![](media/image1.png){width="1.979861111111111in"
height="1.0083333333333333in"} ***News Release***

**New York District Office**

Release Date: January 16, 2006 Contact: John J. Miller (212) 264-7770

Release Number: NYDO-07-10 e-mail: john.miller@sba.gov

***Woman Business Owner Flush with Success***

**Queens, NY**--- Almost as rare as hen's teeth is the female plumber.
Rarer yet, is the female plumber who owns her own successful business.
But there has been a sighting of this rare species in New York City in
the form of Elaine Ward, Founder and Owner of Isis Plumbing, Inc.

Beginning in 2001, Ward not only managed to start a small business, but
has operated it successfully since, with the additional challenges of
being in both a highly competitive and male-dominated industry.

Adopted as a child, Ward started out her adult life in 1984 armed with a
bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of Minnesota. But
when she returned home to the New York area she was at a loss as to what
exactly she wanted to do with her life, with one exception--- she knew
she wanted to be financially independent. So Ward knocked around in a
series of low-wage occupations including gas station attendant,
waitress, and health food store clerk, all the while wondering what
career path to take. At that point of time in the 1980's she recognized
that there was a big disparity in wages between men and women. So it
occurred to her that her ticket to financial independence was to get
into a field that was male-dominated, or to develop a skill that men
have. She chose the latter because she always enjoyed working with her
hands.

Her quest began one day when an acquaintance from her martial arts class
mentioned that the plumbers union was taking apprentice applications the
following day. Ward stood on line for nine hours, got her application
and made it as a plumber's apprentice. In fact, Ward was the only woman
in her 60-person apprentice class to graduate. Upon graduation, she
worked as an apprentice for almost four years, suffering the slights and
indignities one might imagine for a woman in the male-dominated
construction industry, until she reached the plumber's journeyman level.
A journeyman is entitled to seek out plumbing jobs wherever they wish to
work. But Ward found pickings to be slim for a female plumber in New
York City, so set out about the country in order to get the seven years
experience required to obtain a plumber's license and the pay increase
that would go with it. After getting her experience in 15 different
states, Ward returned to New York once again where she landed sporadic
plumbing jobs and worked other odd jobs, including chauffeur, to make
ends meet. She did pass the plumber examinations on her second try and
obtained her plumbing license.

Page 1 of 2

While working at a job for the Long Island Railroad, Ward became
disenchanted with working for someone else and made the decision to
strike out on her own in her own business. But before venturing out on
her own, Ward completed a 12-week entrepreneurial training course
offered by the Women's Business Center of the Queens Economic
Development Corporation. The WBC is one of almost 100 around the
country, which are funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and
provide free and low-cost counseling and training. The three months of
training enabled Ward to organize her office operations, and set up her
recordkeeping and bank accounts. Ward had opened her business bank
account with all she could afford at the time\-\-- \$15. She has
steadily grown her business to where she is doubling revenues each year,
and which are now in the six figures.

Ward's business success is also a story of kindness begetting kindness.
Through the WBC, Ward had met a woman in a somewhat similar situation.
Veronica Rose, the successful owner of Aurora Electric, Inc., took the
time to mentor Ward in how to operate a construction business as well as
navigate the waters in a male-dominated industry. "The WBC
Mentor/Protégé Program was what really helped my business take off,"
said Ward. "Veronica went above and beyond what the program called for,
and I now consider her a friend." Ward, in turn, now takes the time to
mentor female apprentices with the tips that enabled her to become
successful. Additionally, she is a frequent guest lecturer at the Queens
Technical Vocational High School.

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non-discriminatory basis.*

*For more information about the SBA please visit
[www.sba.gov/ny/ny](http://www.sba.gov/ny/ny).*