Founding of Busto Plumbing
While shoveling out the contents of a septic tank when he was a kid, Pete Busto thought plumbing was the last career path he would pursue in life. But 42 years later, Busto Plumbing is still making waves in the tubes of Tampa Bay with its president, Pete Busto. While Busto was growing up, his father, Manuel, worked for the city’s water department and did plumbing jobs on the side, bringing Busto along. “Today they’d call it child labor,” says Busto, laughing. “Frankly, I hated plumbing.” But when he finished serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, visiting locations such as Bermuda, Busto needed to choose a career path. While he initially wanted to go into banking or somewhere he could wear a tie and dress up, he fi gured since he was familiar with plumbing, he’d take that route. He worked with other established plumbers in the area, gaining experience and making contacts, before becoming licensed and starting Busto Plumbing in 1969.
Since then, he has done large projects such as the Am- South Building in downtown Tampa, the St. Pete Time’s Forum (the Ice Palace, at the time) and the Progress Energy Florida Office Building in St. Petersburg. “I regret that didn’t live long enough to see that,” says Busto. “It would’ve really blew his mind.” Busto’s father, who grew up during the Great Depression, was hesitant when Busto built his own business off St. Louis Street in West Tampa, fearing his son might meet fi nancial trouble and be in debt. But Busto would ask him, “How do you expect to get anywhere if you don’t try?”
What has kept Busto Plumbing flush with business for over four decades – including the recent recession – is its willingness to do service work, maintaining previously installed plumbing. “People seem to want to do all the new, clean stuff, but service is always in demand,” says Busto. “A lot of times new construction is not there, people still have to repair the toilets. A lot of plumbers don’t like to get dirty.” Throughout his years presiding over the business, Busto has mentored former employees who have gone on to start successful plumbing companies in the area such as Dyser Plumbing, Always Plumbing and Buccaneer Plumbing. Many of the industry leaders Busto took under his wing have since thanked him for his guidance because without Busto, they wouldn’t be where they are today. “I always tried to express the importance of quality and taking pride in what they do because today most people don’t care about pride and quality of work,” says Busto. “They’re just in there to get in and get out and get paid as much as they can for doing as little as possible.” Busto is the exact opposite. “If I screwed up or made a mistake, I’d go back there and fix it on my own time and I’d be embarrassed for anybody to know about it. Guys today, you send them out there, they expect to get paid for their own screw-up. I’ve always tried to be more than fair. Sometimes it’s hurt me, but you can’t just give up on people in general because one person left a bad taste.”
Even outside of his business life, Busto has served as a mentor. At one point, a young man used to come to Busto’s house who had never seen his father; his parents were divorced. “You could tell he was lonely for his dad,” says Busto, who served as a father-figure and even called the boy’s dad. “You don’t know me,” he said to him. “Your son is a great kid and I just want to let you know he really thinks a lot of you, and it would be nice if you could at least call him or go and see him.” The situation didn’t heal right away but years later when Busto arrived on the property of a spec home for a job, he met the landscaper. “Turns out it’s this kid! The guy has done phenomenal.”
