have cancer in our family,” Russum said. “I had no signs of any problems.”
He couldn’t get in to see the oncologist for three weeks, so Russum had a lot of time to worry since he couldn’t work with the hernia. Three weeks can seem like a lifetime when you’re diagnosed with cancer.
The oncologist told Russum that he had a rare form of leukemia — chronic myelogenous leukemia, which causes the body to produce large numbers of white blood cells.
White blood cells help the body fight infection, but red blood cells carry much-needed oxygen to all parts of the body. If Russum had gone ahead with the hernia operation, he would have died. He was also a prime candidate for a fatal stroke or heart attack, the oncologist told him.
“He said I had the highest white blood cell count he’d seen,” Russum said. “My white blood cells were suffocating me.”
He was scheduled that day for an emergency bone marrow biopsy. He was also put on chemotherapy treatment, but has had no bad side effects from the medication, of which he is grateful.
REVIVING THE BUSINESS
Fortunately, Russum has been able to create an excellent insurance plan for his company — no small benefit, especially with Russum’s own medications and treatments which are quite expensive. He cannot have his hernia operation for at least a year until his white blood cell count comes down. Fortunately, the medication seems to be working and his white blood count has decreased significantly. His prognosis is good — his doctor is predicting that he’ll be in remission in another three to six months, after which he can have his hernia operation and get back to normal.
Getting back to normal means getting back to work. While Russum was dealing with his health issues (and his wife’s health issues), his business was suffering. He had no plan in place for someone to manage the company while he was ill; it was something he told himself he could do tomorrow or the next day. Then something would come up, and he’d put it off again.
His 25-year-old son, Kyle, had never been involved in the business; his passion is racing cars, not repairing toilets. But the two have always been close, so when his dad became too ill to work, Kyle stepped in to help.
“He had to grow up quickly,” Russum said. “But I’m grateful he’s here. And I’m grateful for my PSI friends; they have helped us tremendously.”
The PSI family came through once again for KC’s 23½ Hour Plumbing. Not only did the experts from Clockwork Home Services help with Kyle’s quick indoctrination to the plumbing business, but fellow PSI members were at the ready.
Keeping a business hitting on all cylinders is a full-time endeavor, and with the help of Plumbers’ Success International, Russum has managed to maintain focus even during difficult personal times.
“This was a wake-up call for all of us; we can’t fall into the comfort zone again,” said Russum.
PLANNING FOR TOMORROW
“I’m feeling good, more confident,” he added. “It hasn’t been fun, going through this process, but I’m sure we’re making the right moves.
“Concentrate on today and plan for tomorrow; we weren’t doing that before. PSI will be a big part in helping Kyle learn to manage the company.”
The plumbing business is starting to pick up in the Palm Springs area, and Russum refuses to listen to any bad news. He even keeps the radios in the office turned off so the employees don’t hear negative economic news.
He is also spending as much time as he can with his son, racing cars and playing with their dogs.
Russum has one key piece of advice to his fellow plumbing contractors: “Have an exit plan,” he said. “Part of an exit plan is death; no one likes to talk about that. But it is true for each of us, so you need to plan for it, especially in your business.”
There is nothing more important in Kelly Russum’s life than planning for the future.
SIDEBAR: BUYMAX AND HOMEGUARD
Kelly Russum is more of an idea man than a tinkerer. And taking a look at the Talking Thermostat, he realized that the plumbing industry needed something similar — an early-warning system for water leaks.
He collaborated with BuyMax (the group buying program for plumbing, HVAC, electrical and roofing contractors) for the development of HomeGuard, a wireless system that detects leaks in key areas of the home. It can save homeowners from the hassles and high costs of water damages.
“Plus, we’ve made it affordable,” he explained. “We’ve had a lot of good feedback from plumbers and homeowners.”
Full BuyMax (www.4buymax.com) memberships are included in the Plumbers’ Success International membership package (www.plumberssuccess.com).
Kelly Faloon
