If you're looking for an avatar of someone who's made a great career for themselves in the skilled trades then it should look like Josh Zolin.  He's not only built a career from the ground up he's taken the pains to educate himself to learn the business and people side of ownership. 

Josh is one of those rare people you sit down with and know within a few minutes of talking that they're going places. We were fortunate and grateful to have him join us to talk about his family legacy in the stunt world to running a $10,000,000 commercial HVAC and kitchen equipment repair business.  As an author, speaker and fellow podcaster, Josh is also beating the drum about closing the talent gap in the trades. 

We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did and if you want to learn more about Josh's world check out the following:

• Windy City Equipment
• Josh on LinkedIn
• Blue is the New White
• Blue is the New White Podcast

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• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

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EP27: Returning to the House That She Built

Episode 27

Stefani Thatcher is the Owner and Lead Designer of Domani Home Design, a residential design firm that puts the homeowner’s personal stories and unique lifestyle at the heart of the finished product.

In part two of our conversation with Stefani, we take a look at why she is “training her competition” and how she is supporting workforce development in home building by generating awareness of the skilled trades for the largest underrepresented community: women. 

Tuning in, you’ll find out how Stefani’s Square Foot Superhero program helps you level up your skills and teaches you how to design custom homes that are builder-friendly, engineer-friendly, and that homeowners consistently rave about.

We examine the scholarship opportunities that The House That She Built project and book has created for women who want to pursue trade programs and certifications, how you can bridge the knowledge gap using the resources already available to you, why tangible skills are invaluable, and more!

Stay tuned to hear how Stefani is helping to inspire the next generation of building professionals and close the talent gap in the trades.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Why certain constraints are good for innovation
• What you will learn from the Square Foot Superhero program
• Who is a good candidate for the course
• How to bridge the knowledge gap using free resources
• Viewing experience and education as compensation
• Scholarship funds that came from The House That She Built
• How women in trades contribute to economic development
• Why Stefani is training her competition
• Why skilled trades are essential services!
• Attracting fresh talent to the trades
• The measurable value of tangible skills
• Simple ways to engage in continuous learning

 To connect with Stefani and Domani Home Design, visit her website or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

 Join the Fall 2022 waitlist for the Square Foot Superhero program.

 Learn more about The House That She Built.

Connect with us:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

Head to Apple Podcast for more episodes.

Stefani Thatcher – Domani Home Design (Part 1)

Episode 26 

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 conversation, we are joined by Stefani Thatcher, who is the Owner and Lead Designer of Domani Home Design. Each of Stefani’s home designs utilizes her unique Smarter Floor Plans design method, with the homeowner’s personal stories and unique lifestyle woven into the finished product.

 Today, Stefani offers us a closer look at her business and holistic design processes. Tuning in, you’ll find out how some of the stereotypical attributes that women in trades are often overlooked for can be a valuable asset to your next home design project.

 Stefani is not only a world-class architect, home designer, and educator, but she's also one of the inspirations for a children's book, which you will learn more about in today’s episode. Be sure to stick around to hear how Stefani is helping to close the talent gap in the trades!

 Topics discussed in this episode:

•  Stefani’s origin story, which started at just nine years old
• The curiosity required to constantly improve your processes
• A look inside The House That She Built
• What women bring to the trade of construction
• Closing the skills gap and improving the homeowners’ experience!
• Bringing humanity to the home
• Why a house is so much more than four walls
• The emotional bond Stefani forms with her clients
• Some of the custom designs Stefani has created
• A practical understanding of bringing these designs to life
• Why certain constraints are good for innovation

 To connect with Stefani and Domani Home Design, visit her website or follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

 Learn more about The House That She Built!

Connect with us:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

Head to Apple Podcast for more episodes.

Filling up the Skill Stadium with Keith Williams

Episode 25 Part 2

 When you think about the jobs our society glorifies, what first runs through your mind? Maybe a doctor, investment banker, or architect — all careers require years of expensive college tuition and, sometimes, a small pool of jobs available. Why, then, are we not promoting the in-demand skilled trades?

 After decades of saturating the job market with white-collar workers, it’s harder than ever to find a great paying job in the field you studied. People are struggling to find their “dream job” and the workforce of skilled trades is aging, so we should be pushing the younger generations and current job seekers to consider the profitable skilled trades industry.

 In this second installment of Inside the Trade’s special two-part series, hosts Derek and Matt are back speaking with Keith Williams, podcaster and creator of Skill Stadium. During this episode, they discuss why educating the youth and their parents on skilled trades and their benefits is so important to changing these limiting ideals.

 Tune in to learn all the benefits of working in the skilled trades industry, from debt-free education to the ability to move wherever you want, and MORE!

 Topics discussed in this episode:

•  A short refresher on part one of this series
•  Educating youth on skilled trades
•  Are parents contributing to the skills gap?
• Pay in the skilled trades and financial literacy
• Ways the skilled trades are failing to promote themselves
•  Role the media plays in belittling skilled trades
• Misconceptions about skilled trades
• Technology and the future
• Pros of working for/owning a small business
• Cons of working for a big company
• Why people love working in the skilled trades industry
• Brandon Eckenrode, director of Collision Repair Education Foundation

 Looking for a job or need to hire skilled tradespeople? Head to Skill Stadium, where they use video to match job seekers and employers, based on culture, skills, and results!

 Learn more about Skill Stadium:

• Youtube Channel
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Linkedin 
• Twitter

Connect with us:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

Head to Apple Podcast for more episodes.

In episode one of a special two-part series, Inside the Trade hosts, Derek and Matt, are joined by fellow podcaster Keith Williams. Since creating Skill Stadium, an online job platform directed at skilled trades, Keith has connected skilled tradespeople to employers.

Keith has brought opportunities to people in a struggling job market, but this is just one part of his mission to bring skilled trades to the forefront and educate the younger generation! He also furthers this agenda by sharing relevant information through interviews on his podcast and videos on his YouTube channel.

On this episode, Keith our hosts talk about how Skill Stadium is different from the standard job platform, the problems businesses are having with hiring in this job market, and differences in each generation of workers. They also discuss a few ways the skills trade industry is failing in nurturing talent and leveraging technology to keep up with the changing market.

Tune in for part one of an informative conversation on skilled trades and how to stand out during a job search in the industry!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Keith on why he started Skill Stadium and his podcast
• Using the Skill Stadium platform to find employment
• Challenges employers are having with hiring on his platform
• The effect of the pandemic and work shortage on work ethic and culture
• Does age have an effect on work ethic?
• Keith’s interview with a plumbing business owner
• The willining to teach and learn skilled trades
• Using technology to connect and build the trades

Looking for a job or need to hire skilled tradespeople? Head to Skill Stadium, where they use video to match jobseekers and employers, based on culture, skills, and results!

Learn more about Skill Stadium:

• Youtube Channel
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Linkedin 
• Twitter

Connect with us:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

Head to Apple Podcast for more episodes.

Boldly Going Where the Trades Need to Go

Episode 23

 Listen to this episode to hear Derek makes one of his biggest dreams come true! After admiring him for years, Derek gets to discuss energy development and the importance of skilled trades with talented engineer, 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 experience in such an important field sounds intimidating, and that may be the very reason many skilled tradespeople think they need an engineering or advanced science degree to get their foot in the door of cutting-edge industries.

 Now leading the development of nuclear fusion technology at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Jeremy shares how his experiences as a student made him aware of how technical workers are crucial to the development of advanced technology.

 Be part of the movement that inspires students and laborers to join companies that are changing the world!

 Topics discussed in this episode: 

• Derek’s experience putting together an aerospace conference
• How technical skills are key to the aerospace industry
• Skills Jeremy was taught by coworkers at SpaceX that can’t be learned from a book
• The difference between fusion and fission technology
•  Why nuclear fusion technology is better for the environment and cost effective
• Hurdles faced by private companies to move past the development phase
• How Commonwealth Fusion Systems is bringing opportunities to the local community
• Progress on the building of Spark, Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ demonstration plant in Devon, MA
• How building partnerships with local schools is key to creating a strong and skilled workforce
• Reasons many laborers aren’t aware of opportunities in advanced tech fields or don’t want to be a part of it
• Why Jeremy made the switch from the defense and aerospace fields to the energy sector with Commonwealth Fusion Systems
• How solving energy problems can help solve some of the world’s conflicts
• Benefits of working in the private sector to effectively make change
• Why government collaboration is important to companies and communities
• Movement building to educate and bring communities on board
•  Current job openings at Commonwealth Fusion Systems

 Learn more about Commonwealth Fusion Systems 

Browse current job openings at Commonwealth Fusion Systems

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• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

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It may not be a surprise to know the oil and gas industries are major employers for students of the Tulsa Welding School, but what about wind and solar companies and SpaceX? 

We really loved hearing these stories from Chris Schuler of Tulsa Welding School and how his love of video games aided in the implementation of a new virtual reality simulator program.

If you're ever in the Tulsa area it's got a great music scene, fantastic places to eat and you may even see Chris tailgating at an Oklahoma State game or watching the Tulsa Oilers play hockey!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Chris Schuler’s backstory and how he came to be a welding instructor at Tulsa Welding School
• What inspired Chris to pursue a welding career
• What sort of companies are hiring Tulsa Welding students?
• How Chris’s love of video games helped shape their welding trainers, using virtual reality technology 

Connect with Chris:

• Instagram 
• Website
• LinkedIn

Connect with us:

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• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

Head to Apple Podcast for more episodes.

Today’s episode is going to be a little different. We are turning the lens from inside the trades to taking a snapshot from the outside in. 

We have invited an extremely passionate and talented person on today’s show who has been capturing the people that make up the trades industry to honor their work and commitment to building our nation. 

Tara Garner is an incredible photographer, content creator, and social media mogul, who also comes from a long line of folks in the trades and in the unions. She is dedicated to show the masses the real people behind all of the buildings we admire and the work that goes unseen. Encapsulating the essence of what it is to be a trades worker at its core. Genuine, good hearted, hard working individuals that want to selflessly make a difference. 

Seeing this side of trades is so critical for growing the industry. Yes, every job is a grind to some extent, but there is a true pride in seeing the fruits of your labor. Those quiet moments that people don't really think about but have the biggest impact, like the comradery between workers shooting the shit on a job site or doing something really cool. 

That alone can spark the interest of someone wanting to be in an industry where you’re treated like family and be proud of what you’ve accomplished.

Tune in to hear a beautiful story of how Tara is making a difference in humanizing the trades by capturing the people behind the hard hats.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Tara Garner’s backstory of her and her family’s involvement in the trades and unions
• What inspired Tara to capture life in the trades through photography
• How understanding someone’s story can change your perspective
• What sort of companies are hiring Tara to work on their projects
• What Tara’s work does for the workers
• How Tara gets the workers to warm up to having their photo taken
• Tara’s thoughts on how to get Tara involved in the trades
• The importance of morale on the job site

Connect with Tara:

• Instagram
• Website
• LinkedIn
• TikTok

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• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

Head to Apple Podcast for more episodes.

The stories we like to share through this show highlight successes professionals in the trades have experienced and also provide a blueprint for others to follow.  When we attended the SkillsUSA Conference we knew there were folks attending that could supply those stories and, man, we were not disappointed with this one!

At 24 years old, Jonel Murray was making a 6-figure salary and traveled all over the world, as a jet engine mechanic with Delta Airlines. He's not only made an incredible life for himself, but he's also instructing other jet engine mechanics the craft.  

Tune in to hear Jonel's story and share with other friends you think could benefit from hearing it. 

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• TikTok
• YouTube

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We love hearing stories how the people serving in the armed forces are transferring skills learned during service into civilian life.  We also love a good meal.   What if there's a way to mix both?

On today’s episode, we continue on with our fantastic time at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Competition and speak with Ed Fuchs and Cleveland Knowles of the US Coast Guard Culinary Program.  They share how they're training and empowering Coast Guardsman as ACF-certified chefs to run their own kitchens and bring those skills into a highly successful civilian career.  Bring your appetite and enjoy the conversation with the Coast Guard and tune in for another SkillsUSA success story!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What is the Coast Guard Culinary Program
• What do they look for in a recruit
• What do they teach their charges
• How does that translate into a civilian career

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• Instagram
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

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