By Katie Arnoult
Three local businesses in Los Alamitos—The Family Plumber, Cal Custom Interiors and Sunset Designers & Builders—are making a lasting impact through their support and partnership with The Youth Center. Whether it’s construction, remodeling, plumbing or handiwork in homes, their involvement goes beyond business. A commitment to quality service, giving back to others and a strong local presence highlights their dedication to both their industries and the community they serve.
The Family Plumber
For nearly 40 years, The Family Plumber has been dedicated to building long-term client relationships and serving the community. Since its beginning, the company has served homes and families within a 15-mile-only radius, remaining a local presence in Los Alamitos.
Whether it’s fixing a leaky pipe or doing large-scale projects in homes, The Family Plumber prides itself on putting the customer’s needs first and building trust with them as a local business.
“A lot of customers look to the people that they trust the most in any trade industry…And I think trust really means a lot to customers…So I think it’s so important to be intertwined in the local community and with your local customers so that the trust barrier is broken right away,” said Mike Prencavage Jr., president and owner of The Family Plumber.
Keeping with the value of staying local, The Family Plumber has worked with and supported The Youth Center in Los Alamitos for about two years, first starting as a sponsor partner. More recently, Prencavage Jr. has joined The Youth Center’s board and is the 2025 One Grand Project Chair, which he describes as a humbling experience.
Growing up in Los Alamitos and going to all the local schools, Prencavage Jr. has been familiar with The Youth Center and its programs since a young age, whether it was after-school programs, music classes or Every 15 Minutes.
“The Youth Center has been tremendously important to our family; myself, my brother, my younger sister – we’ve all benefited from the Youth Center programs when we were younger. So it’s super important that we give back now that we have the opportunity to do that.”
These past two years, The Family Plumber has been active in Youth Center events such as the annual Golf Tournament, Crystal Hearts Ball, Camp SHARK, One Grand Project and the Christmas Tree Lot, which has become a favorite event among The Family Plumber staff.
“It’s extremely rewarding when our technicians and management staff go to volunteer at the Christmas Tree Lot every year and that they actually look forward to those types of events. We have a bunch of volunteers from our company – guys that have kids – and they want to help out,” Prencavage Jr. said.
With a focus on local engagement, The Family Plumber continues to make a positive impact, not only through their plumbing services but also by building connections with organizations like The Youth Center and supporting the community.
Cal Custom Interiors
With 48 years of experience in the industry, Cal Custom Interiors in Los Alamitos serves families in custom interior remodeling projects and specialty labor, with a dedication to quality from start to finish.
Sam McCall, owner of Cal Custom Interiors, explained how the company is a self-performing contractor, rather than a “paper contractor,” building on the value of putting their customers first and treating them like family.
“The customer is the most important aspect of the equation,” he said. “(At the beginning of projects), they interview me (and) they’re interviewing several other (companies). Once they choose me, I feel grateful and I continue the relationship as a grateful (contractor).”
Cal Custom Interiors’ partnership with The Youth Center began about seven to eight years ago, when McCall’s youngest son had a friend working there. He invited the family business to serve at the Youth Center’s annual Christmas Tree Lot, and the company quickly became plugged into the Youth Center’s programs; volunteering at the tree lot became a regular commitment.
After some time, McCall was approached by Lina Lumme, C.E.O. of The Youth Center, and was asked to join the Youth Center’s board. McCall then became almost like a contractor-advisor for the Youth Center, and both he and his company played a contributing role in the construction of the Youth Center’s new “Center for Youth” building.
McCall explained that Cal Custom Interiors aided in building the vaulted wood ceiling of the new center, as well as providing furniture and kitchen essentials.
“It was a big project for The Youth Center. So many people from the community helped out with that, big and small,” he said.
Nowadays, the McCalls and Cal Custom Interiors are involved in supporting The Youth Center in any way possible, whether it’s participating in the Youth Center’s summer Golf Tournament or going back every year to volunteer at the Christmas Tree Lot.
In 2019, McCall was given a feature article in the Event-News Enterprise to spotlight his dedication to The Youth Center and his passion for giving back. This year, Sam McCall was given the honor of the 2025 Crystal Hearts Individual Award recipient by the Youth Center.
“(The phrase) ‘Do unto others as you would like them to do to you’ (is) something that was taught to me early on and it just sticks, and I think it’s a great answer to a lot of things,” McCall said. “I have the giving gene. I learned long ago that the gift is in giving, not receiving. So it’s just part of who I am.”
Sunset Designers and Builders
Founded in 1948, Sunset Designers & Builders exclusively serves the areas of Rossmoor and Los Alamitos with a mission to provide the best swimming pools and outdoor living spaces to all families. By serving customers with personal care during projects, Sunset stands out from the industry as a company that not only provides quality results, but also treats customers as if they were family.
While Sunset Designers and Builders’ relationship with the Youth Center has not been as long as the other businesses, their commitment to helping the community is just as strong. Nate Trimmer, the company’s office superintendent, explained that Sunset has only been with the Youth Center for a short time, with their first time sponsoring the annual Christmas Tree Lot this past year.
However, the company doesn’t just participate in the Youth Center’s big yearly events; they also look for ways to help wherever possible.
In December of 2023, the Youth Center released a post on their Instagram page thanking Sunset for providing indoor recreational game equipment for kids attending the Youth Center’s after-school programs.
Trimmer shared that both he and John Zahn, Sunset’s owner, are Los Alamitos locals and have enjoyed utilizing the Youth Center’s programs for their own children.
“John’s kids used to (go to) the Youth Center when they were young; they’re in their thirties now, (and) my daughter goes to Los Alamitos Elementary, and every Thursday (she) has music class (and is) learning piano through the Youth Center,” Trimmer said in a voicemail.
In the end, it’s not just building beautiful pools and backyard spaces that matter to Sunset. It’s also about helping and benefiting others, especially youth in the community.
“Sunset wants to give back to the local projects that help kids directly,” John Zahn said in an email.
Despite only having partnered with The Youth Center for a few years, Sunset Designers and Builders hopes to continue this community-benefiting relationship for years to come.
Through their ongoing support of The Youth Center, The Family Plumber, Cal Custom Interiors and Sunset Designers and Builders help to benefit local youth one day at a time. Their commitment goes beyond business, making a lasting impact on the lives of kids and the community.
The Youth Center has been transforming the lives of kids and families since 1952. For more information, please visit online at www.theyouthcenter.org.
Katie Arnoult is the Senior Marketing Intern for The Youth Center.