Blue Is The New White: Episode #166 Today we sit down with the Executive Director of Explore the Trades, Kate Cinnamo. Explore the Trades is a non-profit organization focused on bridging the technical talent gap and acting as the conduit between education and industry. Topics discussed include: -          How they drive awareness of the skilled trades to the next generation -          How businesses can use Explore the Trades as a resource for recruitment -          How businesses...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #165 Got a wild one for you today, guys. 3 guests on the show today – 2 of them returning, 1 of them brand new. So our returning guests, Paige Knowles and Ken “Coach” Midgett talk about some of the things they’ve been up to since the last time they were on. Of course, Paige has yet another children's book on plumbing. Truly amazing. And Ken, getting used to being on the road to conferences and tradeshows talking about the value of education in the skilled...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #164 Our guest today is only 29 years old, but is a very successful business owner in the world of restoration. Eduard Mirzoian shares his journey with us today from his parents immigrating from Armenia when he was only 6 months old to his experiences in high school, life in and after college, and eventually working with his father to owning his own restoration business. Listen in to hear a ton of actionable advice, and real life insights from Eduard, from...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #163 I’m thrilled to be able to share this next episode with you. I’ve got Charles and Anthony Bracco of Modern Plumbing Industries out of Orlando Florida on the show today.  These guys are not skilled trades social media influencers. They are real, genuine entrepreneurs who have built and run an incredible plumbing business. Their humility and authenticity shine through in this episode almost as much as the passion they have for their people. Tune in to hear...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #162 Today we talk with a guest who was introduced to me by my good friend and frequent guest Matt Waxer, or the HVAC Doctor as you may know him. Terence Chan is one of the most forward-thinking people in I’ve met in the blue collar space. Always looking toward the next generation of workforce. Listen in to hear Terence's journey from straight A student, to engineer, to plumber, and eventually to business owner and master marketer. Don’t forget to subscribe...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #161 Jeff Bond from Trade Jobs joins us today to share his journey into the blue collar world! After College he became a teacher, then got involved with an HVAC company, and eventually bought that company! After some hard lessons, he stabilized the business and set out to fill a need that 98% of blue collar business owners see at their #1 problem: hiring and recruiting. Trade Jobs is an industry specific job board built by those in the trades FOR those in the...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #160 Today we have an awesome guest, ready to share her infinite knowledge about marketing blue collar businesses. Brittany Murphy, the Marketing Director for One Thing Marketing focusing on home service companies. Brittany grew up around the skilled trades with her dad being a pipefitter. And she attributes her love for building things to the values he instilled in her from a young age. After going to college for something completely unrelated to marketing,...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #159 Today we have a guest you probably already know. And if you don’t you better follow him right now. Roger Wakefield is one of the biggest personalities in the skilled trades and he’s taking his mission to the next level. We talk about his journey through the trades, beginning with dropping out of high school to be a plumber! Then to taking his skills to entrepreneurship, starting, running, and growing his own business. All the way up to his exit just 2...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #158 Today we welcome BACK to the show Mr Ryan Englin with Core Matters. Ryan was on the show back in June of 2021, I believe it was episode 104, and he is an expert at attracting, recruiting, hiring, and most importantly, keeping good employees. Note that I said GOOD employees and not just employees. Although his methods are transferrable across different industries, his passion lies in the blue collar skilled trades. Which is great, since our biggest...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #157   👉👉 Buy a raffle ticket to win the completely restored ’69 Camaro we spoke about last year. To be completed in a couple months: Check out www.operativetalent.com The foundation website itself at https://www.collisioneducationfoundation.org/ And be sure to vote for CREF at the LKQ Community Foundation Holiday Fundraiser once per day, per device! https://bit.ly/3FIbfY6 Mr Brandon Eckenrode now the Executive Director of the Collision Repair Education...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #156 Today we talk with a coach in the blue-collar space. Jeff Plant is Head Business Coach at BDR – Business Development Resource. They, and he, specializes in providing training and coaching services to the skilled trades industry. Jeff jumped into the trades after high school in the electrical field, but soon got started in HVAC. He worked his way up the ladder in the industry from helper to tech to COO and even had ownership in companies as well. So he has...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #155 Today’s guest is a hell of an entrepreneur. And actually knew that’s what she wanted to be since she was just a kid. Danielle Putnam, president of The New Flat Rate, joins us today to talk about her journey to get to where she is today. From a long line of trade professionals, Danielle was no stranger to the world of work. Just after high school she joined a company that took her to 25 different countries leading their marketing efforts. Then she went to...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #153 Super excited about todays guest. We talk about the business and leadership side of the skilled trades every once in a while and I absolutely LOVE when we get that opportunity. Today I speak with Corwin Smith, one of the cofounders of Culture to Cash. They are a consulting firm, primarily serving the blue collar world, and help companies: Improve profitability & Cashflow Achieve Leadership Autonomy and Increase enterprise value Corwin was...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #153 Ok, so buckle up. Today we have a true game changer on the show. And when I say game-changer, I mean this company is on a course to alter the skilled trades landscape and future middle class, forever. Eric Menees, CEO of Fynn Credit joins us today to talk about how their creative financing solutions are enable more students to attend trade school AND be placed with permanent employment. Eric has quite the resume himself as a “reformed researcher” in...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #152   Alright so today we bring in someone from the education sector to give us his perspective of the industries that we all know and love. Parker Antoine is the CTE Director of Marketing, Recruitment, and Enrollment Management for the Orange County Public School District in Florida. Which happens to be something like the 8th largest school district in the US. Parker’s passion for the industry and the success of tomorrows workforce bleeds through every word...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #151   Today we get the opportunity to speak with the CEO of the largest residential plumbing company in California. John Akhoian joins us today to talk to us all about how he grew his empire. John dropped out of high school at 17 years old after his father passed and immediately understood he was no longer going to pursue his father’s dream of coming an attorney. Instead, he jumped right into plumbing to help support a grieving family. He never looked back....

Blue Is The New White: Episode #150   Today we dive deeper into leadership in the skilled trades with special guest, Nanette Miner of The Training Doctor. Nanette is a succession advisor and leadership development consultant for the AEC (Architectural, Engineering, and Construction) industries. Nanette started off consulting for Fortune 100 companies and eventually found her niche in the AEC industries because she saw a void that needed to be filled. After recognizing that the baby boomer...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #148   Today we’ve got someone on the show from my neck of the woods. Todd Russo, president of Reeis Air Conditioning and IS Mechanical joins us to talk all about his journey through the skilled trades all the way into entrepreneurship. Todd learned to love working with his hands and building at a young age. He went to high school in Phoenix where he worked with a contracting company. He also helped his family build a cabin. This eventually became the...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #148   Alright friends, grab a pen and paper because this is an episode you don’t want to miss. Mike Disney, the COO of CEO Warrior joins us today to talk all about having a winning mindset in the blue collar skilled trades. He shares his journey to get to where he is today which is filled with inspiration and lessons learned. As the only member of his family to work with his hands, Mike found success in several corners of the trades from auto mechanics to...

Blue Is The New White: Episode #147   We welcome back to the show Mr Mick Carbo of Carbo Coaching. Mick was on almost THREE years ago in August of 2020. Episode #57 almost 100 episodes ago! A lot has happened between now and then, but today we talk all about culture in the blue collar space. Never an easy topic to discuss in this industry because of old mindsets, generational gaps, and a general reluctance to acknowledge a new way of thinking. Of course I don’t mean everyone. There are...

Blue Is The New White Podcast: Episode #146   Today’s guest is badly needed in the skilled trades. Someone who I have gotten to know pretty well over the past year. Mr Nick Anderson of Chosen Leader joins us today to talk all about his incredible journey to get to where he is today. I wish I could say it was all sunshine and roses, but it’s not. What it is though, is reality. The truth about life. And, more importantly, how to overcome that. Nick has been influential in my organization and...

Blue Is The New White Podcast: Episode #145   Excited for my guest today. An incredible human who is also a huge advocate of the skilled trades. Neil Thompson is the founder of Teach the Geek. Not in the skilled trades in the traditional sense, but serves the trades in so many ways. Neil has a storied past, getting his masters degree in bio-medical engineering. Really because of the persuasion from his father. While going for his PhD, he decided enough was enough and left college. He spent...

Blue is the New White Podcast - Episode #144 We are absolutely privileged and thrilled to extend a warm welcome to our esteemed guest, Steve Snower, the CEO of PartsTown Unlimited. Steve is known for his unwavering commitment to PartsTown's growth and stands as a driving force within the commercial kitchen parts industry. With his visionary strategies and unwavering dedication to fostering company culture and technology, Steve generously unveils his secrets behind culture and how to build a...

Blue is the New White Podcast - Episode #143   We’re BACK in action after a bit of a hiatus with an exceptional guest for you today. Someone who I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for a couple years now. He is a prime example of what success looks like in the world of the skilled trades. Mr Jason Latimer FME, Planned Maintenance Manager at Casper Services joins us today to talk all about his journey through the trades. After starting in the hospitality industry, Jason needed a reset. He...