Blue Collar Leadership

In this in-depth episode, Elliot Schneider, Manager of Environmental & Fleet Services for the City of St. Peters, Missouri, provides an in-depth break down of the practical steps, communication strategies, operational changes, and leadership decisions that made the new system work for residents and of the City of St. Peters, MO.

Delivering measurable results in recovery rates, cost savings, and community engagement, he turned single-stream recycling into real results for the city and his team.

You’ll learn:

• How he led the shift from a limited, opt-in blue-bag recycling program to a full single-stream cart-based system
• How the Blue-Collar Leadership® podcast and books inspired him and his team to embrace and take ownership of the change, generate buy-in, and lead throughout the process
• How he and his team implemented and rolled out thousands of 95-gallon recycling carts
• How he worked with the City Administrator (Bill Malach), other city officials, and Machine X to upgrade the Recycle City materials recovery facility
• How he and his team transitioned from processing a 1/2 ton of materials per hour with ~30 people to processing up to 12 tons of material per hour with ~10 people
• How he drove community participation from roughly 20% to the 80–90% range while keeping contamination low
• How he and his team were able to cut the solid waste truck fleet in half while doubling the number of stops
• How was able to move from replacing the solid waste truck every 12 years to every 6 years

Contact Info:

Elliot Schneider Cell: 314-570-2931

Elliot Schneider Email: [email protected]

Machine X website: MachineXrecycling.com

City of St. Peters, MO: StPetersMo.net 

Prefer to watch the video version? Check out the 41st episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel under the "Real People Getting Real Results!" playlist at YouTube.com/@BlueCollarLeadership  

Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.

#wastemanagement #MachineX #wasteindustry #recycling #SingleStreamRecycling

Most blue-collar leaders know they need to fix the obvious people mistakes. However, few realize they’re still struggling because they’ve been ignoring other common mistakes rooted in character and culture.

In Part 2 of 2 of this short podcast series, Mack Story breaks down 5 MORE common (and costly) mistakes new, and not-so-new, blue-collar leaders make, starting with the trap of focusing only on results while ignoring the character and culture of their team.

Mack doesn’t just point out the mistakes. He also gives you clear, practical “Fix It” tips to consider that you can actually use to lead with confidence, competence, and credibility.

If you’re ready to move past surface-level leadership that's based on your position and authority and start earning real respect and building trust with your team, this episode is for you.

This may be the commonsense Leadership 101 guide you’ve been looking for to help elevate your leadership ability.

#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #leadershiptips #leadershiptraining #bluecollarleadership #supervisortraining 

Most blue-collar leaders are promoted because they’re great at doing the work…not because they've proven they know how to lead people.

The problem?

They’re rarely given any real leadership development training, so they end up making costly mistakes that quietly damage their credibility, their teams, and their career.

In this episode, Mack Story breaks down 5 common mistakes new (and not-so-new) blue-collar leaders make…from trying to stay “one of the guys” instead of stepping into real leadership, to avoiding the tough conversations that actually move the needle. And, he gives you practical, no-BS “Fix It” tips for each one.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re winging it as a leader, this is the commonsense Leadership 101 guide you’ve been missing.

#leadershipdevelopment #leadership #leadershiptips #leadershiptraining #bluecollarleadership #supervisortraining 

Here’s the TRUTH most are missing: While your INDUSTRY has a labor shortage, your ORGANIZATION is actually operating in an environment filled with an abundance of available talent.

Everyone working for your competitors, every experienced tradesperson in your area, and every new graduate from high schools, trade schools and those exiting the military is potentially available to join your team.

The real question isn’t “How do we find people?”

The real question is “Why aren’t they choosing us?”

In this episode, I share 5 practical leadership strategies to fix your culture, attract top talent, reduce turnover, and build a true competitive advantage, even in a tight labor market.

If you’re tired of hearing the same old excuses and ready for real solutions, press play.

Ready to transform your culture? Check out BlueCollarLeadership.com/culture

#Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #TalentAcquisition #Construction #Hiring #LeadershipDevelopment #Manufacturing #PublicWorks 

In this interview, Paul Sanneman discusses:

• Why Most Contractors Struggle to Find Good Help (And How to Fix It)
• How to Building Winning Teams in Construction
• How to Stop Making Bad Hires
• The Real Secret to Hiring Reliable Tradespeople
• The Impact of AI on the Recruiting Process
• The Importance of Hiring Slow and Firing Fast

In this episode of the Blue Collar Leadership Podcast, host Mack Story interviews Paul Sanneman, Founder and CEO of Contractor Staffing Source.

With over 50 years of experience coaching and consulting thousands of construction companies, Paul founded Contractor Staffing Source to solve one of the industry’s biggest challenges: finding and hiring reliable, high-performing team members who fit a company’s culture.

Specializing exclusively in recruiting for residential and commercial contractors across the U.S. and Canada, his firm handles the full hiring process so contractors can focus on building their businesses, strengthening their teams, improving profitability, and ultimately making more money in less time while having more fun.

Mack and Paul explore practical leadership insights around attracting and retaining top blue-collar talent, building winning teams, and creating the kind of culture that drives long-term success in the trades.

#contractor #recruiting #constructionlife #staffing #staffingsolutions  #construction #constructionindustry#bluecollarleadership 

Albert Einstein said the significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them. If you’re struggling with people, the real issue is usually your own character, not theirs.

The solution isn’t in changing them; it’s in changing you.

When you look in the mirror and accept responsibility instead of blaming others, everything starts getting better. Your influence grows, your results improve, and success shows up more often.

High impact leaders take the blame when things go wrong and give credit to others when things go right. They know self-mastery is the hardest but most important work they’ll ever do.

Stop waiting for others to change and start working on yourself. You are the problem, and you are also the solution.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, passed up, or stuck despite your talent, this episode will challenge you to look in the mirror, take responsibility, and finally break through the wall that’s holding you back.

In this eye-opening episode, Mack Story unpacks John C. Maxwell’s powerful truth: “Your character growth determines the height of your personal growth.”

Drawing from real-world career stories and Norman Schwarzkopf’s sobering insight that “99% of leadership failures are failures in character,” Mack reveals why so many sharp, capable professionals remain trapped at the bottom of the corporate ladder…not because they lack skills or intelligence, but because their character is holding them back.

You’ll hear about the “confused” people who blame the world, their bosses, and their co-workers while unknowingly sabotaging their own potential, discover the difference between getting hired for competency and getting promoted (or fired) for character, and learn why more degrees and technical training will never fix what only character-building can.

Mack Story explains that good character is built piece by piece through thought, choice, courage, and determination—not given like talent.

Drawing from Henry Cloud’s idea that character is the ability to meet the demands of reality, he shares raw stories from his many years in the trades, including the hard lessons from dealing with his son Eric, where his lack of patience—a clear character flaw—led to ineffective control instead of true development.

Mack breaks down how values shape our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and how our daily choices reveal our real character to our team.

For supervisors, plant managers, and aspiring leaders in manufacturing, construction, and the skilled trades, this episode delivers simple, practical steps to spot blind spots, build patience, choose growth over control, and do the hard things until they become habits that strengthen you and your team.

In this very special 500th episode of the Blue Collar Leadership Podcast, Mack Story reunites with Derek Brown—the man who inspired him to launch the Blue Collar Leadership podcast eight years ago.

Derek shares the story of how he and Mack first connected, his own powerful personal growth journey, the professional path that shaped him, and what he’s doing today as National Sales Director at CrewPlex, where he helps construction, industrial, and high-risk teams communicate safely and effectively in loud, demanding environments. Check out the products Derek offers at CrewPlex.com 

With a focus on human-first leadership, sales coaching, and team development, Derek delivers real-world insights on growth, resilience, and leading people the right way—whether you’re on the shop floor, in the field, or running a team.

This milestone conversation is both a heartfelt look back at the podcast’s beginnings and an inspiring forward look at what authentic leadership looks like in blue-collar industries today.

If you’ve ever been impacted by the show, you won’t want to miss this one.

#leadershippodcast #leadershiptips #bluecollarleadership #podcast #growthjourney 

Practical, straightforward, and recorded for real blue-collar leaders, aspiring leaders, and workers who want to climb to the next level and beyond.

In this special husband-and-wife episode, Mack and Ria Story give listeners a brief, practical overview of the eight core books in the Blue-Collar Leadership® Series—part of the 35 books they’ve published.

They walk through the five 30-chapter/3 pages per chapter books:

1. Blue-Collar Leadership® & Culture: The 5 Components for Building High Performance Teams
2. Blue-Collar Leadership®: Leading from the Front Lines
3. Blue-Collar Leadership® & Teamwork: 30 Traits of High Impact Players
4. Blue-Collar Leadership® & Supervision: Unleash Your Team’s Potential
5. Blue-Collar Kaizen: Leading Lean & Lean Teams

Plus the three quick-hit Blue-Collar Leadership® Toolbox Tips books which are packed with 60 micro-lessons each.

Mack and Ria share how frontline team members can use these books for personal growth and how formal leaders and supervisors can turn them into powerful team-development tools through short book studies or by sharing weekly Toolbox Tips.

Whether you’re looking to build better habits, improve communication, strengthen culture, or lead change on the shop floor or the job site, this episode gives you the roadmap to start using these proven resources immediately—no matter your role or experience level.

#bluecollarleadership #skilledtrades #leadershippodcast #leadershipdevelopment #workforcedevelopment