Inside The Trades

ENCORE EPISODE:
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.

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“It's an opportunity for so many small players. It’s a great place to get your start, to build a business, to be your own boss.” - Evan Iverson

As the skills gap gets wider, we have to ask ourselves why and how. The answer isn’t simple, but the point is, what are we doing about it? Recruiting talent poses a challenge in the trades industry which has been one part of the inspiration behind Frontdoor’s commitment to inspiring and empowering the next generation of skilled workers. Frontdoor is the largest and leading provider of home service plans and serves its customers through a network of skilled local contractors for home system and appliance repairs.
VP of contractor relations, Evan Iverson, joins us live from the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference, to shed light on his perspective on the industry to give our listeners invaluable information on how they can also join the trades industry and the benefits of joining the Frontdoor contractor network.

As a small business looking for a steady stream of work, joining a network of professionals with built in credibility can be extremely beneficial in growing your business. Especially if you want to focus on your trade and not have to deal with the sales side of things. One of the biggest challenges in the trades is finding a skilled technician to be able to work on any appliance in a home created in the last 30 years, and people are feeling that. So being part of a reputable network like this is crucial to not only retaining talent, but giving a valuable service to customers.

This can be part of the solution in bridging the trades skills gap, by attracting talented individuals and giving them access to essentially work for themselves and build a business while being part of a larger network.

Tune in to find out how you can get involved and hear valuable advice for anyone interested in getting into trades and beginners!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Evan’s journey to Frontdoor and his responsibilities as VP
• Benefits of joining a network like Frontdoor
• Requirements and steps to take to join Frontdoor
• Biggest challenges as a contractor
• How to attract talent at a large conference such as SkillsUSA
• What is contributing to the skills gap
• Advice for students and parents of students to get involved in trades

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For more information about the FrontDoor network, check out their website here!

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Ryan Englin, CEO of The Core Matters, joins us on the program to talk about the state of talent in the blue collar world today and what owner/operators need to do build a top-flight team.
A fellow white collar dropout, Ryan is passionate about supporting growing businesses in blue collar industries to build amazingly productive companies by hiring the right people. Growing up, he saw his own father working 12-hour shifts and weekends as an owner/operator, witnessing firsthand the struggles that these companies have in hiring quality frontline employees. Ryan was determined to help them find a better way.
His company, Core Matters, provides coaching and training on attracting, hiring, and retaining rock star employees. Using his proven process, the Core Fit Hiring System, small and midsize businesses learn how to start hiring better people, faster. With almost a decade in the business, Ryan has worked with over a hundred clients, helping business owners achieve their goals by hiring the right people.
Show Notes:
If you're interested in learning more, check out a free digital copy of Ryan's book, "How to Hire the Ones You Won't Want to Fire." Packed with quick tips and actionable strategies to make sure the person you're about to hire is the right person for your business.
https://thecorematters.com/book
You can also check out Ryan's FREE Masterclass on how to attract, hire, and retain rockstar employees even in today's crazy labor market where it's never been harder to hire.

https://masterclass.thecorematters.com/s/cBwt3l?utm_source=thecorematters&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=masterclassredirect

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With the recent breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology it seems fitting to revisit our conversation with Commonwealth Fusion System's 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

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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

Connect with us:

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• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• YouTube

Head to Apple Podcast for more episodes.