welder

Tanya Peddy enlisted in the U.S. Army and traveled the world before finding a second career in the trades. She's a welder, a pipe fitter, and now a licensed plumber working for Brandt Mechanical. In her words, the best part of her job is that she gets to, "make shit with fire." A woman's attention to detail can provide a much needed advantage as a welder. And while the Army provided discipline, she found that the construction industry was nowhere near as strict. 

Brian Cohen is a business strategist for SF&P Advisors in South Florida specializing in the acquisition and purchasing of service companies with a portfolio in excess of $3 billion. He details what successful business owners have in common, and the patterns he sees in multiple plumbing, electrical, and HVAC companies with valuations in the millions.

David Johnson built fences as a young man before “officially” joining the skilled trades. Now, as VP of Sales for BoomNation — an online community for America’s forgotten blue-collar laborers and skilled tradesmen — David stresses the importance of bridging the gap between what the trades can offer and what the younger generations want in a career. His ultimate goal is to bring more young men and women into the trades, and he points to the successful careers of welders, plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians as examples. BoomNation also works with contractors to pair them with the right talent for any given job.

Libby DeLucien is the CEO of 3 trades-oriented businesses, one of which is WootRecruit, the premiere recruiting software for service businesses worldwide. Early in life, she managed a chaotic schedule, working with North America's largest collection of Asian Elephants, shuttling them around the country for Ringling Bros. Circus. Through keen observation of poor management and failed systems, Libby dedicated herself to build a company with a foolproof standard operating procedure. She expresses a sentiment of extreme ownership for failures in business, reminiscent of Jocko Willink and Jordan B. Peterson.

Discover the pulse of the blue-collar community with David, Boom Nation's trailblazing VP of Sales, as he unpacks the transformative effects of a platform tuned precisely for skilled tradespeople. We're not just talking about another job board—Boom Nation is a masterstroke in networking, job hunting, and fostering a vibrant, digitally-savvy trades community. If you've ever wondered how social media and hands-on work can mesh to revolutionize the way we think about job searching and site communication, this conversation promises insights that could very well reshape your perspective.

Navigating the job market can be a maze of missed connections and timing missteps, especially in the trades. But here's where Boom Nation steps in, smoothing out the wrinkles to ensure employers and workers in the skilled trades find their perfect match with the help of targeted social recruiting. David shares compelling stories illustrating this process, bringing to light the immense power of community and timely connections that go beyond traditional job boards. Plus, we get an inside look at how Boom Nation fosters user engagement and content that resonates deeply with the culture and humor of the blue-collar world.

Lastly, we have a heart-to-heart on the paramount importance of vocational education and the myriad paths to success within the trades. This segment peels back the layers of generational stereotypes, revealing the entrepreneurial spirit and critical societal roles of tradespeople. And for a touch of inspiration, we celebrate the stories of individuals who've found life-altering career opportunities through Boom Nation, proving the platform's impact. It's an episode that not only champions the skilled worker but also honors the dignity of every hard hat and tool belt in the workforce.

0:00 Boom Nation
8:58 Value of Networks in Blue Collar Trades
21:40 Digital Advertising and Community Engagement
26:18 Podcast Platforms for Blue Collar Community
40:40 Skills and Education
46:01 Boom Nation and Traits Collaboration Lives

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Welcome to SparkTalk, where we will share insights, tips, and news on robotic welding, AI, and prefabrication. In this conversation, we welcome Todd Scheerer, Welding Technologist at Novarc Technologies. This episode is all about the welder. We take a deep dive into welder safety, welding skills and attributes, and entering the workforce with the emergence of technology. If you want to take a look at what the modern-day and future welder looks like, you don't want to miss out on this conversation.    

Melvin Viera cut his teeth at the bottom in the skilled trades, running parts and doing administrative work for Rescue Air. But that job gave him the necessary knowledge to become a successful HVAC Installer. He discusses his trades-based education, the brotherhood, pride, and comradery of being a tradesman, as well as his quick ascent to making over 6-figures per year in under than 24 months.

My dude Buck Binder jumped on the pod with Gerald and I and we had a great time!

Nils Rasmusson is the content creator behind LRN2DIY, a successful YouTube Channel with over 700k subscribers. As a father of four, Nils discusses the importance of any skilled trade as a valuable asset to (at the very least) fall back on, as well as the necessity for homeowners to have a basic understanding of the mechanics for upkeep on their homes.

When the twin towers were hit on 9/11, Andrew Brown was an IT geek who found himself racing through checkpoints in his friend's truck, heading towards ground zero. It was there that he understood the vital importance of tradesmen. Two weeks later, he quit his job and now owns ToolFetch.com, an e-commerce website with over 150,000 products across 7 different categories.

Robert Renfro was broke, out of work, but still had a growing family to feed. Out of necessity, he drove to Austin, TX and became an apprentice and a journeyman on the same day. Now with 8 children, eighteen grandchildren, and 40 years of plumbing under his belt, Robert discusses the sacrifices he made to earn a high six-figure salary, and how young plumbers can get on the fast-track to earning a comparable wage.

John Trammell is the Director of Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) Technologies for Brandt. Starting out as an apprentice plumber and pipefitter, John has climbed the ranks and worked on some of the nation's largest commercial projects. VDC is a fabrication database akin to a virtual hardware store.

Known as "The Fixer" across social media, Matt's path to becoming a content creator seemed carved in stone. While studying his passion of Audio/Video in school, Matt was introduced to construction where he found stable and fulfilling work. But it would be ten years and many, many jobsites later before he took the leap to combine the two. Now, as a full-time content creator, Matt "The Fixer's" mission is to equip homeowners with the necessary tools to tackle their own maintenance and repairs.

Tyler Sasse is a welder, entrepreneur, and the successful content creator and founder of Western Welding Academy which is responsible for churning out the world's top welders through a rigorous six-month curriculum. As a Top Hand award winner, Tyler discusses why this should be the bar (not the exception), his vision for the future, commraderie in the trades, and why the one million job deficit in the skilled trades is one of our nation's greatest security threats.

Unlike most young men, Shawn Strong took his mother's advice and became a plumber, but it didn't start out that way. He tried sales, graphic design, anything in an air-conditioned cubicle in front of a computer, only to learn later on that working with his hands provided a comfort and joy only those in the skilled trades can understand. In addition to plumbing, Shawn runs the Discord and sub/Reddit channels for the man himself, Roger Wakefield.

Dave Hill, owner of Express Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling in Jersey Shore cut his teeth as an apprentice on a service truck until he was fired -- on his wedding day, and by his own father -- during the recession. But through hard work and dedication, Dave has built his business into a Jersey Shore household name, now with plans to extend his reach to the great state of Texas. This episode discusses the hurdles of running your own business, in addition to tapping into the unlimited growth potential of the trades.

In this special edition of Weld Wednesday, I am talking with Ivan Iler, we had a chance to meet at FabTech in Chicago last year right after his appearance on the Netflix Series Metal Shop Masters. Ivan is a super talented metal artist who makes kinetic sculptures. Tune in to find out how he's taking his art work to the next level. 

Follow Ivan on Instagram: @ivan_iler

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This week’s guest is Donny Sparacimino a self taught welder from Toronto Canada. Donny started off as a computer programmer paying for school by working in a fab shop. He quickly developed a passion for welding and taught himself well enough to follow his dream as a pipe welder.

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FRANK THE TANK! FRANK THE TANK! FRANK THE TANK!

A nice little evening in the studio with Frank. We cleared the air on Franks first bike he welded for Yeti. We got a taste for Columbus steel. And we got home in time for supper.