Background

Robert founded Shoner Plumbing and Mechanical in 2020 and scaled it into one of Southeast Michigan’s best union contractors, spanning residential, commercial, service plumbing and mechanical work. He holds a Master Plumber license, trained under UA Local 190 as a union pipe-fitter, and brings over 20 years of hands-on field and operational experience. In five years, he has acquired three additional businesses by integrating their teams into Shoner Plumbing, demonstrating a natural instinct for people-first growth.

Why American Operator

Robert joined the Advisor Network because he has lived the path American Operator is trying to create, building a trade business from scratch and watching local ownership in the trades become harder to access for the next generation. He already mentors new plumbing business owners through union advisory groups and fields calls weekly from operators who need a straight answer from someone who has actually done it. The mission to keep local trade businesses successful and in the hands of owner-operators is one he shares personally and passionately.

Impact on Anne the Plumber

Robert brings master-level licensing knowledge and real operational credibility to Anne The Plumber’s board: the questions no financial model captures, from Rhode Island licensing requirements to what it takes to retain a small residential crew through an ownership transition. Before the deal closed, he was already researching RI pricing markets and preparing diligence questions for the transition. He offers the operator, Wilson Molina, direct access to a founder who has run a union shop, absorbed competing teams, and kept a residential customer base growing on reputation alone. Robert is a partner and friend to American Operator and brings the expertise Anne the Plumber needs in its corner.