A New Mission: Leveraging Military Skills in the Building Trades

Welcome back to the Construction Veteran Podcast, where Scott Friend, your host and fellow veteran, returns from a brief hiatus with renewed energy and valuable insights. Imagine stepping into a world where the camaraderie and discipline you learned in the military perfectly align with a thriving career path. That's precisely the journey we explore in this episode, as I share personal updates, including the growth of Memorial Ranch and my attendance at the esteemed CoreNet Global Black, White and Blue event. Missing the Dallas Build Expo was a disappointment, but it underscores the bustling nature of the industry we're part of—an industry that is not just booming but ripe with opportunities for veterans ready to build their future.

Have you ever wondered how the precision of military training translates to the construction field? In this episode, we delve into the natural synergy between veterans' skills and the construction industry's needs. With nearly a million construction establishments in need of the leadership and organizational skills veterans excel at, the construction sector presents a world of potential for growth and entrepreneurship. I highlight the latest industry statistics, showcasing the significant contribution of construction to the economy, and share success stories of veterans who've found rewarding careers post-service. It's a narrative of transformation and opportunity, with practical advice on navigating the transition from military to civilian life.

Join us as we lay the foundation for a community of veterans in construction, united by shared experiences and a common goal. This episode is an open invitation to my fellow veterans and industry professionals to contribute their stories and successes to our ongoing conversation. The Construction Veteran Podcast is a testament to the strength and adaptability of veterans, a platform to inspire and guide those considering a meaningful career after service. Tune in for an episode that's not just about building structures, but about forging a strong, supportive network for those who've served.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

I would argue and say that there is a lot more stability in this industry than many, many others. This is the Construction Veteran Podcast, connecting and celebrating veterans in construction. Now here's your host, scott Friend. Welcome back to the Construction Veteran Podcast. I'm Scott Friend. It has been a minute since I've posted so I'm excited to get back into it with. Welcome back to the Construction Veteran Podcast. I'm Scott Friend. It's been about six weeks since I've done an episode. I took a little bit of a hiatus there, just kind of realign. So we've been doing the podcast for a little over a year now, so just taking a quick break. But I'm ready to reintroduce the construction vet to you guys and what this is all about, kind of go over some basics that we've discussed over the last year and talk about things to come. So I've been up to quite a lot lately. Some of you guys know I started a new position last year. I'm on a new project, a large project about 340,000 square foot job, really good team, big team. Very fortunate to be there.

Speaker 1: 1:31

Some of you guys might have seen lately on my LinkedIn that I posted that I went to a big Cornette Global Gala event and awards event that they had. That was a lot of fun. That was really humbling. To be honest, I got to say I'm really thankful to be where I am. Sometimes I still feel like that. I got that imposter syndrome, if you will. I still think of myself as a kid from Kentucky that I'm just so lucky to have come up and met the right people. It's all been through networking and really working hard in this industry to get where I'm at. So being able to go to a black tie event like that was very humbling. I'm very thankful for my team for inviting me to that. I never thought I'd be doing this kind of stuff, never thought I'd be where I am today, and all that is thanks to the industry and the people in it. So another point I want to make real quick.

Speaker 1: 2:21

I made an announcement a while back that I would be at the Dallas Build Expo doing some interviews. But we're just getting really bogged down, really busy with the job, which is, you know, that's my primary focus is the project. So sadly I won't be able to make it, but I would still encourage you guys, especially if you're in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That Build Expo is across the United States. So if you can't make Dallas. I'd encourage you guys to find the local Build Expo, especially if you're transitioning. There's tons of vendors and companies that are looking for good people and I want to speak to the vets specifically that you guys have these soft skills that people are looking for. So I'd really encourage you to get out there, get out of your comfort zone and go start networking. So I'd really encourage you to get out there, get out of your comfort zone and go start networking.

Speaker 1: 3:05

Another thing that I'd like to touch base on real quick, too is as of late last year, our nonprofit Memorial Ranch became official. So I'm working through that with an awesome team that we've got full of rock stars trying to build that organization up so we can serve the veteran and first responder community. That is separate from the construction veteran, but it's it's a passion project of mine that I'm doing on the side as well. We are official. Like I said, we are recognized not only in the state of Texas but through the IRS as a 501c3 organization. There will be more on that to come, but if you haven't started following Memorial Ranch on LinkedIn or Facebook, I'd encourage you guys to go over there and see what we're doing. I should have a video coming out pretty soon about what we're doing, what we're aiming to work for, who we serve and all that.

Speaker 1: 3:57

I want to talk about the importance of transitioning into the civilian sector. Transitioning into the civilian sector. If you're a veteran or you're, maybe you're active duty or even the reserves and you're going to be transitioning out to make the civilian sector your full time guys, it's really very important to start yourself six months to even a year out, really looking at what you want to key in on for your future career. Um it, it's not an easy process. I don't think anybody who's transitioned would say that it is, but obviously I'm partial to folks getting into the construction industry. It's really important for you guys to make those networking connections now and start realizing what side of the industry do I really want to be involved in. I've seen a lot of successful veterans transition into this industry because it has so many commonalities with the military Specifically. There's some stressful times, there's some dangerous times and there's a lot of teamwork involved in this, but you're not going at it alone and you get to take care of that team much like you did in the service.

Speaker 1: 5:03

I want to talk about some data, real quick too. So, as of first quarter of last year, the AGC, which is the American General Contractors they put out some data in the first quarter of 2023 that there was 919,000 construction establishments. So that's companies related to the industry. 919,000, that's companies. So imagine you know we're talking small mom and pop shops up to multi-billion possible multi-trillion dollar companies that are in this industry, and the industry employs 8 million people as of about a year ago. I'm sure that number's more. We're always looking for good people. Yes, there is somewhat of a labor shortage. We can touch base on that some other time about why I think that is but 8 million people that are putting in $2.1 trillion worth of structures each year. So just imagine that that's a massive industry that we can make an impact on.

Speaker 1: 6:04

As vets, there's a huge benefit of the construction industry for veterans as well. It gives you a good purpose, a good goal to work for. You've heard me talk about that. There's this mission that we're looking to finish, we're looking to become successful in, and there's a very easy goal line that you're shooting for in the industry delivering a building, delivering a project. So let's talk real quick about what sort of skills and experience that veterans bring to the table. So obviously there's the soft skills things like leadership and organization. That's a big one. It doesn't matter if you just did four years and maybe three years in I know people have had some shorter contracts. You've learned a lot of the soft skills that people have not experienced yet in their younger years. Especially if you did a four-year term in, you understand probably what it looks like to be taking care of those below you, so you know how to run a team. You know how to run a crew, so that easily transfers over into the construction industry. You know what it takes for your people to be successful and it's your job as a leader to make sure that they have what they need. We also want to talk about some of the challenges that you're going to face during the transition and, like I said earlier, it's not an easy process. But this industry gives you an environment that you can fail early and often. So you're going to understand what it takes to be successful in the industry. But luckily, as a lower-tiered person, if you will, there's a lot of support out there and they understand that your job as the greenhorn or the new person is to make those mistakes and to fail. It's going to happen, but more often than not, I'd say there's a lot of good mentorship and leadership that's there to show you the way.

Speaker 1: 7:50

There's a lot of benefits that come with this industry as well. There's various career paths within the industry that we've talked about previously, such as project management, working in a skilled trade, working in engineering or design, and there's a lot of stability and growth opportunities in this as well, not just as buildings grow bigger, but as these markets expand large metropolitan areas, as companies move into other areas they might be specific to Texas, moving here, their headquarters might be moving, but there's growth opportunities there to seek out more projects, to build more projects, to build more projects, to find more clients and to become an effective team member. So you may start out as a project engineer, you may start out as a laborer, but you see a lot of success stories within the industry, and it does take hard work I'm not going to sugarcoat it but there's a lot of potential there for growth opportunities within whatever sector in the industry you decide to get involved in. There's also a lot of potential for entrepreneurship and business ownership within the industry as well. You see a lot of stories where an individual may not have a particular skill within a trade, but they see a hole in the market, they see something that needs to be filled and they have that eyesight to see the future of what it could be, such as a trade maybe that isn't performing as well in a certain sector or there's a hole there that needs to be filled. And I know personally a few people that have started these companies and they're doing very well for themselves. Or you hear stories about folks that have started as a laborer and now they're running an entire company, maybe multi-million, multi-billion dollar company. So it definitely happens.

Speaker 1: 9:33

I would encourage you guys to look into schooling, but it's not a necessity to become successful in this industry and there's a lot of support also for transitioning vets in the industry. There's lots of programs and initiatives, such as Vetterati that's a good one that I've helped with before myself the Honor Foundation specific to special operations. Forge Now is one here locally that we have that will take people and train them in a few different trades as well as facilities management, and you know the first couple of those are a group program that is free of charge for the people that attend Forge. Now they do accept GI Bill. There's a lot of programs out there that will accept a GI Bill for you to get trained and set up and established in a good way to be successful in your future civilian career. So we hear a lot of the folks going oh you know, the government's not taking care of us. Now I will say specific to job rehabilitation. I do think they're doing a good job.

Speaker 1: 10:36

The other facets I'm not going to get involved in that on this podcast, but you get what I mean. I've done plenty of interviews over this last year for the construction veteran where you can hear these stories. So it's not just me telling you guys this, I'm not just sitting on or standing on a soapbox preaching this. I want you guys to realize that these are real stories. So go back in the library from the past year and listen to some of these people that have come from all over the United States done their service. Some of them retired, some of them won contract and they've taken that oomph and that desire and drive and it's carried them really well in their civilian career in the construction industry and all facets of it as well.

Speaker 1: 11:18

I've also had some people that are not vets themselves but may have a passion for the veteran community, so you guys can go back and hear some of those stories as well, and people really want you to succeed. They want to turn around and help the person behind them and they want to mentor you. It's similar to the church. You, you know, we want to disciple people that make disciples. Right, it's. It's the same thing in the industry, because the success of this industry will come if we turn around and teach the things that we've been taught and make sure that this industry is is becoming ever more successful. Right, we?

Speaker 1: 11:52

We hear the term that we don't want people that just want jobs. We want people that want a career, and that's true. It can be a very successful career for you, and we want people with that drive and desire. And I can tell you, if you're looking for it, you're looking for the responsibilities that you could achieve in this industry. It's definitely out there for you to reach out and grab. There are lots of companies that seek out vets specifically for employment. I've seen a major shift, in the last decade at least, of lots of companies including my own and a couple that I've worked at prior to that have resource groups specific to veterans and how we can support the veteran community and it's really nice to have that community within the company as well. You know, if you got an individual that might be struggling with that transition, we're here to back them up and support them and show them the way, if you will, how to be successful in this industry. We don't want our brothers and sisters to fail by any means.

Speaker 1: 12:51

So let's talk about some common concerns and misconceptions in the construction industry. Well, physical demands that's a big one. Some people you know I don't want to be broke, my body broke by the time I'm X age, whatever it is. Yeah, there are a lot of physical demands, but that depends on what facet of the industry you get into. That might be something you want to have. You say, hey, I want to still be physical, I'm still a young and able bodied to do that. Um, there's lots of opportunities out there for you to. Maybe you're maybe you're climbing steel right, maybe you're you're um hanging pipe If you want to be a trades person. There's also if maybe that's not something you're physically able to do or it's just not something you want to do. Uh, there's a lot of administrative type office positions as well, and now that might get about as physical as walking the job site a couple times a week if you're in that type of role.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Um, but I, I personally wanted to be outside, so I I chose the life of a superintendent. I really liked being out there and putting my hands and eyes on the project and seeing what we're building and watching it come to life. Um, the position I'm in now there's not as much physical demand but, uh, sometimes, you know, I do put my tools on if I need to, but it's not a day in and day out thing. But I had to get through that. That, um, part of my life that I was walking around with my tools on and really making things happen. So I'm not saying you're going to get stuck in that role, but there is somewhat of an expectation that you're going to do whatever it takes to make sure that the job is successful. And sometimes I've seen project managers be willing to put their tools back on to make sure that the work goes in place.

Speaker 1: 14:34

So let's talk about the lack of stability. So there are a lot of fears out there that maybe if I'm in a trade, I'm going to get laid off. I can tell you, with the way that the industry is booming right now. I really don't see that happening anytime soon and, if God forbid, you did get laid off because the project had finished. There's going to be another project up the road that you guys can definitely go to.

Speaker 1: 14:56

On a salary standpoint, there is a lot of stability. Going job to job I mean project to project I should say there's a lot of stability because there's more flexibility, which allows that stability. What I mean by that is that sometimes you might be able to travel for work. If you're that dedicated to the company you know, offer yourself up. Hey, I'm willing to travel. If that's a position that you or your family or maybe you don't have a family if that's something that you could do, there can be a lot of financial reward in that as well. So there I would argue and say that there is a lot more stability in this industry than many, many others.

Speaker 1: 15:34

Now I think and again, this is my belief that this is one of those industries that's always going to be needed. We need people to build the roads we drive on, the buildings that we operate out of, the systems that we use within those buildings. So you just think all the hands that have touched that project. These are skills that are going to continue to be needed and that's not to take away from any other skill, but there's other industries out there like that, such as healthcare. Think about that. This is an industry that people don't necessarily have all the skills in, but they need somebody to support them, ie the trades person or the one that knows how to manage the project. So I would argue that there's a ton of stability within this industry, but you need to have the flexibility to have that stability and be able and willing to go where the work is.

Speaker 1: 16:29

Let's talk educational requirements too. I think there's a major misconception in that. I've talked about that previously in videos and episodes where you know there, yes, there are some requirements educationally, uh, as far as maybe an undergrad or grad school or certain certifications, but that that's going to be very specific to the niche that you're in within the industry. Um, I I will say again that I've seen folks that came out of high school and served, got done with their service, did not go and achieve a high school or, excuse me, a college degree, and these are people that are running multi-million plus dollar companies now. So a lot of this industry is experience over education now. So a lot of this industry is experience over education. But consider looking at the, the, the pipeline that you need to go through in whatever facet of the industry you're in. Again, if you want to be a designer, there's going to be some educational requirements for that Um. Sometimes, even if you're a project manager, it all depends on the company Um. So you really got to key in on what facet of the industry you want to go into and look into what the support is for that Um and what excuse me, what the requirements are for that Um.

Speaker 1: 17:44

There are some vocational training programs too to think about. Um. So I I I referenced forge now earlier. That's a vocational training program. Um. You, you know the world is your oyster right now. You can pretty much Google what would it take for me to get X job in this state. So each state is going to have its own requirements. But the cool thing is that a lot of the benefits that you get out of the service with are going to support that, and what I mean is that your GI bill might um directly apply to that Uh.

Speaker 1: 18:15

You, if you're in, I will always preach that you should be using the tuition assistance program to the best of your uh, the best it uses. Your advantage is what I'm getting at. So use these programs that you have while you're in the service to prepare yourself to get out. I don't again, I don't care if you're retiring out or if you just did one uh, one contract in. Now's the time to start preparing yourself. So you have those goals. Break those goals down into easily manageable chunks and look at hey, what's the certification? Maybe that I can knock out? Um, I've touched base before on some easy uh, I'll call it low hanging fruit, such as get your OSHA 10 or 30, get your first aid CPR. Get that, the basic stuff knocked out now, while you can get it paid for. Um, and if, if your command size off signs off on that outstanding. If not, then again you still have the GI bill to use. Make sure you use it right. Make sure you're doing the, the um, the research now to make sure that it's something that you want to do. I preach this because I would hate for you guys to get into a situation like I was, where I changed majors multiple times until I really settled on what I wanted to do.

Speaker 1: 19:26

But look into some of those vocational training programs, if you, you know they got stuff like that for pilots, so they have things like that for the trades as well. Look at the programs that you can get into. Apprenticeships are a great one. So that's not I'll call it a vocational training program, but the apprenticeships are more than likely what your company is going to support you doing. You know, a couple nights a week you're getting on the job training, but a couple nights a week you're going in and learning some of the specifics so you can test for that license. Depending on your state, there may be different requirements, but you're getting all of that on the job, training how to physically put this stuff in place. And then you're learning at night oh, this is why we do that or you're learning codes. So apprenticeships are an awesome way to get into the industry. And, yeah, you're going to have to put in a few years of hard work.

Speaker 1: 20:20

But, guys, I'm telling you, once you get through that two, three, four years of hard work and then you're running a crew it's extremely financially beneficial for you and your family. You're also you're not coming out with some school debt hanging over your head and you have this skill that you can, you can carry for the rest of your life and there's a lot of clout that comes with that and a lot of respect that comes with that. When you know someone that came from a trade that's now in a management type position, so you can take that and to me project managers, superintendents, the guys that came from a trade, there's just a lot of weight similar to maybe a Mustang officer that you know, the guys that came from a trade there's just a lot of weight similar to maybe a Mustang officer that you know, an officer that was enlisted prior to getting commissioned it's the same concept there's. They know cause they've been there. So there's a lot of respect that came from that. Um, and you understand what your folks are going through because you've been in their shoes. So you know what it takes, but you know what they may or may not be capable of as well. So there's a lot of empathy that comes with that. You understand what it would take for you to do that. So you as a leader don't want to put people in one of compromising positions, safety wise, but at the same time you may have a better idea of what the manpower looks like to get that task accomplished or what the durations on a job take or look like to get a certain task accomplished. So I would really encourage you guys to get into apprenticeships.

Speaker 1: 21:45

It never hurts to have a skill. So if you, let's say, you get six months to a year into it and you decide, hey, this maybe is not the trade for me, that's still going to help you if you decide to go toward another trade. I mean understanding how the different trades play together, if you will, on the job site, and how these pieces come together. I'll give you an example. I have someone that works for us, that's worked with me previously, that came from the electrical trade and even though now he's on a general contractor side, he knows what it feels like to be that. And even though now he's on a general contractor side, he knows what it feels like to be that electrician. So he's going to make sure that the, the framer and the people that go before him are successful, so those electricians can be successful, and he knows what the electricians need to do to make sure that the people coming behind them are successful as well. And he only got that because he he did years as a trades person. So maybe it your, your story is going to be like that, where it's somewhat of a stepping stone, but I never think it's a bad idea to go ahead and get your license as some sort of a skilled trade.

Speaker 1: 22:51

Again, the GI Bill benefits will likely pay for some of this stuff before you guys get out. Um, there's a lot of programs out there and, again, be careful what you're researching. But there are a lot of programs out there that are good to go, that you guys can start night classes, maybe learning how to weld or learning, uh, electrical diagrams or learning some sort of trade, and more often than not, you can either use your tuition assistance or, if you've separated, use your GI bill benefits toward those. Be careful guys. There are a lot of schools that really just want to take your money. I would say, look at some reviews of these programs, because they may have a flashy website. It may look great, but I would suggest you talking to folks within the industry that you know or or heck, reach out to me, uh, and really understand is this a legit program that I want to use, or is it just someplace with great marketing that's going to take my money and I'm not really going to come out of it with some, uh, some sort of a trade or something that's legit that I can take forward in my career.

Speaker 1: 23:56

So, um, anyway, so I really just wanted to get back on here and do a quick episode for everyone. Um, I'm really sorry about the delay. Uh, it's. It's been a good thing, man, I had. I had some rest. Um, got a lot of stuff coming up.

Speaker 1: 24:11

Um, I have more guests that are going to be coming up on the podcast and I'm always looking for more guests. So if you guys, if you're in the industry, if you're a veteran or you have a passion for vets in the industry, please reach out to me at constructionvetpodcast at gmailcom or hit me up on LinkedIn at Scott Friend, I love sharing the stories of my brothers and sisters that have been successful in this industry. Reach out, guys, explore this industry. Reach out, guys, explore this industry. I want to see you be successful. It's a point of pride that we, as vets, can show the skills that we've learned in the service and carry that forward into building our nation's skylines. So, yeah, call it cheesy or whatever man, but I really believe it. Thank you guys again too, who have been following me for about a year, and some change now.

Speaker 1: 25:01

This has honestly opened so many doors in not only my career but my personal life as well. I've met some just solid human beings just from putting my thoughts out there on a podcast. I'm very humbled to see that there's even people in other countries that listen to the podcast. Sometimes you guys are amazing. Um, it's really cool to see that this is definitely a niche that we need. We need people in the industry. Vets need good, solid jobs and careers. Um, why not marry the two up together? So thank you guys again. I appreciate you. I love you. Thank you so much. If you're a military veteran in the construction industry or you're in the construction industry and support our military vets and you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, you can find me at construction vet podcast at gmailcom or send me a message on LinkedIn. You can find me there at Scott friend. Let's share me there at Scott Friend. Let's share the stories and motivate others.