Adrienne Bennett stood out as the first Black woman to become a master plumber in the United States. Originally from Detroit, Bennet excelled in math and physics and planned to study engineering and metallurgy in college. However, after becoming involved in a racist event, she lost faith in higher education.
For a few years, she did random tasks and advocated for those getting state help. At a 1976 political event for Jimmy Carter, Gus Dowels, a recruiter with the Mechanical Contractors Association of Detroit, inquired whether she would be interested in working for $50,000 a year while looking for a new career. Dowels aimed to recruit minority women into a nationally funded apprenticeship program for skilled trades.
Bennett, at 22, enrolled in the five-year apprenticeship program of Plumbers’ Union, Local 98 after considering the offer.
Being the only woman on site with so many men meant she was constantly tormented and harassed throughout her employment, and she was repeatedly encouraged to quit.
She told CNN that she always carried a thick toolbelt around her waist. “I did this for protection because men would try to grab me inappropriately.”
“Many times, I was the only woman with as many as 100 men on a construction site.”
Bennett, the fourth of eight siblings, credited her parochial school upbringing with instilling a strong work ethic and discipline. “I was taught as a young child that you finish what you start and you do a job well,” she said.
Despite criticism, Bennett became the United States’ first Black female master plumber at the age of 30. This came after she had accumulated the necessary 4,000 hours of experience to qualify for the master plumber exam and taken the test. After getting her state license, she became the first black female master plumber in both Michigan and the United States.
Throughout her vast plumbing career, she has held a variety of positions, including journeyman plumber, master plumber, project manager, plumbing inspector, and code enforcement officer for the city of Detroit.
Her experiences quickly earned her the title of founder and CEO of Detroit-based Benkari LLC, as well as an independent contractor. When she believed she had achieved the pinnacle of her profession, she founded Benkari, a commercial plumbing and water conservation company, with her son A.K. Bennett as her business partner in 2008.
“For a decade, I worked as a journeyman plumber, master plumber, project manager, plumbing inspector, and code enforcement officer for the city of Detroit.” There was just one option left: work as an independent contractor. “It was the final frontier,” she explained.
Her company secured large contracts, including work for the Little Caesars Arena and the Anthony Wayne Housing Development, while actively participating in Detroit’s recovery.