The family business was destroyed by the Palisades Fire. Most of their customers have also lost their homes.
A family lost their entire plumbing business, and the community it served, to the California wildfires.
Palisades Plumbing’s building, trucks, and most of their customers’ homes are gone, but the owners haven’t lost the will to carry on. They urged them to announce to the neighboring communities that they are ready to work.
“We just want a job,” Palisades Plumbing owner Mandy Church told FOX Business. “My guys need to be paid, you know? We need to survive.”
Mandy Church and her husband, Ray Church, struggled to make ends meet after immigrating to the United States in 1985. They fight racism as Ray Church tries to get a job as a plumber. Eventually, he got a job at Palisades Plumbing, the company they eventually took over in 2007.
CALIFORNIA FAMILY LOSES BUSINESS IN FIRE: A PLACE THAT ‘BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER’
It was a family run business that quickly became their second home. Ghey is not willing to lose without a fight.
“I need exposure. I need people to know that we are here, and we need help,” said Mandy Church.
Palisades Plumbing, a business that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire. (Shavahn Ahmadi)
On Wednesday morning, Ray Church, his daughter Shavahn Ahmadi, and Shavahn’s husband Obai Ahmadi, who also worked there, were the first to see the damage left by the Palisades Fire.
“We had high hopes that the business would still be there…as soon as we started walking we saw the trucks completely burnt. We were just overwhelmed,” said Shavahn Ahmadi.
Shavahn Ahmadi explained that it was not just the place where she and her husband worked. It was the place where their children grew up.
“We made our office feel like a home. I had children to sleep there. I had mats there so the children could sleep on high chairs, toys, everything you can think of for a child to have in the office.”
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A before and after shot of Palisades Plumbing before it was destroyed in the Palisades Fire. (Shavahn Ahmadi)
Mandy Church and Shavahn Ahmadi aren’t just worried about their lives. Their hardworking staff of four is top notch as well.
“They have children and families to take care of, and we took care of them. We worked together as a family,” Mandy Church said. “I have seen them here crying. I feel bad.”
He estimated that they can continue to pay them for about a month before the money runs out.
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Palisades Plumbing, a business that was destroyed in the Palisades Fire. (Shavahn Ahmadi)
Mandy Church is especially worried about some of her older workers, saying that if they are forced to start over, “the new plumbing company will send them all over the place. They will work 12 hours a day. My boys work from 8 to 4.”
Before the fire destroyed their building, Mandy Church explained that they mostly served customers in the Palisades, although they reached out to other communities such as Brentwood, Santa Monica, and Malibu.
They are now looking to expand to Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Encino, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Culver City, Santa Monica, Malibu, Westwood, Brentwood, the entire San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks.
They also plan to serve the Palisades again when the backup opens.
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