Wurzelbacher is one of two employees of a small plumbing firm, Newell Plumbing and Heating Co. of Toledo,^[6] the company he described to Obama as making $250,000 to $280,000 per year.^[6] Wurzelbacher said that the idea of buying the company was discussed during his job interview six years prior.^[4] According to MSNBC, Court records show that Wurzelbacher made $40,000 in 2006.^[15] Dun & Bradstreet estimates the annual sales of A. W. Newell Corporation, the actual corporate name, at $510,000, and states it has 8 employees, not just 2.^[28]

An Associated Press article reported that Wurzelbacher did not have a plumber's license or apprenticeship,^[29] although Local 50 of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters and Service Mechanics, which has endorsed Obama, revealed that Wurzelbacher did not complete an apprentice program started in 2003.^[30]