More Than Just Family Business

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Business Insider Southshore Edition

Jermaine Dixon with Kuma Plumbing & Drain

There are family businesses, then there are Family Businesses. I don’t think I need to explain the difference. And what Jermaine and Tatanisha have built with Kuma Plumbing and Drain is definitely the latter.

People look at plumbing a lot like auto mechanics. We don’t know enough about either, which makes it easy to get bamboozled. You’re standing there nodding while someone tells you your carb retracting defibrillator is knocking, and it’s going to be six grand to flush your engine manifold so your specto gamma meter can finally blow cold. We’ve all been there.

Not with Kuma Plumbing. Jermaine and Tatanisha run their company the way you wish every service business did. They educate first, diagnose honestly, and treat every customer like family. It shows, too. Their brand is everywhere in Southshore because they actually live here, serve here, and pour into the community. They partner with local events, veterans groups, BNI chapters, HOAs, realtors, small businesses, and families. Their name is visible because their reputation earned it.

Jermaine has lived in Riverview for eight years, and Southshore really is his backyard. After years of working for other plumbing companies, a slow season led to being laid off. Instead of sitting still, he took his wife’s advice, hit the books, passed the exams, and launched Kuma Plumbing right here at home. With nearly a decade of plumbing experience already under his belt, it was the right move at the right time.

But the secret sauce of Kuma Plumbing is something most plumbing companies simply don’t have. It’s Tatanisha. With a background in nursing and holistic care, she brings a level of compassion, communication, attention to detail, cleanliness, and professionalism that feels more like healthcare than home repair. Trauma-informed service in the plumbing world is not something you see every day, but it makes all the difference.

Running a business hasn’t come without challenges. For Jermaine, the hardest part has been shifting out of the field mindset and into the mindset of actually running the company. Balancing admin work, planning, scheduling, and being a present dad is a constant juggling act, but he embraces it. And according to him, having a wife who pushes him and believes in him makes all the difference.

The rewards are worth it. Making his own schedule. Spending more time with his kids. Building something from the ground up that reflects who he is. And seeing how far they’ve come in such a short time.

When he’s not fixing leaks or rescuing someone’s Saturday morning from a clogged drain, Jermaine is watching soccer or listening to dancehall. And if you ask him what advice he’d give someone thinking about starting their own business, it’s simple: just jump. There are people ready to cheer you on, and opportunities you never see until you take the leap.

If Kuma Plumbing had a motto, Jermaine has a couple. The Bear Necessity of All Your Plumbing Needs or Let the Bear Handle Your Repair. Either one fits perfectly.

Southshore has a lot of great service companies, but Kuma Plumbing is cut from a different cloth. They are hungry, motivated, community-focused, and built on heart. They are the kind of business that does the job right the first time and leaves you feeling taken care of, not taken advantage of.

And honestly, that is the bear necessity.

Things to do

What’s Washing Up on The Shore This Week

Let’s End The Debate Once and For All

Die Hard is Absolutely a Christmas Movie!

Every year, this debate crawls out of the holiday attic like that one box of tangled lights, and people rush to the internetty webs to shout their opinion into the void. But today, we’re ending this discussion once and for all. At least out here in Southhore.

First things first, we need a working definition of a Christmas movie. Naturally, I turned to the MPA (Motion Picture Association), because if anyone should have this nailed down, it would be them. Right? Wrong! Shockingly, they have absolutely nothing. No criteria, no guidelines, not even a flowchart. But after some digging, we were able to find a few widely accepted standards.

In short, the movie must be set during Christmas time and feature significant holiday elements. It should include themes like family, redemption, community, hope, and Christmas must be essential to the plot, not wallpaper. The story, characters, and outcome should all be tied to the season and end with something heartwarming.

Now that we have some type of ruler, let’s see how Die Hard measures up.

Is it set during Christmas? The movie literally begins on Christmas Eve in a high-rise in LA. Every major event occurs during a company Christmas party. CHECK!

Does it have holiday elements? There’s a giant Christmas tree in the Nakatomi lobby that John McClane later uses to decorate with bad guys like ornaments. Holiday decor everywhere. Wrapping paper. Wreaths. Carols. More “HO HO HO” references than a mall Santa on a double shift. And “Yippee-ki-yay” absolutely feels like something a reindeer would yell right before it flies off the roof. CHECK!

Do we have themes of family, redemption, community, and hope? John flies across the country to reconnect with his estranged wife and kids on Christmas Eve, hoping for reconciliation. That alone qualifies as a holiday miracle. He becomes the last hope for the hostages. Sergeant Powell becomes his hope. And the entire plot revolves around John trying to become the husband and father his family needs. If that isn’t Christmas spirit, I don’t know what is. CHECK!

Is the plot and character arc tied to Christmas, and is the resolution heartwarming? The whole story happens because of the Christmas party. And the ending? John rises to the occasion, saves the day, reunites with his wife, and they walk out together into a future that finally looks bright. If you didn’t tear up at least once, you might be a Grinch. Check, check, and CHECK!

So, there you have it. A very technical analysis, concluding what many of us already knew. Die Hard may very well be the quintessential Christmas movie, setting a standard by which all wannabe Christmas movies should be judged.

Make sure to keep this film in your Christmas movie rotation. And whenever someone questions its validity, just let them know that the folks here at The Southshore Circle have done the work, and it’s now an undisputable fact that Die Hard is as Christmas as Santa Claus.

Southshore Spotlight

Echo - Host a Drive

Looking for a simple way to give back this season? ECHO’s Host a Drive program makes it easy. Whether you’re a business, school, church, or neighborhood group, you can collect food, clothing, hygiene items, or baby supplies to help local families in need.

ECHO provides everything you need: flyers, bins, and a quick-start toolkit, so all you have to do is rally your people and spread the word. A small effort on your part can make a big impact for a Southshore family.

Nominate your local hero by emailing us at [email protected]

We Know a Guy…or Girl

Southshore Services

Need a painter? A plumber? Someone brave enough to tackle that lightbulb orbiting 30 feet above your living room? We’ve got you. And the best part, they’re all right here in our community.

(We’re giving our services database a well-deserved makeover. A brand-new layout is on the way, and trust us, you’re going to love it.)

Interested in joining the list? Shoot us an email to [email protected]

“Keep it Local!”

Foodies Only

Roots Southern BBQ

If you haven’t had Roots Southern BBQ yet, just know your taste buds are missing out on something special. Slow-smoked, full-flavor, and the kind of food that reminds you why Southern cooking never loses

If you’ve got a restaurant, food truck, or even a lemonade stand, it could be featured here. Email us at [email protected]

Local Sports

Our area high schools boast state champions and multiple division titleists. Come out and show your support for these teams and for our community.

Got news, events, or press releases that the Southshore needs to know about? Submit them here. (We’ll do our best to add press releases in our regular rotation.) If you’re looking to run an actual ad, go here instead.

Until next time,

Keep It Local.