About John A. Mullen
Built in the trade.
Shaping what comes next.
Fourth-generation plumber, Founder & Principal Consultant of John A Mullen ConTech Consulting LLC, and industry advocate working at the intersection of plumbing, mechanical systems, energy, policy and workforce.
I’ve spent more than two decades moving from the field to construction leadership, healthcare infrastructure, emerging energy technologies—without losing the tradesperson’s perspective that got me here. Today I bring that perspective to clients as a construction technology consultant.
The through-line
I connect the people who build systems, the people who design them, the people who own them and the people who regulate them.
Industry Impact
Field experience.
National perspective.
My work spans technical research, construction operations, public health, workforce development, industry education and public policy—with an increasing focus on geothermal, Thermal Energy Networks, hydronics and the technologies reshaping the built environment.
What I Work On
Where the industry is going.
I’m most useful where technology, regulation, construction and people overlap. These are the areas where I spend the most time today.
Geothermal & Thermal Energy Networks
Workforce, professional qualifications, deployment strategy and the role of water-based systems in shared thermal infrastructure.
Practical Requirements
Turning emerging systems into practical requirements that designers, contractors, owners and AHJs can actually use.
Water & Energy
Hydronics, heat recovery, geothermal, water efficiency and the overlooked role water plays in moving, storing and recovering energy.
Workforce & Skilled Trades
Building pathways that let the existing plumbing and mechanical workforce install and maintain the next generation of energy systems.
super intelligence (SI) & Emerging Technology
Practical applications for technical research, estimating, education and the daily work of contractors and industry professionals.
Industry Policy & Advocacy
Explaining technical realities to policymakers, regulators and stakeholders so better ideas can become workable policy.
Career
Built from the field up.
The title has changed. The work has always been about understanding complicated systems, making them work in the real world and helping the people responsible for them do their jobs better.
The Trade
United Association apprenticeship and field work in plumbing and mechanical systems.
Construction Leadership
Project management, estimating and executive operations across major New York plumbing and mechanical construction.
Owner Side
Enterprise medical-gas, plumbing and water infrastructure leadership at NewYork-Presbyterian.
National Technical Affairs
Technical services.
Founder & Principal Consultant
John A Mullen ConTech Consulting LLC — construction technology consulting across plumbing, mechanical systems, energy, SI and workforce.
Industry Voice
Write it. Explain it. Put it to work.
Technical work matters more when people can understand it. Writing, speaking and media have become an important part of how I help move the industry forward.
Publications & Media
Industry writing without the corporate oatmeal.
- Published across PHCPPros, PHC News, Plumbing Engineer, The Wholesaler, CONTRACTOR Magazine, Plumbing & Mechanical, HFM Magazine and other national industry media.
- Author of The Future is Now and contributor to AHR Expo Trend Reports.
- Founder and publisher of Throw a Wrench in Your Plans Media.
- Generation PHCP Class of 2024 and PM Engineer Next Gen All Star.
Speaking & Engagement
Technical subjects for actual humans.
- Speaker, moderator and panelist for national industry events.
- Programs covering SI, geothermal, Thermal Energy Networks, hydronics, workforce, emerging technologies.
- Podcast guest on Mechanical Hub Media’s Appetite for Construction and Scaling UP! H2O.
- Audiences include contractors, engineers, owners, utilities, policymakers and skilled trades.
How the free tools stay free: some product links on this site are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I'd put in my own truck.