Community Interest
Masters of the Trade
Sponsored by Warfel Construction, meet four masters of their trade in Lancaster County.
Behind every project is a long line of people and partners working to bring it to life and add the final touches. The tradespeople who live and work in Lancaster bring their unique approach in the way they creatively solve problems in the midst of moving these projects toward completion.
Sponsored by Warfel Construction, this special article showcases four of these experienced tradespeople who have been bringing expertise to their field for decades.
Jon Wile
Wile Plumbing
P.O. Box 187, Silver Spring | office@wileplumbing.com | 717.522.1161
Specialty: Commercial plumbing for senior living, apartments, restaurants, medical and dental offices & residential and commercial plumbing services and maintenance
Experience: 31 years
“My father started the business in 1986. I chose to get into the plumbing trade full-time after high school, and I started my Apprenticeship followed by four years of schooling with the Associated Builders and Contractors the following year. After successfully completing my Apprenticeship, I tested to earn my Journeyman’s License, and then took my Master’s exams two years after that. I have been a licensed Master Plumber in the City of Lancaster for the last 20 years, and my wife Becky and I have owned the company since 2013.” – Jon
Misael “Mitch” Figueroa
Warfel Construction
1110 Enterprise Road, East Petersburg | info@warfelcc.com | 717.299.4500
Specialty: Finish carpentry
Experience: 18 years
“My father would do a lot of renovation work when I was a child and always wanted to instill a good work ethic in my brother and me, so we would work with him when we weren’t in school. After a while of working with my father, I started to enjoy the hard work and really liked looking at our finished project. This helped me decide to get into the construction business where I can utilize the skills I’ve gained throughout the years to do what I love doing.” – Mitch
Matt Hartman
Garden Spot Electric
360 Hostetter Road, Manheim | mhartman@gardenspotelectric.com | 717.821.1763
Specialty: Electrical
Experience: 26 years
“[My career] started when I was 16 and started working at a hardware store. To help customers, I needed to know how to wire electrical devices, so I bought a how-to electrical book and learned how to do it using the diagrams on electrical device boxes. That was my first experience with the electrical field. Then, during my senior year of high school, I started at a career tech school, and on the weekends I worked with an electrical inspector, helping him upgrade services on Lancaster county farms. This inspired me to take on my first full-time contractor job after high school, and 26 years later, I’m still in the trade.” – Matt
Steve Showalter
B.R. Kreider & Son
63 Kreider Lane, Manheim | 717.898.7651
Specialty: Site excavation project coordination and project management
Experience: 28 years
“My interest in heavy machinery and beginnings in excavation was influenced by my dad. He was a self-employed skid loader operator, and I always enjoyed watching him shape the ground exactly how he wanted it to be—a smooth and precise machine operator is addictive to watch! After high school, I started working for B.R. Kreider & Son and have worked for this great company ever since. I started as a general laborer and worked up through equipment operator, project supervisor, and into my current role as a project manager.” – Steve
