Husband and wife David and Cat McCarthy own McCarthy Plumbing Group which is based in Laverton North and Point Cook. They chat with Alesha Capone.
Firstly, can you tell me a bit about yourself.
Cat: I’m from a small town in the south west of WA. I lived there until I was 25. I met Dave a little while earlier and we moved to London together and worked there for three years before travelling home to Melbourne. We have two small children Sadie, six, and Harry, four, and we live in Point Cook.
Dave: I’m originally from a dairy farm in Coragulac, which is near Colac, where my brothers and parents still live. Growing up on a farm I always wanted to have a job using my hands so completed my plumbing apprenticeship out of high school. After a stint in WA where I met Cat, we moved to London where I managed over 60 plumbers for England’s biggest construction company.
How long has McCarthy Plumbing Group been running?
We started in 2013, Dave was the only team member on the tools. In 2014, while at the airport after returning from our honeymoon, Dave turned his voicemail on and there was a message asking him to be on The Block for one of the couples, Michael and Carlene. After the stint on The Block we had our first child and Cat joined the business and we hired our first full-time plumber, Paul Spiteri, who is now one of our operations managers. The business grew rapidly and we changed our name in 2020 from David McCarthy Plumbing to McCarthy Plumbing Group to better suit our capabilities as a team of 16.
What do you enjoy about running the business?
We really enjoy being a part of a team. It sounds cliché but our team are our family. Some highlights over the past 7.5 years include winning a Wyndham Business Award in 2016 for New and Emerging business, and winning the Trade Business 2019 and 2020 National MyBusiness Awards in Sydney.
Cat, you’re also secretary of Wyndham Biznet?
I first joined as a member a few years ago after completing the council’s Innovate 2 Excelerate program. I really enjoy networking with business owners, and Biznet allows this to occur organically over a meal and a glass of wine at a local Wyndham venue on the second Tuesday of the month. There is always a guest speaker, normally a successful local business owner or manager, and there is the option of attending as a member each month or as a casual non-member.
Are you involved in any other local groups?
Cat also volunteers as secretary of the BNI Western Ninjas business networking group and vice chair of the St Mary of the Cross PFC. Dave has just started as an Auskick coach at Point Cook Football club, is a member of the Committee for Wyndham and is a volunteer on the Master Plumbers National Plumbing Council. McCarthy Plumbing Group sponsors the Seabrook Cricket Club and the Point Cook Jets Soccer Club.
How long have you lived in Point Cook?
We moved to Point Cook in 2012 and are still in the house we built. We wanted to live in west Melbourne to be closer to Dave’s family in Colac. I love how diverse the suburb is, my mother’s group consists of seven different cultures and none of us were originally from Melbourne. That’s important to us so our children grow up learning about all of the cultures in the world and being open and inclusive. Point Cook is getting more and more really great eateries and shops too, which is great for keeping our cash local.
Do you have a favourite place to eat or grab coffee in Wyndham?
We love the coffee at Oh Happy Day in Saltwater, Fish and Chips from The Couta in Laverton, our toolbox talks are catered by Mezzanine Café Truganina and we treat ourselves with fresh deli platters from Wyndham Cache on weekends.
