Toolbox for the Trades

Juan Lopez has always embraced change and views it as an opportunity for growth and continuous improvement. His professional journey is a testament to how you can achieve anything you put your mind to. Everyone in the trades constantly looks to improve and find ways to grow more efficiently and effectively. With the introduction of new technologies, automation, and enhanced workflows, you can turn...

Patrick Boldt and Craig Childress are extremely passionate professionals in HVAC and plumbing. Both hail from humble beginnings and thrived in the trades despite facing many adversities. They decided to take their passion for the trades to the next level and participated in a quiz. Little did they realize that this would take them to Florida, where they would compete with the best in the Elite Tra...

Ian Jacoby is a rare breed in every sense of the word. He grew up in the business his father had built, where they would help companies in the trades to obtain the respective permits. By outsourcing this process to Ian and his team, contractors are able to focus on their true areas of expertise and grow their businesses more effectively. As the president of iPermit , Ian is on a mission to help bu...

Michelle Myers is a bit of a pioneer and a “Renaissance Woman” of sorts. She went from being a commercial interior designer to an entrepreneur in the trades and ran remote teams before that term even became a buzzword. Her passion lies in identifying peoples’ true potential, proactively finding solutions to address customer challenges, and continuously improving systems and processes to scale her...

Raffi Elchemmas and Jennifer Massey are dedicated individuals with an important mission — to help normalize talking about and raising awareness for mental health in the construction industry. There are about 5,000 deaths by suicide a year in construction in the U.S. There are several challenges to consider, such as the job being physically demanding, the high probability of injury in the workplace...

Kelsey Whittenberg fell in love with being an electrician. She loves to understand how everything works and how to use both her technical expertise and tools to help solve problems in the field. She also posted videos on social media as a creative outlet while she was at job sites, and that quickly burgeoned into a great passion. As an industrial Electrician at Weifield Group Contracting , Kelsey...

Sheena Palacios was truly built into the trades in every aspect since her father, brother, husband, and other family members are electricians by profession. For her, the trades are a passion and an opportunity for her to return that appreciation for something she didn’t have before. She is also a strong believer in data transformation and how data is a treasure trove that can be leveraged by teams...

Jackie Sorensen knows a thing or two about working in a family business and dealing with gender stereotypes in the trades. She’s passionate about making the trades more attractive and accessible to young women and is actively involved in local activities within her community. As the President of Thorson Heating , Jackie and her team endeavor to deliver exceptional heating and air conditioning serv...

Richard Lewis truly believes that building genuine connections with people in the trades is the key to long-term sustainable growth.  His experience in the finance industry has also helped him to identify opportunities for growth across different sectors in the trades.  He’s also enabled business owners to take a different approach to partnering with investors to grow their service business. As th...

Ken Midgett is extremely passionate about continuous learning and believes that training is a critical component to the long-term growth of businesses in the trades. As a professional plumbing service entrepreneur, Ken successfully ran two businesses and helped make the plumbing program at a high school in eastern Pennsylvania one of the most sought-after for students joining the workforce. As the...

Devynn Thompson entered the trades with her husband after he decided to establish his own plumbing business. They faced many challenges along the way and realized they had to learn from their mistakes and embrace constructive criticism from their employees. By connecting with people in the trades, going through training, having a coach who keeps them accountable, and learning how to delegate tasks...

Rebekah Hatcher entered the trades with her husband after he decided to set up his own business. They faced many adversities in the beginning as they tried to grow, and they even hit a plateau. They then decided to become an Aire Serv franchisee, and with the right training, systems, processes, and a lot of hard work, they managed to scale their business successfully. As the owner of Aire Serv of...

Many family business owners eventually pass the leadership torch down to their children. Oftentimes, those transitions work out smoothly. But what about when they don’t? Mike Prencavage, Jr. , Owner of The Family Plumber , dreamed of taking the reins of the family business after college, but he had to “fight like hell” with his father to see his vision come true. Now, he’s leveraging technology an...

Lance Bachmann had a tough childhood and had to work his way up. After spending several decades in advertising, he decided to start his own full-service digital marketing agency. He learned from his past mistakes, sold the business, shifted his mindset, and seized on different opportunities as he added different companies in the trades to his growing portfolio group. Over time, he not only became...

Many companies in the trades may view acquisitions with trepidation, but they can also provide businesses with incredible growth opportunities. To achieve that growth, you need to start by building trust and having the right plan in place. Angela Miller knows that there’s always an opportunity that you don’t anticipate. Together with her team, Angela helps to ensure that transitions are smooth and...

Ryan Kettering believes that if service businesses want to truly stand out in their market, they need to look beyond the visual aspects of their logo and website. They need to dive deeper and find something authentic to them that will resonate with their customers and employees. He helps customers achieve this by using the fractal brand identity framework, which consists of developing their core b...

Jennifer Rose-Caudill really “hit the ground running” when she was asked to help out in her family’s plumbing business. Originally trained as a real estate appraiser, she proactively identified areas of improvement within the company and tried to find the right solutions. Over time, she learned from her mistakes, continuously learned about the trades, and with her two brothers, managed to grow the...

Krista Landen knows about change all too well. She has witnessed the company she works for growing exponentially over the years, and a big part of that is linked to continuous improvement.  Over time, she has learned that embracing and adapting to change is key to being successful in the trades. To get ahead, you need to be able to learn new things as well as improve current systems and processes....

Lance Ball believes that if you don’t challenge yourself, you will never grow. His professional career is a testament to how someone can persevere, reinvent themselves, and seize untapped opportunities. He likes to assure customers that he has their best interests at heart and wants to give them control over their choices. As the owner of Aspen Mountain Plumbing , Lance uses his solid industry kno...

Katie Biddle believes that when an organization’s leadership shows that they care about their employees, they will be better motivated to provide excellent service to their customers.  She proactively encourages her team to put themselves in their customer's shoes to anticipate their questions and understand their challenges or pain points. As the Head of Customer Experience at Call Dad AC & H...

Ismael Valdez is a “Renaissance Man” in every sense of the word. Not only has he built a successful contracting business from scratch, but he’s also about to launch another business that will be a game changer for the trades. He has a simple yet very profound approach to running his businesses: know your numbers, pay your people well, take care of them, and always be one step ahead of your competi...

Kristian Protic learned about running a business the hard way. He started his career in the trades as a salesman for a home service business. He then started two ventures before founding his current company, which focuses on providing heating, cooling, and plumbing services to customers. Over time, he learned to trust in his abilities, have more confidence, not over-rely on partners, and have the...

Samuel Petrie began his career in the trades by working in his father’s business. He then went on to start his own company that focused on delivering technology and solutions that benefit the rural communities that he serves. It was through his business that he identified an underserved market needing urgent help - homeowners looking for someone to complete multiple simple tasks. As the General Ma...

Paige Knowles , or “Plumber Paige,” has loved the trades since she first saw the construction wing of a tech school during a junior high tour. But she was dismayed by the stigma that surrounded her passion for blue-collar careers. So she took on the mantle of a trades advocate, spreading the word to boys and girls across the country that the trades are cool — and lucrative. The children’s author a...

Jawad Olabi was riding high in a lucrative corporate finance career. But after COVID forced devastating layoffs at his global firm, he started searching for new opportunities. That’s when he found an underserved market that was ripe for much-needed accounting services — the trades. Now a Managing Partner at ServicePro CFO , Jawad uses his expertise to help contractors get their books in order so t...