“In 2020, when the annual McElroy’s Core Values Integrity Award was inaugurated, it was perfect that Junior Barajas was first to receive it,” said Shawn O’Malley, McElroy’s plumber, now safety manager. “It’s the highest honor for a McElroy’s employee, and Junior lives McElroy’s Core Values to the fullest. He’s a hard-working, skillful craftsman who gives his whole heart to serving our customers and team. Plus, he’s a great friend.” We’re proud to celebrate Junior Barajas, McElroy’s plumber, as he marks his 20^th anniversary with McElroy’s on December 9, 2025.

Building Maintenance

Junior grew up in Topeka’s Highland Park school district and pitched for an elite baseball team. He played football in high school, and then on a college scholarship until suffering a knee injury. Not long after, Junior started working on the building maintenance team for what was then Bank IV in downtown Topeka. “I learned on the job to do plumbing, heating and air, and electrical work. I loved it,” Junior said. “The headquarters was 17 stories tall, and we had another 10 or 12 branches in northeast Kansas. The bank sold several times, and different property management companies would take over, so it was like changing jobs every few years.”

A Pivotal Call

After 18 years on the maintenance team, Junior was laid off on November 30, the date of his wedding anniversary. Junior planned to move to Texas … until he got an unexpected call from his former youth baseball coach. “Doug Bass coached me until I was 18, and he’d heard about my layoff. Doug remembered me as a hard-working team player, and thought I’d be a good fit at McElroy’s where he was a plumber,” Junior said. “Doug knew all my family was in Topeka, so he encouraged me not to move. Instead, he said I could start at McElroy’s the next day!”

Team Support

Junior reported to McElroy’s at 7:30 the next morning as a delivery driver. Before the day was over, the plumbing service department manager asked him to join his team. “I already knew a little about plumbing, but there’s more to it than just pipes,” Junior said. “I had a lot to learn about water softeners, heaters, backflow protection and so on. Any time I ran into something I didn’t know, someone on the McElroy’s team would teach me. I learned a lot from Steve Hane and Shawn O’Malley, for example. Shawn and I still trade tips from time to time.”

Happy Customers

Junior finds working in service plumbing to be rewarding. “A residential or commercial customer could call any company. So it’s great when someone invites me into their home or business and I solve their problem,” Junior said. “Happy customers are very satisfying.” Taped to his truck’s sun visor, Junior keeps a drawing that a child made for him many years ago. It shows Junior as a stick-figure fixing their water heater. The hand-written note on the back says, “Thank you for fixen the wadr hedr. We can tak a bath now.” Whenever Junior needs a pick-me-up, he takes a look at that.

Patient and Kind

“When I started with the McElroy’s plumbing team, I worked as Junior’s helper a lot. He taught me the right way to do things, with patience and kindness,” said Nick Sarkesian, McElroy’s plumber. “Nowadays if I need help, he’s the person I call first. Junior treats you like family, so he’s easy to talk to. He listens carefully as you describe your challenge, and gives you his best solution – which I’ve found to be right 100-percent of the time! He’ll even help with a personal project, like when he came over and helped me install a new storm door. Junior is an all-around good guy!”

Proven Expertise

When called upon to fix a problem, Junior takes pride in providing solutions that make people happy. He appreciates that Luke Dumler, McElroy’s plumbing service manager, acts as the team’s “coach” – helping when asked, while giving everyone freedom to learn and grow. “Junior’s been doing this work for a long time and has tremendous expertise,” said Luke. “Building-maintenance people respect Junior’s know-how, and residential customers trust him and like him as a person. We can send Junior to any location with any situation, knowing he’ll provide the best possible outcome.”

Proud Family Man

Family is paramount to Junior. About his wife, Junior said, “Raquel is our rock. She makes our family go. I’ve had to miss some important family events when I was on call for plumbing emergencies. Raquel’s unwavering support makes it possible for me to provide the service I do.” Their son, Carlos, was three months old when Junior was laid off and started with McElroy’s. He’s a sophomore in the medical field at KU now. “Carlos juggles college with 20 hours per week at Chipotle. I’m very proud of him.” Daughters Noelle and Alyssa attend Shawnee Heights High School and play on the club softball team that Junior coaches. “Noelle plays second base and is a National Honor Society member, a Student Council leader, yearbook photographer and wants to teach early elementary school. Alyssa pitches and is very entertaining and creative. She is great at drawing, and it will be fun to see where she goes.”

Exemplary Peer and Friend

“The camaraderie at McElroy’s continues to grow,” Junior said. “Our plumbing team has a variety of technicians with different skills and expertise, working individually and together to solve things. McElroy’s has a long-respected name, and I’m proud to work here.” Junior Barajas has now built two decades of respect with McElroy’s and we’re very proud to have him on our team. He continues to learn and share new things with his teammates, and is as fine a peer and friend as anyone could ask for. We appreciate you, Junior, and look forward to your continuing contributions for a long time to come!