Everything They Don't Tell You

This week we sit down with someone who is basically as famous as you can be in the facilities management industry. Co-host of the Ron & Don show and Facilities Manger for over 30 years, Mr Don Turner. Don shares some valuable insight here about proper steps to take in the middle of this crisis to ensure your facilities are functioning as best they can when customers start piling back in. We also t...

This week we sit down with John Vuong, Founder of Local SEO Search, Inc. John is a little out of our realm of the skilled trades, but he works with skilled trade companies on a daily basis so I thought he would have a unique perspective for our audience. John spent time selling ads for Yellow Pages before he realized that he could better serve customers doing Search Engine Optimization for their b...

Today I sit down with Ryan Kinnison of Cost Workplace Solution. Formally the facilities manager for Sprinkles Cupcakes. I've seen Ryan pretty active and vocal on LinkedIn so I thought I'd reach out and see if he'd be willing to let me pick his brain a little on everything that's going on with COVID-19. Ryan has had a long journey through the trades and has worked very hard to get where he is. As a...

Today's guest is one of the most respected facilities managers in the industry. He has over 35 years in facilities, with the majority of his time spent at Ruby Tuesdays overseeing more than 900 locations nationwide. Most recently Danny has found a home with Collier Restaurant Group and received the RFMy MVP Award at the latest RFMA Annual Conference in Denver. Unfortunately, like so many others ri...

It's more important than ever to be building a protocol should anything like this happen again. I wanted to share mine, even though it's incomplete and raw, in the hope that it might help others get started. Here it is: 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 & 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 - Act swiftly, don't panic, take an advil - Gather all possible facts, circumstances, scenarios, etc - Plan for the worst - Shift sales offerings to support & assis...

Today I got to sit down and have a genuine conversation with a young entrepreneur from Toronto. Adam Bartman is the co-founder of REED, a plumbing technology company. His parents came to Canada just before he was born and his dad was a plumber who eventually started his own business. After high school and a short stint in college, and then an HVAC program, Adam joined the family business and helpe...

Shifting gears a little bit in these trying times.  In light of the COVID-19 crisis I am on a search for hope and understanding.  In this episode, Terry Ubl - Facilities Director for Hai Hospitality explains what so many are feeling right now. Uncertainty. Fear. And defeat. But Terry has some advice for everyone who was forced into a position they never wanted to be in. Adapt. Adapt. Adapt.  Terry...

I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with one of the most genuine and intelligent people I've ever met. Some may know him as Gian Carlo, GC, or Mr Manufacturing and he is the President and CEO of Amerikooler Inc. The fastest growing and largest privately held walk in cooler manufacturer in the US. We talk about everything from how his grandfather got his start in manufacturing in Cuba all t...

To all of our customers & partners; past, present, and future –   We wanted to give you an update on our efforts to help keep your operations up and running during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.   We are closely monitoring the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), our industry associations, and the industry as a whole. Our goal is to do e...

In this episode I get to sit down with Rodger Smelcer of United Service Technologies, a service company that services hot side equipment in major grocery chains. Rodger is an absolute WEALTH of knowledge when it comes to service, technology, and basically life in general. Give a listen to hear his story about his journey through the trades to get to where he is today and also how his company is st...

This weeks episode is from one of the most inspirational guys that I know. His curiosity of everything is second only to his humor and overall outlook on life. Mr. Bobby Buivid sits down with me and takes me on a journey through, not only his career, but his mind & his heart. This guy is a master creative, and a marketing genius for Olympic Store Fixtures out of Chicago, IL. He's as real as they c...

Today I get to sit down with Chris McLeod (pronounced "Mcloud).  Chris is currently 3rd Generation President of Jones-McLeod Foodservice Equipment Parts & Sales.  His story is all too familiar for a lot of folks these days.  He went to college, wasn't sure what he wanted to major in, changed his major 3 or 4 times, and finally landed on Civil Engineering. Once he graduated and entered the workforc...

In this episode, Evan and I talk about the culture in Univex and the manufacturing industry as a whole.  We also discuss his perceptions and journey through college and ultimately how he ended up where he is today, Director of Marketing for one of the most renowned food equipment manufacturing companies in the US. Evan is a great example of the opportunities that exist in the world of manufacturin...

This week I sit down with Brandan Helzer of Smart Care Equipment Solutions.  I had the privilege of being the first ever podcast that Brandan agreed to do, and I'm so glad. We dive deep into his story from his humble beginnings working at his dad's tire shop, to his college career being derailed due to a teen pregnancy, his time in the military, pest control, and ultimately to his current role of...

Today I sit down with Mike Moreno who owns and operates a full-fledged content creation company, Much More Media. I had the pleasure of meeting Mike at the inaugural FEDD conference in Miami this year and finally got to dig into his background in this episode. Much More Media was founded in 2015 by Michael Moreno and Cristin Downs with the goal to bring their 20+ years of creative and professional...

Today I sit down with the man that is responsible for a huge shift in the perceptions of the skilled trades that we talk about so often. Angel Quiroz is the Director of Marketing for Malachy Parts & Service and the FEDD Group. He works hand in hand with Rich Malachy to market the food equipment service industry. Angel is another prime example of someone who arrived on accident, but stayed on purpo...

I had the privilege of being a guest on Tersh's podcast, Service Business Mastery (go find it, it's AWESOME), just after the release of my book, Blue is the New White.   Since then I've become an avid follower of Tersh and often marvel at the information he puts out and his insatiable thist for knowledge.  In this episode it's my turn to learn more about him . Tersh got into the trades shortly aft...

Bob Baker apprenticed with his father, Gerry, from the time he could hold a wrench and eventually received his master plumbing certificate from SAIT.  Due to the boom that occurred in Calgary, Gerry and Bob thought it best to split the city into halves. Gerry would look after the NW and Bob would handle the SE. In 2000, Bob started his own company naming it R. Baker Plumbing & Heating Ltd with the...

Just a quick re-introduction to the podcast going into 2020.  We have picked up quite a few new listeners even though I took some time off so I figured I'd open the new year explaining who I am and what Blue is the New White aims to achieve. Kind of a boring episode if you're already a regular listener but don't worry, we'll be back soon with new guests, topics, and the like heading into 2020. Tha...

We often talk ABOUT Gen Z on the show, but this week we talk TO Gen Z.  Meet David Przybyl, Installer at Windy City Equipment.  He is 21 years old and has been working here for almost 4 years now. Some of you may have heard me talk about a kid that came to me straight out of high school, all but begging for an opportunity.  So I gave him one, taking out the trash. He worked his way up from there t...

Today's guest is widely respected in the Facilities Management industry because of his leadership and professionalism.  He started in the trades immediately after high school, forgoing a college education.    He landed a job with Hope Builders working nights, taking out the trash. Through hard work and refusing to stop learning he worked his way up through the company, eventually leaving to pursue...

Today's guest is Jase Wyatt from Lexington, KY. Jase reached out to me on instagram because he shares the Blue is the New White mentality. Jase went to college for business because he had built his landscaping business quite steadily and heard the same narrative - "Well, then you should go to school for business!!" He never ended up completing his college career, but instead shifted gears to the H...

Today's guest is a 3rd generation plumber in a family owned business (Carter Services) in Indianapolis, IN. He grew up like so many; a good kid, but didn't always do great in school.  And, most importantly, wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to after high school.  Even though he never really saw himself as a plumber, he ended up working in new construction with his dad soon after graduation.   Aft...

Stepping out of our realm just a little bit on this one.  Although Austin grew up in a blue collar family, he personally went a different route. He had entrepreneurship in his blood, without a doubt, but his heart was in finances.  Although he wanted to make sure that he still chose a route that allowed him to work alongside the skilled trades and the business owners therein.  He started with entr...

In this episode I get the opportunity to chat with, who I consider, one of the industry's greatest assets.  Gary McCreadie, or as many of you know him the HVAC Know It All, shares some of his wisdom with me about how he approaches his the trades in the digital age. After attending refrigeration school, Gary hooked up with a great company in Canada where he has spent the last 20 years repairing and...