Latest episodeNov 10, 2026
The $105K Career in Facilities Management Most Kids Never Hear About
Jim Zirbel
Facility management careers: Jim Zirbel of FM Pipeline Team explains what facility managers do, what they earn, and how to get in.
The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades
Hosted by Andrew Brown
Real Careers. Real Money. Real Stories From the Skilled Trades.
Go inside the careers, companies, and conversations shaping the future of skilled work. Discover what it takes to get started, build a career, and succeed in the trades.
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The $105K Career in Facilities Management Most Kids Never Hear About
Jim Zirbel
Facility management careers: Jim Zirbel of FM Pipeline Team explains what facility managers do, what they earn, and how to get in.
94% of Plumbers Are Satisfied With Their Job. Why Don't Kids Hear That? | Troy Benavidez
Troy Benavidez
Plumbing careers: Troy Benavidez of LIXIL says 94% of plumbers are satisfied with their job, and asks why schools keep steering kids away from it.
Why This Skilled Trades Business Has a Waiting List of Job Applicants
Abe Zarou
8⁸HVAC and plumbing apprenticeship that works: Abe Zarou of AllTech Services explains how an in-house academy gave his company a waiting list of people who want to work there.
The $240,000 Electrician: Who's Training the Next One?
Andrew Brown
Data center electricians are making big money.
We Don't Need Data Center Electricians. We Need Electricians. | Concetta Defa
Concetta Defa
Concetta Defa, executive director of the Utah Building Trades Council, on why data center training has to build real electricians, not one-job installers.
Are We Building Careers in the Skilled Trades or Just Filling Jobs? | Julian Scadden
Julian Scadden
Julian Scadden, CEO of Nexstar Network, on why the trades need a clear path from technician to business owner, not just a pitch about six figures.
Are Employers Ready for the Next Generation of Skilled Workers?
Jon Ward
Jon Ward, CEO of Ward Vessel and Exchanger, on why welders quit in the first 90 days, how a "people first" culture actually gets built, and why your best welder is rarely your best mentor.
The AI Data Center Boom Is Hiring Tradespeople, Is It Building Careers?
Andrew Brown
The AI and data center boom is creating a wave of new trade jobs for electricians, HVAC techs, and welders.
Inside IUPAT: Glazing Careers, Mentorship, and the Trade Nobody Talks About
Travis Nevins
Travis Nevins of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades explains what a glazier actually does, and why this skilled trade career is everywhere you look and almost nobody can name it.
What Actually Makes an Apprenticeship Program Work
Andreas Brockmann
Andreas Brockmann of United Grinding built an apprenticeship program that now gets 400 applicants for 5 spots — and it starts apprentices with hand tools, not machines.
The 700,000 Mechanic Shortage No One's Talking About
Joshua Borel
Aircraft mechanic Joshua Borel of Chennault Aviation breaks down why the industry faces a 700,000-person shortage over the next 15 years — and how A&P techs build six-figure careers.
You Don't Have a Hiring Problem. You Have a First 90 Days Problem.
Andrew Brown
Employee retention doesn't start with recruiting it starts with the first 90 days.
New Here? Start With These Conversations.
Plumbing & HVACNov 3, 2026
94% of Plumbers Are Satisfied With Their Job. Why Don't Kids Hear That? | Troy Benavidez
Plumbing & HVACOct 6, 2026
Are We Building Careers in the Skilled Trades or Just Filling Jobs? | Julian Scadden
Plumbing & HVACOct 27, 2026
Why This Skilled Trades Business Has a Waiting List of Job Applicants
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