OVERVIEW

This week on Bucket Talk, Eric is back to host with Jeremy. This week’s episode is unique — we’ve got two guests, Will Posey and Jackson Conn. Based in Hokes Bluff, Alabama, Will owns Big Oak Garage, a hot rod shop specializing on design, fabrication and paint. Jackson is a welder/fabricator you can find on the TV Series Ride of Your Life, which you can find on MotorTrend TV. Listen in as they chat about their backgrounds in the automotive world, how they met each other and more. 

ABOUT WILL AND JACKSON

Will grew up in Alabama racing hot rods with his dad. After getting a degree in automotive restoration from one of the only schools in America that offer that degree, McPherson College. Will started Big Oak Garage in 2007. There, they design, fabricate, and paint hot rods. Jackson’s education was less formal, but he’s still elbows deep in the auto world. After graduating from high school in 2017, he interned in Atlanta, learning metal fab and all the skills that come with it.  

“I learned a lot from a lot of people and a lot of stuff I had to pick up on my own. So it's been a wild journey.”

Will was initially brought on to be part of Ride of Your Life, and this is where he met Jackson. After a few weeks, they realized that they needed more hands on deck, so Jackson was brought in. Initially introduced just to work on the show together, Will and Jackson were fast friends, making for a lifelong friendship. 

“My eyes and Will's eyes locked each other. With somebody, you're in love with somebody and you're like, oh, my gosh, that's my person.”

One thing that binds the two of them, other than the automotive world, is passion. They both credit that to get them where they are today. All of the trades require hard work, time away from the family and a ton of skill, but when it comes down to it, you’ve got to love it. You can’t get through a conversation with these two guys without realizing that passion is essential to their current and future success. 

“Gotta have a passion to do this. If it's not what you eat, breathe, sleep, shit. You know, you're just gonna be another normal guy out there trying to make a living doing something, you know?”

This conversation is special, and a must-listen, because these guys are infectious. Just listen to their stories, the way they work, and you’ll be inspired to do more. They’re both in a great place in their careers, but they aren’t complacent, and this is something BRUNT strives for. Listen in to not only get practical advice for the automotive world, but advice on how to succeed in any trade you can imagine.

This week on Bucket Talk, Jeremy and our guest host Andrew catch up with Maine-based lobster fisherman Jacob Knowles. A fifth-generation lobster fisherman, Jacob hopped into his first skiff in grammar school and ended up diving fully into the lobster trade after high school. Tune in as he chats with our hosts about finding his place in the lobster world, keeping lobster fishing local and what the biggest challenges are for lobster fisherman in 2022. 

For the latest episode in season 5 of Bucket Talk, our hosts spoke to Matt Stanley of American Asphalt and Paving, who is also the founder of Raised on Blacktop, a streetwear brand made for blue collar folks. Matt’s family has a history of paving — both his grandfather and father are in the pavement business — so it was only natural for him and his three older brothers to join the team.

This week on Bucket Talk, we caught up with Lee Ohmen, who spends his days working his main gig as an electrician and his off-time crafting custom wood items ranging from corn hole boards and cutting boards to ornaments and dining tables. He grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, just a short way from BRUNT headquarters, where he got a union job right out of high school. He now plies his trade in Charleston, MA. Listen in as he chats with our hosts Jeremy and Eric about skipping college, falling in love with woodworking and spending time with his family. 

At the ripe age of 15, John Shevlin made the move from Ireland to Queens in an effort to pursue the American dream. The youngest of 10, John hailed from a long line of hard working tradespeople, so it was no surprise that he spent his first few moments in the U.S. working for his brother, a framer. With no knowledge of the trade, John threw himself into the trial by fire environment, paying his dues as he put in his 10,000 hours, mastering the art of framing. 

Now, seasoned with 25 years of experience under his belt, John has spent the last 10 month’s building out Shevlin Construction, a self-owned commercial and residential framing and finishing company that prides itself on providing clients with loyalty and high quality workmanship. While it may sound cliche, the proof is in the pudding with John’s book’s, booked out for the next 10 months. Tune into this week’s podcast, as we sit down with John to learn a little more about his background, how he got to where he is today, and what he sees as his biggest challenge down the road for Shevlin Construction and the trade itself. 

John Shevlin moved to Queens, New York right from Ireland at just 15 years old in 1997. The youngest of 10, John, despite going through a major life transition, was set up for success with the help of his older brother, a framer. Through him, John was able to learn the art of framing and finish from the ground up, paying his dues as an order taker while navigating the trial by fire environment that came with learning the trade. 

Not long after making the move to Queens, John and his brother made yet another move. This time to Springfield, Massachusetts, attending school for the first time ever at East Longmeadow High. John spent the next few years earning his GED before jumping right back into the trade working for a variety of jobs, both at construction companies and with a union. 

His time in the trade had it’s pros and cons, but his leap to entrepreneurship really bubbled up when he realized his work life was overtaking his family life. In the years after high school, John found himself married with two kids. With more at stake, John pushed himself to take on all the work he could get in an effort to support his family. Soon his workload hit a peak, and after 6 years of a 5:30 A.M. - 10:30 P.M. daily shift, John took note that his kids were getting older, and his was missing out on that time - so he took matters into his own hands 

Today, seasoned with over 25 years of experience, John run’s Shevlin Construction, a 10-month old, self owned business that is already booked out for the next 10 months. His biggest challenge? Finding good help. In his generation, if you weren’t first you were last, and more often than not he has struggled to find that same mentality in the younger generations coming into the trades. From his stance, framing feels like a dying trade, but yet there’s still so much opportunity. In his eyes all it takes is drive and loyalty. Sure, it’s hard work, but anyone motivated enough to take on the challenge is sure to find a wealth of success. Tune in to take a deep dive into John’s full background, and more.

This week on Bucket Talk, we chat with the world’s best roofer, Colorado-based TJ McCormack, who also happens to be the first roofer we’ve had on the show. After serving four years overseas as a torpedo man in the Navy, he came back to Washington, D.C. and became a police officer. He was with the police for 14 years, but eventually decided to head a different direction. He saw a Craigslist ad looking for folks to sell roofing and the rest is history. Listen in as he chats with our hosts about navigating his early career, the ins and outs of the storm chasing roof industry and what he’s up to after a couple of decades in the roofing trade.  

For our second episode of season 5, we caught up with Matt Gentry, owner of Gentry Custom Knives. Based out of southwest Michigan, Gentry crafts each custom knife himself, to the exact specifications of the customer. Amongst Matt’s work, you’ll find hog splitters, fixed-blade bird and trout knives, gut-hook skinners and even chef’s knives. Listen in as Matt chats with our hosts Jeremy and Eric about learning a craft with the help of YouTube, the ins and outs of getting into social media, how COVID impacted his career trajectory, and much more.

When Matt started making knives about eight years ago, it was just a hobby. After receiving a handful of inquiries into how to buy one of these custom knives, he realized this could be more than a hobby. He took it on as a side hustle to supplement his income and things took off from there. Once COVID hit and his day job took a hit, however, he realized this knife business could be something much bigger.

“After doing that for like a week, I was like, man, we got to make a change. And I got to sell this business because it's just way more lucrative to make knives and just I enjoyed it a lot more, you know.”

He sold his half of his auto shop to his business partner and went all-in on the knife work, which has taken off in a big way. He’s now seen so much success that he just takes custom orders; he’s already booked into 2023. What makes his business special is that anyone can contact him, share their vision for the knife and from there, the rest is up to him. While it is still a job, he’s in a place he wants to be — and he doesn’t take it for granted.

“A lot of people that reach out to me like, Matt, what do you do? And how do you do it? And I think I'm not saying it's locked [in], because I've worked my ass off to promote and grow and do all this stuff. But I just am really, really grateful for all the awesome customers that I've gained over the years.”

To kick off Season 5, we linked up with Paul and Susan Kadilak, the Massachusetts-based couple at the helm of Kadilak Homes. They take on renovation projects with a goal of helping homeowners fall back in love with their homes. Not only that, but they document it on their TV show Renovation Rekindle which you can tune into for free on their website. Listen in as our hosts chat with Paul and Susan about how they met, how they balance careers, and what their family history means to their business.

Susan Kadilak, as she puts it, grew up “in the dirt.” Her dad and grandfather were builders — essentially she was around the trades from birth, learning everything she could along the way. Paul spent years working to get himself a job as a firefighter, which he did and still does today. After meeting in the late 2000s, they joined forces renovating homes. Their road to the top had humble beginnings.

“That was like the worst, [most] humbling time to come. We were doing, you know, projects in Boston — all structural work — a ton of old houses that needed foundation work, nothing Instagram or nothing social media worthy at all…he's probably like, why are you doing this?”

The hard work and keen eye for quality work paid off. Having grown up around masons, Susan wasn’t going to half-ass it — it was all or nothing. Quality and true craftsmanship was the most important thing. This attitude has been highly rewarding, and it’s something they try to prove to each and every one of their clients — they know what they’re doing.

“I think we've always taken control of the projects because we truly want the clients to love their house… We do love being home because we love our house.”

Now that they’ve really built something for themselves, they’re focused on doing the best work they can and passing their knowledge along to the next generation. When it comes to hard work, you don’t have to look far with these two. If you’re looking for some inspiration or want to figure out how to get a renovation going yourself, look no further than the Kadilak’s website or social media channels, where you’ll see the fruits of all their hard work over the years.

For our season 4 finale of Bucket Talk, we talk with Don Ducharme, who is a stonemason by trade but also is the Director of Career Technical Education at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School in Danvers, Massachusetts — just a short way from BRUNT HQ. He started doing masonry from a young age but went to school for Medical Technology. After a short career in the med-tech world, he got into teaching masonry at a vocational school, eventually working his way up to administration. Listen in as he chats with Eric and Jeremy about getting into masonry with his father, his intro to teaching and administration, and much more.

In seventh grade, Don started working summers with his father’s masonry business. In college he studied Medical Technology, but his stay in that field was short-lived. He was eager to get back into the trades but also to become a teacher. He taught masonry at a vocational school for seven years and eventually got into administration, where he still works today as Director of Career Technical Education at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical school in Danvers, MA.

“Many of the trade guys are actually pulled right out of the trades. The week prior to starting to teach, I was laying bricks, then I learned to become a teacher. What works is that everybody has apprentices along the way. So you're teaching guys, when you're in the field, and that kind of gives you the inclination that you'll be good at teaching as well.”

Though he had been a masonry teacher for some time, he now oversees a ton of other departments at the school, giving him the opportunity to reach even more students, though he’s not directly instructing them anymore. He likens it to being a foreman — you manage and lead the folks directly beneath you, and the knowledge trickles down.

“I wish I got into education sooner. To be able to have the effect that I have on students every day. And then the other thing that I've learned most recently is to say, ‘No, this is a job that's 24/7.’ As far as education, obviously, everything we went through with the pandemic has really changed the scope of things. But sometimes it's not about just making the dollar every weekend. It's about being happy, being comfortable in your shoes and that sort of thing.”

Since he is in a position to work with so many kids, he was the ideal liaison for BRUNT to make an impact in the future of the trades. Through Don, BRUNT has been able to cultivate an ongoing partnership with Essex North Shore, donating boots to students in the Carpentry, Construction Craft Laborers, Electrical, Landscape & Turf Management, Masonry & Tile Setting, and Plumbing pathways. And that is, hopefully, just the beginning of a lasting relationship.

“It's really about building relationships. One of the things that many teachers that become administrators are wary of is losing that connection with the students. So instead of you having that direct connection with the students, you're helping many other teachers become better. When you look back at it, you're really helping so many more students. If I help five teachers that have 30 kids in front of them, instead of just helping 30 Kids, I'm helping 150 kids.”

Don doesn’t plan on moving on anytime soon — he loves his current job and is always working to take on more. Not only is that an important character trait as a tradesman, but it makes him an invaluable role model to the hundreds of students that come through his school each year.

This week on Bucket Talk, we meet HVAC technician and hobby woodworker Nate Adams, who you can find on Instagram as @builtby_n8. He’s been in the HVAC trade for 20 years, working on the sales side for the last 15 after starting his career with an apprenticeship. Since he’s no longer out and about working with his hands, he decided to get a woodworking shop going. To Nate, woodworking is not only a fun way to get his hands dirty, but it is a form of therapy and a time to relax. Listen in as Nate chats with our hosts about making his way from apprentice to sales, finding solace in the workshop and helping others learn their craft.

As of now, Nate has been in the HVAC trade for 20 years. He got his start like many others in the trades, with an apprenticeship. Initially inspired by seeing his father build a house from scratch with his buddies in the days before YouTube, he knew that getting into the trades was what he wanted to do.

“My dad was always tinkering and fixing stuff. [He] built the house he currently lives in…[If] he was under the car, I was under the car with him. If he was under the tractor, I was under the tractor with him. So that's kind of where I think my love of tools and working with my hands came from.”

After an unfortunate setback, Nate found himself off of the hands-on side and on the side of the manufacturers — initially working in shipping and receiving, and eventually working his way up into a role in sales. When most folks would have thrown their hands up and quit, Nate pushed forward.

“The way I look at it is you can never give up, like whatever situation you've dealt with, whether it's pushed on you or you put yourself in it, you got to keep just plugging away and figure it out and do the best you can”

Since he’s no longer spending his days actually working hands-on with HVAC stuff, finding time to work with his hands is a void he has to fill; working with his hands is what he loves to do. This is where he found his passion for woodworking. Once he had his space built out, he started posting his work on social media and his Instagram took off from there. He wasn't woodworking just to be popular on social media — he was looking to find some zen in the craziness of life.

“I just enjoy what I do. It's my outlet, my stress relief, if you will. So my goal with the shop was to set it up so that I didn't have to spend an hour setting the shop up and then try to do a few minutes of work because that's all the time I had left. I got two kids and a job and a lot of other things that pull me in different directions. I wanted my shop to be set up so I could walk out, spend 30 minutes, set it down, walk away from it, and then come back, you know, without having to do a ton of setup.”

Now that he’s got social media worked out, he’s finding new ways to use his platform to help other makers, whether it is a video on tips and tricks or unboxing a new tool someone might be looking for. He’s got a pretty good setup in the HVAC space and wants to continue doing what he’s doing, both there and with his woodworking. From the sound of it, he has a handful of paths in front of him, all which lead to success.