The Trade Talks

Growing up, Spencer West struggled in school due to multiple learning disabilities. He attended college because he thought it was the "next step" in life. But it wasn't until he dropped out and found the trades that his life had a sense of meaning and direction. He's now a successful electrician with a burgeoning YouTube channel to boot.

Dustin discusses the high earning potential of a plumber, and the risk and responsibility it took to make the leap from Master Plumber to entrepreneur and business owner — in which, not only his family, but a fleet of tradesmen now depend on him.

Henry Wakefield is a 20-year union vet and master pipefitter. This episode discusses his humble beginnings in a machine shop to become one of the best pipefitters in the nation.

Jimmie Dale is President of Baker Brother Plumbing, a North Texas based company slated to do $100 million dollars in revenue for 2023. This conversation starts with his roots, and tracks his metoric rise to become a titan within the industry.

Rachael is an apprentice plumber with a backflow certification. She is the 2023 contest winner for Ferguson and Milwaukee's "Women in the Trades."

Gary studied Mechanical Engineering in College and spent almost 40 years in the bakery business (25 years self employed) before devoting himself full time to helping families with their water. He was excited to learn how a water softener worked because, as he found soon after, almost no one in the industry knew how they worked either. Truth was, no one seemed to know how any type of water treatment equipment actually worked.

Dustin Stelzer is a master electrician and the founder of Electrician U. 

"The idea of Electrician U was born from a lack of availability of quality educational material, for electricians, on the web. There are tons of people teaching code classes, but nobody teaching electrical work, from the field. We sit and watch many traditional trade schools takes peoples money and not give any true value to the students, so something was needed to get education out to the people in need, without ripping them off."

-Dustin Stelzer

What Roger knows for sure?

Growing up, his family encouraged him to be a hard worker. And that's not all: Close friends were all plumbers in Texas. They took him under their wing, and encouraged him to get all the training he could and always do things the right way. He built a successful business and had opportunities he never could’ve imagined; and he wants everyone who’s willing to work hard to know they can too. Blue collar workers built America. The trades are a pathway to a successful life, and something to be proud of.