Get to Know Abi, The Voice Behind Friendly Neighborhood Plumber

If you’ve ever called, texted, or messaged Friendly Neighborhood Plumber…

you’ve probably talked to me.

Hi, I’m Abi.

I’m the one behind the phone, the schedule, the chaos, and all the moving pieces that keep this business running.

But what most people don’t know… is how all of this actually started.

THis Wasn’t Supposed to Be the Plan

I never thought I’d be running a plumbing company.

Before Friendly Neighborhood Plumber… my life looked completely different.

I was a massage therapist for almost 10 years, and I loved it. I loved helping people. I was good at it. I thought that’s what I would do forever.

But at the same time, I was also a single mom working two massage jobs, almost seven days a week, just doing whatever I had to do to take care of my family.

That was my normal.

Then I met Joe.

And everything changed.

We fell head over heels, fast. The kind of fast where life just starts moving before you can really process it.

We brought our lives together and created our blended family.

And before we knew it… we had Lyla on the way.

In January 2023, we decided to start Friendly Neighborhood Plumber.

But before that, we had a plan.

We were sitting on the couch one night, talking through how we were going to make all of this work, and I remember saying it very clearly:

“Hey… don’t quit your job yet. Let me go back to work first so we can keep up with bills. Then once I’m back, you can leave your job and we’ll go all in on building this together.”

It made sense.

It felt responsible. It felt safe. 

Two weeks later…

he quit his job anyway.

He just looked at me and said,

“I’m all in.”

And I’m not going to lie… I could’ve killed him in that moment.

I’m the planner.
He’s the “figure it out as we go” type.

And both of those personalities have their pros and cons.

That moment?

It felt like chaos.

But from that moment on, everything moved fast.

We were building a business with no real roadmap... just faith, pressure, and a lot of unknowns.

At the same time, we were preparing for our baby in April, already knowing it wasn’t going to be a simple delivery.

It was planned to be traumatic.

She came 8 weeks early.

There were around 30 people in the operating room.

Not just to deliver our baby…
but to make sure I survived it.

That was our reality.

The Part I Don’t Talk About Much

After that, I was in and out of the hospital for about four months.

Sometimes for weeks at a time.

When I was home, I was essentially bed bound.

And during that time, Joe was carrying everything.

Taking care of me.
Taking care of the baby.
Taking care of our girls.
Trying to work when he could.
Trying to hold everything together.

And me?

I felt stuck.

I couldn’t help the way I wanted to.
I couldn’t work.
I couldn’t take care of the house.
I couldn’t even always take care of my own baby.

That’s a hard place to be.

How I Found My Role

So I asked myself one question:

“What can I do right now?”

And the answer was simple.

I had my computer.

So I started there.

I started answering messages.
Responding to people.
Learning everything I could about plumbing, graphic design, scheduling, and how to help our customers better.

I paid attention to what our neighbors needed.

And I made it my goal to be the person who could show up for them... even if I couldn’t physically show up anywhere else.

That’s how I found my role in this business.

Three Years Later

Fast forward three years…

and somehow, we’ve built something real.

From a Honda CRV and hospital rooms
to multiple trucks, a growing team, and neighbors who trust us every day.

And for now… I’m still the one behind the phone.

Still answering questions.
Still helping people through stressful situations.
Still doing my best to make things feel a little easier when something goes wrong in your home.

As we grow, that role will eventually be shared or passed on…
but right now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A Little Bit About Me (Outside of Work)

When I’m not juggling schedules and calls…

I love thrift shopping and drinking iced coffee.

Singing karaoke.  
Trying new restaurants.
Traveling to different cities. 

And my favorite thing?

Hiking to see beautiful waterfalls. East Tennessee has some of my favorite ones! 

Why This Means So Much to Me

I never thought I would leave massage therapy.

But helping people never changed.

It just looks different now.

Now I get to be the person someone calls when they don’t know what’s going on in their home.

When they’re stressed.
When something’s wrong.
When they just need someone to walk them through it.

And that’s a really special thing.

If You’ve Ever Talked to Me

Thank you.

For trusting us.
For being patient on the crazy days.
For choosing a small, local plumbing company in Knoxville.

You’re not just calling a business.

You’re calling me.
You’re calling us.

And I truly care about that.

Need a Plumber in Knoxville, TN?

If something’s going on and you need help…

I’ll be the one on the other end.

📞 865-443-7617
🌐 865fnp.com