Aren't plumbers licensed in Ohio? If so why can't I find Joe Wurzelbacher the plumber?

[LiberalFighter]

[gardenista]

1. In all fairness, if he's an employee

He may not be required to have a license. Here in CA, the owner of the business carries the license.

But it's a good question, and worth digging around anyhow.

[NotThisTime]

2. If he's going to buy the business, his employees would assumably run under his own license?

[gardenista]

3. Yeah, but if he doesn't own it yet, he may not yet have the license

I did try to search the Ohio license site, but it's a bit hard to navigate.

I look up CA contractors all the time, and it is easy to miss a licensed individual due to weird spellings of names, typos, etc., but unlike Ohio, they also list key employees. Presumably, if he's really serious about owning a business, he'd be a key employee, but Ohio's site doesn't show key employees. In CA, it becomes much easier to obtain a license once you've been employed full time for five years (off the top of my head, it may be seven.)

But aside from all that, I think Joe, if he really is who he says he is, has some confusion over net vs gross profit.

$250K net is very lucrative, and he'd have to shell out a few million at least for that business. The whole thing doesn't wash.

[The Magistrate]

7. Actual Name, Ma'am, Seems To Be Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4247159&mesg_id=4247159

[smoochpooch]

4. You know what, it wouldn't surprise me if "buying the business" was just a pipe dream of Joe's

From time to time we all have aspirations that we really never follow through on. You know, you have a crappy day at work and say to yourself, "Well maybe I'll just go into business for myself so I won't have to put up with this." Very few people actually do go into business for themselves, and I would not be surprised if Joe hasn't really thought this through. He probably hasn't even tried to secure financing, find a location etc.

[gardenista]

5. Pipe Dream! Good one!

[tsuki]

8. That is not necessarily true here. He could hire a "qualifier" to

hold the license.

[ezgoingrl]

6. Maybe he's a

"plumber's helper"?

[nannycee]

11. Links: I can't find him either

License Requirements for Plumbers:
http://www.contractors-license.org/oh/Ohio.html
http://www.contractor-licensing.com/ohio/plumbing-license.html

License Lookup:
http://www.com.state.oh.us/govt.htm

[nannycee]

13. So, I wrote to the Ohio govt. offices about Joe the Plumber...

and received a reply already. My request for licensing and complaint information was forwarded to the Division of Industrial Compliance and I was provided a great link to search further:

http://com.state.oh.us/dic/OCILBPlumbing.htm

[Thrill]

9. He's full of shit

[regnaD kciN]

10. You looked under the wrong last name...

You should have checked "Keating." :evilgrin:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

15. lol!

[nannycee]

12. Articles say he's been in the plumbing biz 10-12 hours a day..so...

he was required to have a license...no license....see my link posted earlier...

[RoadRage]

14. HIS REAL FIRST NAME IS SAM!!

Just reported on CBS this morning.. His real first name is Sam.. his middle name is Joe. They wree joking about "Joe the plumber" isn't really even named Joe.

[1corona4u]

16. Someone in another thread posted this...

http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_yhcjy

[nannycee]

17. Thanks! Checked! No company plumbing license under this name either! n/t

[LiberalFighter]

18. Wurzelbacher works for Newell