Helmets to Hard hats helps Richfield veteran transition to a successful business owner

by Jennifer Taggart

Kyle Kaczmarek is more than a plumber. From 2004 to 2009, he served in Iraq as a reconnaissance Marine.

“I always felt I needed to do something for the country, and I felt like I had more to give then just going to college,” he said.

While serving overseas, Kaczmarek was injured by several roadside bombs, which left him with a traumatic brain injury, a hearing impairment, knee injuries and five herniated disks in his lower back.

“They [my injuries] affect me every day,” he said. “Even when times get hard – you have a hard time not thinking about things in the past, and mentally sometimes things affect me – I try not to let it.”

When Kaczmarek came home from Iraq, he began looking for the best way to use his skills as a civilian. He tried a semester of college but decided to go into the trades instead.

“I started buying rental properties and I had to fix them up myself,” Kaczmarek said. “The challenge was initially finding what I really wanted to do and what I was good at.”

Through a family friend, Kaczmarek became connected with Helmets to Hardhats, a national nonprofit organization that educates veterans for careers in the construction industry through classes and on-the-job training. Kaczmarek completed a five-year apprenticeship with Relmec Mechanical in Cleveland.

In 2018, Kaczmarek decided to open his own plumbing business. Plumbing Tech LLC offers residential and commercial services: hot water tank replacement, sewer repairs, gas line repairs and backflow testing and other plumbing services in Richfield and the Greater Cleveland area.

In 2012, Kaczmarek married Mary Beth, who helps with the administrative work of Plumbing Tech LLC. They have three kids: George is 6, Logan is 4 and Claire is five months old.

“Being a dad is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,’’Kaczmarek said. “My kids are the reason why I work so hard. My wife is very strong, she helps me. She’s amazing as far as support and being there and helping out and doing anything that needs to get done.”

While Kaczmarek was in the Marines, he was constantly doing sniper missions and raids. Now, his life moves at a different pace. “You have time to reflect on the friends that you lost and mistakes you’ve probably made and stuff that you regret or could have done better,” Kaczmarek said. “It’s kind of the same thing when I think about my job now, you think about things every day and what you could have done better or should have done.”

Feature image photo caption: Kyle Kaczmarek, holding Logan, with his wife, Mary Beth, holding Claire, work as a team. Standing is six-year old George.