Inside The Trades

This episode ran originally on March 22, 2023: In this week's episode we talk with the Kevin Dobson, the Executive Director and Founder of Capital College and Career Academy. CCCA is a brand new charter school, based in Sacramento, with a focus exclusively on the construction trades. Borne out of frustration, over the lack of opportunities and preparedness for real life in this Title 1 neighb...

This week's guest is Dan Kitchen, the founder of Make Stuff Move. Make Stuff Move is a social enterprise that aims to bridge the gap between STEM education and the skilled trades by providing hands-on kits that teach children about engineering, electronics, and problem-solving. Dan shares the inspiration behind Make Stuff Move and discusses how he wants to empower kids to explore their creati...

Join entrepreneur and blue-collar trades advocate Austin Laulainen as he defies societal norms, educates young adults on the value of blue-collar careers, and strives to bridge the skilled labor gap in this inspiring and thought-provoking episode of Inside the Trades. In this episode, you will be able to: Explore the rewarding aspects of choosing a blue-collar trade as a career path during youth....

In this episode, we welcome the Disrupt Education podcast dynamic duo, Peter Hostrawser and Alli Privitt about the integration of trades and education. They discuss the challenges faced by the education system in preparing students for the workforce, the misconceptions surrounding vocational education, and the need for collaboration between industry and education. Peter and Alli emphasize the impo...

In this week's "Emergency Pod" session Matt talks about the challenges and strategies involved in pricing, marketing, and running a mosquito control franchise, all while dealing with multiple disasters in the span of one morning.  His reflections on three months of business ownership include:   The importance of raising prices to reflect the value and target higher-end customers Foc...

This episode is the second part of our dive into Matt's purchase of a Mosquito Authority franchise in Massachusetts.    Part 1 explored the selection criteria he applied to narrow the decision process.   This week he shares the due diligence phase and financing steps he used to close the deal. Key Takeaways: Create your research and purchase process before making any offers Stick to the proce...

It is an absolute pleasure welcoming Ontario's Minister of Labour and Immigration, Monte McNaughton , to the show and learning about the number of initiatives the Ford Ministry has undertaken to welcome more people into the skilled trades. With a goal of bringing 100,000 new skill trades professionals into the field by 2033 the Minister and his team have worked tirelessly to roll out programs...

We've talked trades since the start, but neither Matt nor Derek had a background on the tools.  That has all changed and Matt talks about buying a business and the rules he devised to research, identify and purchase a trades business that fit his comfort level and skills.  He brings a lot of great insights to the conversation and we're excited to follow his story,  introducing this new f...

Paige Knowles, aka Plumber Paige is in the studio this week and we are so happy to hear from the voice of our target audience! Paige touches on how she came into the trades, but the bulk of the show is us wanting to learn about what's driving young adults today and how we can provide the permission structure for them to explore a life in the trades. Paige does an absolutely wonderful job shed...

In this episode of "Inside the Trades," we had the pleasure of speaking with Nate Clayberg, the founder of Career Adventure Academy, Business & Program Development Director of Cedar Falls CAPS and host of "That's a Job?" podcast. With a background in economic development, broadcasting and a passion for career exploration, Nate has been working to help students find the...

In this week's episode we talk with the Kevin Dobson, the Executive Director and Founder of Capital College and Career Academy. CCCA is a brand new charter school, based in Sacramento, with a focus exclusively on the construction trades. Borne out of frustration, over the lack of opportunities and preparedness for real life in this Title 1 neighborhood, Kevin and a core team of industry partn...

Ryan vanDyk brings 20 years as a HVAC technician, manufacturing rep and business owner into the show this week to talk about business ownership and how his podcast is helping other HVAC owners navigate running their operations.   When it comes to ownership there are a lot of skills that contribute to success and it's not just from being a technician.   If you'd like like to learn more ab...

When it comes to creative thinking and big ideas the name Brandon Eckenrode should be near the top of the list.  Dubbing himself The Facilitator of Generosity on his LinkedIn account, Brandon has helped to generate and distribute millions of dollars and various resources to collision repair programs across the country.  His passion for the trades and providing opportunities for kids to succeed in...

We got a two-fer on this show - Talking the House That She Built AND heading back to our adopted city of Philadelphia!  We've loved this book and the movement it's been able to grow that we had to have the author on and hear all about the origins and how it's changed the course of her life. If you'd like to learn more about the book and how you can get involved here are some he...

One of the things we’ve noticed in the course of hosting this show is how much further ahead Canada’s been in creating programs and incentivizing groups to get more people thinking about a life in the trades.  To shed some light on this we invited in sheet metal worker, YouTube host, advocate, parent to a son in the trades, and of all things a Red Sox fan, Nick Tountas.  We would consider Nick one...

Meredith Balmforth's story isn't unique - high academic achiever and setting her sights on continuing that in college, earning a scholarship to her top school choice.  Unfortunately, she was gone by the end of her first year, questioning what direction her life was going to go.  Mix together some ingenuity, willingness to take a bold step and some divine intervention and she built an inc...

One of the groups we want to talk with this season are those with active platforms to advocate for the skilled trades. Their voices are critical to amplify the messages we need to get out to kids and young adults thinking about their futures. Saying Andrew Brown is equipped for success in this arena is a major understatement. In just a few short months the founder of Toolfetch, one of the largest...

Season 2 kicks off with Matt and Derek recapping their first year of podcasting and exploring the skilled trades as outsiders.  We appreciate how much the blue collar community has embraced us and helped us learn so much in such a short time and it's invigorated us to keep looking for answers! This season we are diving deeper and narrowing the focus to five groups we think hold answers on clo...

When looking for marketing help in your business, it helps to know there are providers that specialize in small business trades owners and Duct Tape Marketing is right there!  We sat down with their COO, Sara Nay, and learned how they're supporting the trades by offering strategic advice or providing full agency services. Key Takeaways: Importance of Professional Presentation as a residential...

Kicking off Season 2 of Inside the Trades is the Executive Director for the Western Steel Council , Greg McClelland.  Greg has sat across the negotiating table with many large construction outfits and advocated equitable pay, realistic timelines and safety standards for men and women working in the ironworkers unions. He's also a staunch advocate for the trades and his organization has been a...

Closing the skills gap and getting students excited about being part of the trades as a career takes more than just providing them with information. It takes having students exposed to the trades through advanced technology, virtual reality simulators, and hands-on instruction and learning. Not only does this give young people the opportunity to try something new, but it can be the spark of someth...

ENCORE EPISODE:  When you think about male-dominated industries, construction might be one of the first that comes to mind. Today’s guest believes that, by utilizing skilled tradeswomen and women-owned companies at all stages of your residential construction project, your home will not only be more beautiful but more holistically attuned to your unique needs too!  In part one of this two-part conv...

HOLIDAY ENCORE -  On this episode we're back with the Father Judge welding program in Philadelphia, speaking to the instructor and architect of the program, Joe Williams. Joe has decades of experience as a welder, working on national defense systems in private industry, as a teacher at his alma mater, and has even constructed Hollywood movie sets and props! Most recently, he was tasked with a...

ENCORE EPISODE - Father Judge High School President, Brian Patrick King Father Judge is a Catholic, all-boys college preparatory school, but when Brian took over as president in 2016 he noticed that 66% of students were lacking clear, actionable career options post-graduation.  That led to the school's decision to develop a new welding program to provide skilled trade alternatives for young m...

With the recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology it seems fitting to revisit our conversation with Commonwealth Fusion System's Jeremy Hollman.  With an impressive resume that includes testing and designing for groundbreaking projects at Boeing, SpaceX and Aurora Flight Sciences, Jeremy is that smart science guy we think only exists in movies like The Saint .  This extensive experien...