Stahl Plumbing and HVAC Embraces Innovation
A lot has changed for Stahl Plumbing and HVAC since they opened their doors in 1950. Plumbing and HVAC technology has become more advanced. The tools are different. Systems have become more efficient. Homes have become “smarter.”
But what has not changed in the past 76 years is Stahl’s commitment to its customers. Residential and corporate customers have always known that if they have a plumbing or an HVAC emergency, they can call Stahl, and the company will promptly respond.
And soon, Stahl will add to its suite of services by introducing a water treatment line, will add a fleet of trucks, and has developed an apprenticeship program.
This blend of tradition and innovation is the key to Stahl’s longevity.
When Samantha Rawagah began her tenure as Stahl’s president in April 2025, the company was still a paper-heavy business, with systems that were dated. “While we were moving into the future and looking to expand, we needed to be more efficient. Initially, we thought it was just changing one simple computer program, but it changed the entire infrastructure of the company,” she said.
Those seemingly simple internal changes had a long-reaching effect: It increased profitability and created an efficiency that allowed the company to think about expansion past Allegheny County.
Prior to Rawagah coming aboard, the owners at the time, in 2022, transitioned Stahl to an employee-owned business model. In an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), employees are issued shares in the company and receive a distribution based on healthy cash flow, which increases in value if the company performs well. “We use shares as promotions and increases in wages. Team Shares (the start-up that bought the company) recently became a public company in June 2026, which is exciting for everybody.”
And now that the company is in the black due to infrastructure upgrades, that is even better news for employees, who know that their performance can greatly impact the size of distribution. “Everyone will share tasks and wear a bunch of hats. This really embodies the fact that we want to be the best plumbing and HVAC company we can be, and that in turn will lead to a higher compensation for all of the employee owners,” said Rawagah.
She added that Stahl is introducing its very first fleet of vehicles, a great benefit for customers. “It allows employees to have stocked trucks while traveling and reduces the need to shop for parts after they get to the job. Trucks will be outfitted with any tool they need."
Due to factors like an aging workforce and fewer students attending vocational schools, there are labor shortages in the trades across the board. Rawagah’s philosophy is, “Don’t complain about it if you don’t attempt to fix it,” so, beginning with her home school district of South Allegheny, she has launched an apprentice program. “We can start them from the very beginning and give them an opportunity where they are not incurring debt while learning a real skill that is valuable for their life and will create a career for them. In an employee-owned company, I have the ability to teach them a trade and how to run a business. Those two skills combined can change someone’s life,” she said.
The program is already underway, with three apprentices working full-time at Stahl while attending night school at an accredited plumbing program. The goal is to develop well-rounded apprentices and to bring in another four to 10 apprentices in the coming years. “After four years, they can pass their journeyman’s licenses and hopefully will want to stay with Stahl for the long haul,” said Rawagah.
“I think we spent so many years telling every single person that if you didn’t go to college, you are not going to make any money; that is simply not true,” she continued. “I think our high school seniors have a much better idea that it isn’t just college or nothing right now. Plumbers/HVAC professionals make really good money; you can make six figures. You won’t be saddled with education debt like a college-educated person would. It’s a different path, and people have to understand what that path entails.”
Another company enhancement is the addition of a water treatment line, something that will serve the dual purpose of being another revenue stream for the company while also providing an essential service for customers so that they think of Stahl as a one-stop shop. “We work on pipes and appliances every day, and we are seeing what hard water is doing to the homes in Pittsburgh. Treatment for that is installing water treatment at the source so the entire water supply is being softened, treated and cleaned. That is the ultimate fix of extending the life of hot water tanks, keeping erosion out of pipes, and making everything last longer,” Rawagah explained.
Recently, Stahl has introduced a membership option for customers in which the company installs smart sensors throughout the home that will link to a computer program to monitor the health of home equipment. “It will notify us before you even know there’s an issue, so we can go out during normal business hours,” said Rawagah.
Despite all of the updates and modernization plans, being a “first responder” in a plumbing or heating/air conditioning emergency has always been a company value.
“We are one of the few plumbers in Allegheny County that truly does work 24 hours. We hope you never have an emergency at 2:00 in the morning, but we always have a team to take that on, a real person to answer the call, and is dispatched within 40 minutes,” said Rawagah.
Rawagah’s vision for the company’s future is to be able to expand to a second warehouse in western Allegheny County and entertain the possibilities of irrigation support as well as generator installs. “I’m not saying ‘no’ to anything, because as long as I can find people who are excited about it, I’m looking into how we can roll it out.
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