WEBVTT - 10-17-25 Sloan with John Strawser and Amanda Smith 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.080 Don't want to be an American Friday Morning. 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:06.120 Slowly back with you on seven hundred WLW savoring and 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:08.720 the delicious tiredness of a who day win, which is 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:11.960 the opposite we've had in the past and Friday mornings. 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:14.080 I like to talk about a variety of different things 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:17.040 and not all newsy or i should say bad news. 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:19.360 He related some of this good news out there, believe 0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:21.480 it or not, despite what we've been talking about, including 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:24.520 last night's shooting, and that would be this. We're making 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:25.800 progress in a lot of areas. 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:26.000 You know. 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:28.520 We talked about the Duke Energy Convention Center going back 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:30.720 online and that's going to reopen, and the hotel is 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:34.040 about to be started as well, and then you talk about, hey, 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:36.479 maybe a new arena, and of course the Brent Spence 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:39.000 Bridge project is just about to be in full swing. 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:41.040 It'll be orange barrel hell for a few years, but 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:43.800 the end result is worth it. No more traffic jams 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:46.879 in Mayhem over the Ohio River. But to do all 0:00:46.920 --> 0:00:49.400 those things you did and you still need and in 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:51.320 the future will need bodies to do it. And of 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:54.320 course one of my causes here on the show is 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:57.360 construction trades. I'm a Sicka fan for it because I 0:00:57.440 --> 0:00:59.200 realized that not everyone should go to school. 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:02.840 I was one of those people, you know, but I. 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:04.200 Got in back in the day when nell you needed 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:07.880 was a check and a number two pencil. And today 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:09.880 it's a lot harder. The stakes are much higher, and 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:11.680 we know people are going into debt and now they're 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:14.000 looking for the government and US taxpayer to bail them 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:15.319 out because the model is broken. 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:16.560 So what about the trades? 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:20.600 Don't we understand we're making some inroads here locally, but 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:23.120 at the same time, there's so much more to do. 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:26.120 And on that is John strawser my buddy John Strasser, 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:30.080 former CEO of Valley Interior Systems and Spirit of Construction 0:01:30.160 --> 0:01:32.720 fellow board member for a long time. He's been doing 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:35.080 it since two thousand and three. And Amanda Smith, who 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.319 is the executive director of the Spirit of Construction Foundation. 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:40.399 Welcome, guys, How are you? How's everybody? Amanda? Welcome in? 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:44.520 Who Day? Baby? Who Day? I got a Mana's Mike 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:48.760 on Dave? Is that it is that? 0:01:48.880 --> 0:01:49.080 It? 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:50.320 Hi? Hi? 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:52.920 Yeah, I don't know. It's technology. We have no idea 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:54.480 what we're doing over here at LW. We have no 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:57.640 idea We're really bad at it. We're in communications business. 0:01:57.640 --> 0:01:59.280 How are you doing? We're not very good at it? 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:01.680 Have you guys? How's everything? John? I know you're at 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:06.320 the game last night. Wonderful? Yeah, yeah, well worth the 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:07.480 late evening. 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:09.880 Yeah, gotcha, And it was fun to watch on TV. 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:11.920 So I got to bed before you did. But anyway, 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.600 let's start with the need. First of all, I know 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.640 that we've made progress, and I'll start with you in 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:20.760 this genre real quick, and then we may progress in 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:23.239 getting people in the trades are starting to but there's 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:24.160 still a lot more to be. 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:26.440 Done, right, There's a lot to be done with the 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.080 retirement age coming down a little bit in the trades 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:32.520 and the shorte of people getting interested in the trades. 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:35.560 Last check I saw was we're sure about a million 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:37.560 trades people across the United States. 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:40.320 Yeah yeah, and at number continues to grow despite younger 0:02:40.360 --> 0:02:42.000 people going hey, I want to get into the trades 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:44.120 as well. I brought that opportunity in Cincinnati. Is that 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:46.040 you know, we hear about hey, there's no job opportunity, 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:48.280 there's no opportunity for and what do you expect when 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:49.520 kids are going to go in the street and try 0:02:49.560 --> 0:02:51.480 to hustle, make money. And we see these shootings until 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:54.200 I'll relate the stupid beefs and they're not working and 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:54.919 they're getting. 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:55.480 Off the bus. 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:57.920 And we've got all these job we're building the bridge 0:02:57.960 --> 0:02:59.880 right now about to embark on this great You're gonna 0:02:59.880 --> 0:03:02.480 need thousands of jobs out there. I mean, I've said 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:05.200 this before to the influence of decision makers and the 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:07.399 shits stakeholders are going, well, we just need more job. 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:10.519 There's jobs, right They literally, you guys will train people 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:12.520 and put them to work the same day, won't you. 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:13.320 We will. 0:03:13.440 --> 0:03:15.960 And we're actually starting in the fifth grade to starting 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:18.880 your kids through the trades, through some of the curriculum 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.600 we're dealing with, and we're getting exposed to educated towards 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:25.480 and trained to have a job, a job ready come 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:26.160 senior year. 0:03:26.280 --> 0:03:29.160 Yeah, And there's no outline either. It's like we hook 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:30.680 you up with the tools, we get to the training, 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:33.639 we own the job. You're making money. My nephew who 0:03:33.680 --> 0:03:36.880 moved here from Oregon is is going to ic to 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:39.360 be an electrician, and so he works during the day 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:41.400 and then a night or two a week they send 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:43.240 him to school to learn how to become an electrician. 0:03:43.280 --> 0:03:45.200 He doesn't pay for anything, he's making money along the way. 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:48.680 And there's so many of those opportunities out there. Heating, ventilating, 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:50.600 air conditioning. Work with my guys in the Grimmy group, 0:03:50.640 --> 0:03:53.200 same thing. They do classes there to teach people with 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:56.640 daycon how to do ACE and within eight weeks they're 0:03:56.640 --> 0:03:59.320 on the job. They're making money. Plenty of opportunities like 0:03:59.360 --> 0:04:01.320 that and cincinnaw And I'm so tired of hearing about 0:04:01.360 --> 0:04:02.119 there's no opportunity. 0:04:02.520 --> 0:04:06.480 Yeah, the opportunities are you name the trade, plumbers, electricians, 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:10.480 mechanical painters, finishers. I mean, everybody needs workers right now. 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:15.520 And the push to get the kids exposed is making 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:16.400 making a big difference. 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:16.640 Yeah. 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.400 Really, let's turn to the Spirit of Construction Foundation, Amanda, 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.000 and where you come in, where we came into to 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.440 try and bridge that app with scholarships and learning and 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:25.600 getting programs and schools. 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:26.200 Let's start with that. 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:29.880 I know when I was a board member with John, 0:04:30.000 --> 0:04:31.480 I know the big thing was, hey, we got in 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:32.360 a woodward. 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:33.960 You know, we got shopped through the class back. But 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:36.120 that's grown beyond that, right absolutely. 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:39.279 So the Spirit of Construction was started back in nineteen 0:04:39.320 --> 0:04:41.960 ninety six as a way to recognize and celebrate the 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:46.040 construction industry, and that was initially done through our annual gala. 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:49.679 And John here actually is one of our Lifetime Achievement 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.440 Award winners this year. So every year at the annual Gala, 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:56.400 we give out a Lifetime Achievement Award. What makes John's 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:59.480 award so special this year is that his dad also 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.720 won Lifetime Achievement war back in nineteen ninety nine, so 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:06.800 he's actually a second generation Lifetime honorees. So we're very 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.560 excited to celebrate John at our gala this year. 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:11.920 So what you're saying is John's old John. 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:14.599 I'm saying John's a big deal, is what I'm saying. 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:18.839 Johnson amazing in his ego. He knows, we know what 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:20.680 he's done. But it just means you're It's just a 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.880 nice way of saying, damn, you're old or a buffaloed 0:05:23.920 --> 0:05:24.440 a lot of people. 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:28.480 Now, no one's more deserving because because honestly working alongside 0:05:28.480 --> 0:05:30.640 you for a few years and just watching you the machine, 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:32.920 that's the John Strive. I mean he really, John's the 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:34.840 guy who really drove this whole thing, and that's it's 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:37.640 really cool to see and it's a well deserved so congratulations. 0:05:37.720 --> 0:05:38.480 So we're excited. 0:05:38.720 --> 0:05:42.159 So what started out as having an annual gala has 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:46.320 grown into what it is today. And so beyond the Gala, 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:50.479 which is our major fundraiser, all net proceeds from that 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:53.520 gala go to three buckets of work that we invest 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:58.159 in scholarships, workforce development, and we give out mini grants 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:02.160 to nonprofits focused on work force development within the construction industry. 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:02.640 Right. 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:05.800 And those grants are nice because you look at the 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:09.640 organizations and that benefit from that is you know, it's 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:11.800 girls Scouts. So you go through the list here of 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.680 organizations that get that and go, hey, we're putting these 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:17.600 programs in. We're doing summer school, like a class where 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:19.960 kids can do hands on building stuff and you know, 0:06:20.080 --> 0:06:22.919 use power tools from Milwaukee and you know, drill holes 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:25.160 and boards and see how buildings are put together. And 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:26.960 when you have the house, a hands on kid right 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:29.680 as the more tactile than than just sitting there and 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:32.279 wrote memorization. Had you done that for me, I think 0:06:32.360 --> 0:06:33.880 I would be I would have been in the trades. 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:35.320 And I've been doing this which a lot of people 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:37.120 listening and say, well, I really wish we could do 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:40.200 that in the way back machine, but some of us 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:43.359 learn just by looking at it. And we're finally doing that. 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:45.320 We're finally learning how to teach and reach these kids. 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:47.719 And you wonder, John, how many kids over the years 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:49.920 may have dropped out of school or said, I, I, I, 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:52.560 this isn't for me because we're just sitting there and 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:54.680 it's the same way we all learned is here's a teacher, 0:06:54.680 --> 0:06:56.640 here's a white boarder blackboard here, you're gonna have to 0:06:56.640 --> 0:06:58.640 memorize this. Look in the book. It's all theory. You 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:01.200 put the practical thing and do it the matter. This 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:03.160 is why you need shop math for example, which you 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:06.479 helped get into schools. It's reaching so many kids would 0:07:06.480 --> 0:07:07.960 fall into the cracks before. It's incredible. 0:07:08.160 --> 0:07:10.520 Yeah, we're teaching kids how to take a tape measure 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:12.440 and say half inch plus three quarters is one and 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.760 a quarter. You and I understand that because we use 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:16.840 a tape measure almost every day in the jobs and 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:18.800 the trades, where the work we're doing around our homes, 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:22.040 and by getting the kids exposed to this, we think 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:23.800 that it's close to fifty percent of every student in 0:07:23.840 --> 0:07:26.720 the classroom as a visual learner yeah, not a book learner. 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:30.680 And the school system does not teach or focus on 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.000 these kind of kids. And now that we're doing it, 0:07:33.000 --> 0:07:35.240 we're gaining the opportunity putting the tape measure in their hand. 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:37.640 Their eyes are opening up, they're understanding, they're looking up 0:07:37.640 --> 0:07:40.640 into the sky at this and understanding that, hey, science 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:42.520 ties in with math. And now as sudden, their grades 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:45.720 are accelerating, their attending class and it's making a difference. 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:48.080 Yeah, like algebra, I don't know numbers and letters, why 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.040 do they need to go together? But you know, you 0:07:50.080 --> 0:07:53.280 start doing calculations, you start doing like your roof, slopes 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:56.160 and stairs, and it's like, oh, I get it. Now 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:58.680 this is where it's applicable in the real world. And 0:07:59.040 --> 0:08:01.080 there was never that connection are going to school and 0:08:01.160 --> 0:08:03.960 now there is. Yeah, and it's making a big difference. 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:06.280 In the end, we're seeing kids come into the trades 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:07.720 now with a direct impact. 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:09.559 Now, it takes time. I mean when you start teaching 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:11.760 in fifth grade, you know you've got a seven year 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:14.800 process to get them through where they become the correct 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:19.559 nation to being hired. But we're now, after the years 0:08:19.600 --> 0:08:21.920 of work we put in, we're starting to have kids 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:23.920 now make that jump to the trades. 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:24.680 Yeah. 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:26.640 Again, it's a man A Smith, the executive rector of 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:29.480 Spiritual Construction Foundation, and John Strass are the former CEO 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:31.520 of Valley Interiors here in Cincinnati, but they're all over 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:34.240 the state. A board member there since two thousand and three, 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:35.560 and he's going to be an honoree this year at 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:37.600 the gala, which is coming up on the twenty fifth. 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.760 Right, that's right, next Saturday, full house, full house, record 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:44.240 number thirteen hundred folks done at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:48.280 Next year is our thirtieth annual gala, so we're excited 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:52.439 about that. But all proceeds from the gala actually are 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:56.320 reinvested as a foundation. We are a funder and we 0:08:56.360 --> 0:08:59.680 reinvest those dollars back into workforce development within the trades 0:08:59.720 --> 0:09:00.240 and can struction. 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:02.360 Part of those scholarships you have went into like like 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:05.160 seven hundred thousand dollars of the years in scholarships. 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:05.360 That's right. 0:09:05.440 --> 0:09:07.960 So we've been doing scholarships since two thousand and four. 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:11.240 We started by giving out scholarships at University of Cincinnati. 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:14.920 This year alone we gave out twenty five scholarships seventy 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:18.800 eight thousand dollars and those scholarships are first students at 0:09:18.880 --> 0:09:23.400 NKU and UC that are looking at construction management Cincinnati 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:24.160 State as well. 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:25.360 And then we also give. 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:30.160 Scholarships to military veterans that are looking at getting into construction. 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:32.480 And for the first time ever this year we gave 0:09:32.520 --> 0:09:37.720 out skilled trade scholarships, so that's anyone that's interested in 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:41.200 getting enrolled or as an incentive to keep them enrolled 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:45.079 in skilled trades. So we're really proud of our scholarship program. 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:48.280 Since two thousand and four, we've given out two hundred 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:49.920 and seventy eight scholarships. 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:52.160 Yeah, and it's cool now because you get people fighting 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:53.640 for the scholarship and saying, hey, we're doing this this 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:55.720 and it's like not a baying war, but you know, 0:09:55.760 --> 0:09:57.760 you want to see worthy best bank for the bucket's 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.160 going to be. But it makes all those entities be 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:02.200 sharp at what they're doing. Their focus, of course, is 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:04.400 getting young people in the construction strads and I'm so 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:06.720 happy to see that we are getting fifth graders now 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:09.480 interested in there. It used to be a tough sell 0:10:09.600 --> 0:10:12.840 to school public schools in Cincinnati John where they're like, yeah, 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:14.760 you know, we were find the way where no, you're not. 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:17.040 You're missing all these kids. And it's so sad to 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:18.520 me to think over the years how many kids were 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:20.600 lost that they may have turned to a life. 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:21.480 I mean, so let's face it. 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:22.920 You know, you fall through the cracks, you drop out 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:24.559 of school, life is it's not going to work out 0:10:24.600 --> 0:10:26.400 for you, and chances are going to depend on the 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:29.520 system or in one way or the other. And we 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:30.800 know what the outcome is. I mean, look at the 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:33.400 violence happening in Cincinnati, and you wonder how many of 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:35.880 those young lives could have been reached years before if 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:37.400 we would have done this. But the good news is 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.600 we're making progress. So let's talk about the expansion into 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:42.800 public schools and the life because I mentioned Woodward and 0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:44.720 the light bulb went off for I think a lot 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:47.080 of people and they heard. And this is years ago, 0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:50.000 and you'd be able to articulate this better than I can. 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:52.080 But I recall going, hey, these are kids whore like 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:54.679 on the margins, probably not doing well. All of a sudden, 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:57.520 we're teaching the trades, shop class, shop math and stuff 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:00.520 like that, and they went from literally on a borderline 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:03.320 of dropping out to being among the best performers in 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:05.719 the school in the school itself as far as acadomics go. 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:08.520 In twenty seventeen is when we started the program at 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:11.800 Woodward and the first eleven students that were put into 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:16.600 the program were very high risk. Two of the eleven 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:20.160 dropped out of school fairly quick. The other nine continue 0:11:20.160 --> 0:11:24.440 through the program and graduated four years later. Seven went 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:27.520 into the trades, two actually went into nursing, and one 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:29.720 of the nine ended up top five of the class academically. 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:31.800 And it was all because of the math program. 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:34.679 Yeah, because they could see it now and I think 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:36.560 that literally goes. I know it kept getting back to that, 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:39.719 but that's a big thing. I think to get those mind, 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:41.240 the hearts and mind change. And then when you see 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:44.640 the educators go wow, okay, well maybe we're missing something here. 0:11:44.840 --> 0:11:46.120 Now it's spread like wildfire. 0:11:46.360 --> 0:11:50.000 Yeah, we started it Woodward and teachers were talking to 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:54.959 other teachers at other school systems, and maybe eight years 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:57.600 later we're in thirty one school systems. That's unreal throughout 0:11:57.679 --> 0:11:59.199 the Ohio and Northern count. 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:00.720 So it's making a comeback, but we still have a 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:02.599 long way to go, right, Amanda. That's the thing is 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:05.360 with the scholarship and the attention the Spirit of Construction Foundation. 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:08.040 There's just so much more work. So this is just 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:08.800 the start of things. 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:10.920 I mean, thirty one schools from one is a lot 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:13.040 in just a few short years, less than a decade. 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:15.080 But you want to see that number in one hundreds 0:12:15.120 --> 0:12:16.240 nowolutely how do you do that? 0:12:16.559 --> 0:12:19.160 Well? One of the ways is that we are making 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:25.720 investments in workforce development programs. Specifically, as we've mentioned, we're 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:29.280 targeting kids that are in middle school in Northern Kentucky. 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:33.440 We supported a program called Trades Northern Kentucky. It started 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.240 out in Campbell County schools reaching about two hundred and 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:41.240 seventy middle schoolers. With our support and matching dollars from BNKY, 0:12:41.320 --> 0:12:44.800 they're now in Kenton County schools and in Homes Middle 0:12:44.840 --> 0:12:48.920 School they're reaching over six hundred kids. And that's again 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:52.360 providing exposure to the students about what is skilled trades, 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:55.760 what does a career path look like? And then for 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:58.600 the very first time, Trade in Northern Kentucky is having 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:02.679 a Skilled Trades Career Fair in April of twenty six. 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.079 And again, we just want to continue to provide exposure 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.920 to students that you know, as you guys have talked 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:13.280 about our visual learners, maybe not you know, planning on 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:15.720 going to college. But we want to tell the kids, 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:19.080 but not only the kids, their parents that skilled trades 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:21.800 is a viable career path where you can make great 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:25.000 money and have a really great future and great career 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:25.760 if you pick it. 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.720 Do you feel like because of these students, don't let 0:13:29.280 --> 0:13:32.120 the student debt and the long crisis and a host 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:34.240 of other factors, that parents are starting to maybe wake 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:36.600 up that way because on that long ago where and 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:38.400 a lot of parents, some parents will still do this. 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:41.720 They look at their success as a parent by where 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:43.600 the kid goes to college, and not as that's right. 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:45.160 I mean there's still that stigma out there like, oh 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:46.840 my kid doesn't go to college and he or she 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:50.160 it's shame and somehow it's shameful, and it's all that's marketing, 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:52.960 is all that is. Are we starting to win that 0:13:53.040 --> 0:13:54.960 war of attrition or starting to win that war that 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:59.439 the trades are noble and also a very enriching area. 0:13:59.200 --> 0:14:01.240 To go Absolutely, and I think it's all about dollars 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:04.120 and cents too. If we can show them that your 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:08.600 child can earn to learn through an apprenticeship program, so 0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:12.319 right out of high school. They're making money, they're not encouraging, 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:15.679 they're not incurring college debt, and they're making a really 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:18.360 great wage. I think that's the story that we have 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:24.119 to get to parents that it's it's an exciting, honorable 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:27.800 career that a lot of people, you know, find great 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.400 joy in and it's okay to not go to college. 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.240 And so not only are we trying to tell the 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:37.400 kids that, but we also need to tell their parents 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:37.880 that as well. 0:14:38.080 --> 0:14:40.440 Yeah, and hopefully that model is changing, that the value 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:42.400 of parenthood is not like where my kid went to school, 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:44.400 or where I'm going to school, or you know, where 0:14:44.440 --> 0:14:45.120 the degree is from. 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.360 It's rather the fact is like are you being productive? 0:14:47.520 --> 0:14:48.640 You know, can you. 0:14:48.640 --> 0:14:51.960 Afford a middle class or offera Pesson lifestyle? And a 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:53.880 lot of folks who are in the trades right it's like, hey, 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:56.560 you know, the light bulb goes off, Like my nephew's 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:58.600 in electrical now, And I said, you know, when you're 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:00.320 my age, though, you want to be the guy who 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:02.920 owns the place that is hiring other electricians like John, 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:04.600 you're a family business at Valianteer. 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:05.120 You know what I'm saying. 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:08.040 But how many guys do that and women now that 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:10.840 are learning and becoming masters of what they do, but 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:12.160 then branching off and doing their own thing. 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:13.440 That's American dream. Yeah. 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:15.680 The stories are numerous, and we at the gala next 0:15:15.720 --> 0:15:18.480 weekend over thirty years of a Lifetime Achievement Award winners. 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:21.440 The stories were all about I had a pickup truck, 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:23.520 I went to the banker and got a ten thousand 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:26.760 dollars loan and created a you know, a company that 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:29.840 hires five hundred people. Yeah, So the stories are endless. 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:33.840 It's just you know, most contractors are very humble and 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:36.120 don't toot their horn, and most people don't understand the 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:39.240 opportunities that exist within the construction industry. Yeah. 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:42.520 Yeah, yeah, I think Jostin for example, and you know 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:43.720 the Smythmen family. 0:15:43.760 --> 0:15:44.080 Same thing. 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:45.840 It's like, hey, we started this thing and they're growing 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:47.880 and growing in company. It happens all the time, like 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:49.880 these these people will leave, you know, folks will leave 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:52.280 a company, or they'll get some experience in trades and 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:54.640 wind up doing their own thing and grow, which turns 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:56.880 out to be the future. Companies will be board members 0:15:56.960 --> 0:16:00.280 and have seats at the table. The future spiritual controluction. 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:02.080 So it's an awesome thing to see. So you know, 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:04.520 if you have the wherewith all the knowledge a little 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:06.160 bit of luck on your side too, you can achieve 0:16:06.200 --> 0:16:06.960 these great things. 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:08.040 And there's so many people. 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:10.640 That always strikes me that when we do the event 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:12.760 and again it's a twenty fifth, and how many people 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:14.640 are like, yeah, high school, you don't you know, you 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:17.840 don't need a doctorate in construction. I mean it's nice 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:20.160 to we have that stuff right architectural to grow quy, 0:16:20.240 --> 0:16:22.040 But a lot of those folks are like, yeah, I 0:16:22.080 --> 0:16:24.000 was swinging a hammer, or I was you know, I 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:26.560 was using a shovel, or I was doing heavy equipment 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:28.640 and just kind of grew into this thing. And here 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:31.000 we are today and now when playing hundreds of people, it's. 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:32.480 Great and a lot of people, you know, it's it's 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:34.920 a very generous group of people. 0:16:34.920 --> 0:16:35.200 Also. 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:36.800 I mean next weekend we're looking at raising and I 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:39.880 think one point one million dollars to give back to 0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:43.880 the trades, right right, and this is all homegrown in 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:47.920 Cincinnati companies that are that are supporting what we're doing. 0:16:48.040 --> 0:16:50.320 Yeah, before you go, I want to get a plug 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:53.280 in real quick for the beer because that's really really cool. 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.840