What They Never Told You About the Trades
The trades have a reputation problem. And for a long time, construction was the industry you ended up in, not the one you chose. Carlos Rodriguez, owner of Mr. Roofing out of California, knows that story firsthand.Carlos grew up watching his father build a roofing business from the ground up after immigrating from Mexico. He spent summers on tear-off crews as a teenager, went to UC Berkeley, worked in corporate, and eventually came back to take the family business to a level his dad never imagined. In this episode, he and Paul break down what it actually takes to run a construction company, why the stigma around trades is still real but slowly changing, and what young people are missing when they overlook this industry.We discuss:The stigma roofing inherited and why it is finally starting to shiftGrowing up in the family business and what his dad's approach taught himWhat he looks for when hiringThe looming labor shortageHow to make the trades look as cool as they actually areHis advice to every high schooler figuring out what comes nextWant to bring more young talent into construction? Let's talk.#ConstructionCareers #TradesLife #WorkforceDevelopment #RoofingIndustry #iReachPodcastTIMESTAMPS00:00 – Meet Carlos Rodriguez01:18 – Roofing industry stigma03:06 – Family roots and lessons04:37 – Reframing trades for youth08:32 – Returning to grow the business10:43 – From roofer to leader12:42 – Culture and core purpose15:42 – Modern trades misconceptions18:24 – Hiring for heart and hustle21:52 – Labor shortage and outreach26:12 – Making construction look cool29:19 – Trade vs. business skills30:15 – Advice for high schoolers31:11 – Closing thanks and wrapSubscribe and Review the iReach Podcast: If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave us a review. We read every single one.Follow Carlos Rodriguez:Website: https://www.mrroofing.net LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-rodriguez-a481b69 Follow Paul RobinsonConnect with Paul Robinson on LinkedIn.Follow ConstructReach on LinkedIn.Follow ConstructReach on Instagram @contructreachCheck out the ConstructReach website at constructreach.comThis podcast is sponsored by Construct Reach.As a workforce development initiative that builds reachable opportunities through construction, ConstructReach increases the visibility of the construction industry by educating students about career opportunities within construction, connecting general contractors to interns and innovative internship curricula, creating content and experiences to expose a diverse population to sustainable construction careers, and uniting stakeholders to ensure the construction industry continues to thrive.#IReachPodcast #PaulRobinson #ConstructReach
