National silver award, 2009, Feature Series, American Society of Business Publications Editors Annual Awards of Excellence, 80,000-plus circulation (first of three articles in series)

1. RebRanding the industRy / PaRt
1
Off the
Radar
This is the first of three
articles about the next-
generation remodeling
workforce. Next month:
more than 30 steps
toward a sustainable
H
workforce.
leah thayeR senioR editoR Hundreds of thousands of construction jobs will be
created in the U.S. during the next several years.
Many remodelers are beginning to won- immigrants,” Reeves says, adding that one
der whether they’ll be able to fill even a of his best carpenters is a 47-year-old,
few of those positions with the kinds of college-educated math teacher from Mex-
employees they feel comfortable sending ico. There’s no trade track at Reeves’ local
62.5%
into clients’ homes. high school — no problem, as sexier occu-
In El Dorado Hills, Calif., Paul Reeves pations are clicks away. His teenage step-
of Reeves Construction struggles to find daughter makes $10 an hour as an intern
new hires who can pass the drug tests for Intel, a position she lined up online.
required by his insurer. Rarely does the Even Starbucks pays $10.50 an hour plus
of the growth in the carpentry workforce from
“whiz quiz,” as some remodelers call it, benefits, Reeves says.
1996 to 2006 was among those 35 or older.
not reveal methamphetamine, cocaine, or Across the country in Green Bank,
57.1%
marijuana, if not also high levels of alco- W.Va., Malinda Meck has a hard time
hol, in U.S.-born applicants who might finding well-rounded workers of any age
otherwise seem qualified. for Jacob S. Meck Construction. Given
Meanwhile, it might be the end of her state’s chronic poverty and high
of all U.S. carpenters were 35 or older in the line for the Reeves family of build- unemployment, one might expect droves
2006. 47.2% were 45+, and 9.5% were 65+. ers. Whereas 43-year-old Paul learned of applicants for her steady, well-paying,
Source: Current Population Survey; U.S. Census Bureau/ the trade from his father, grandfather, and benefit-rich jobs. Retention is even more
Bureau of Labor Statistics
great-grandfather, starting as an adoles- challenging; employees seem to drift away
cent sweeping the shop after school, his on a whim. Some go to nearby ski resorts
own kids and their peers “don’t want to or lumberyards, and some are just “too
get dirty,” he says. hung-over or stoned to work,” she says.
“I live in an affluent neighborhood, and So dire is the skilled worker shortage
Read more about issues involving the
next-generation remodeling workforce at
other than me, pretty much the only people in Meck’s area that she’s even started new
www.remodeling.com/webextras. they see working in the trades are Hispanic businesses that supply roll-off garbage
60 Remodeling January 2008 remodelingmagazine.com

2. best PRaCtiCes
skilled Help Wanted
Growing His Own
27.4%
W
HVaC mechanics and installers
e accepted that there were
tile and marble setters 25.1% not enough ready-to-go
Cost estimators 21.1% skilled people out there to
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters 16.7% meet our needs,” says Jerry Liu of D.G.
Liu Contractor. “So one way of coping
Cement masons and concrete finishers 15.9% was to say: ‘How do we turn inexperi-
brickmasons and blockmasons 14.8% enced people into carpenters?’”
electricians 14.2% Among other steps, Liu created a four-
year apprenticeship program adapted from
Construction managers 14% the union training he had decades ago.
Carpenters13.1% And, “we held our own job fair,” he says.
Painters 12.7% “We posted an ad, parked trucks around
the area with signs on top, rented a hotel
Helpers 10.3%
room,” and hired “a standout” from among
Plasterers and stucco masons 7.7% the few who stopped by.
drywall and ceiling tile installers 6.5% Further, Liu learned to spot good work-
ers early. One
Projected employment growth in the U.S. construction industry, 2004–2014.
such recruit,
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
third-year exte-
containers and portable toilets. “These jobs own apprenticeship program (see “Grow- riors apprentice
don’t require high-level skills,” she says. ing His Own,” this page). Many other Donnie Clayton
A different employment dilemma remodelers have found their own ways to (shown), was
faces Jerry Liu in the suburbs of Washing- crack the labor code, and we’ll be show- an industrious
ton, D.C. He finds that educators and par- casing some of their success stories as well adolescent when
ents are major obstacles to reinforcing his in this series. Liu started put-
journeymen carpenters — guys in their But the prevailing mood in the indus- ting him to work
40s and 50s whom he calls “the walking try is this: Far too few young people are doing odd jobs. A few years later, when
wounded,” and who he predicts will soon being groomed for remodeling careers. Clayton was an honor roll student in one of
be able to command salaries of $100,000 It’s going to take far more than an ad in the the area’s few remaining high school con-
or more in the competitive market. paper and a decent hourly wage to find and struction programs, “we got him for a sum-
As in many metropolitan regions, retain skilled and committed employees. mer and said, ‘We need to make this kid
school systems in Liu’s area have down- feel special,’” Liu says. “We sent him home
sized vocational education. Sadly, some Reality and PeRcePtions with a tool bag and tools. We wanted him to
construction programs that remain seem The talent deficit isn’t new; a declining feel he had no other choice.”
to be a dumping ground for low achiev- emphasis on vocational training in the Clayton, now 20, remembers being
ers that the schools don’t know where U.S. — the traditional breeding ground surprised by the opportunity. A job that he
else to put. “Our schools define success of skilled tradespeople — has been under expected to consist of “digging holes, or
as ‘percentage college-ready,’” says the way for decades. “We’ve been talk- whatever,” turned out to be one of continu-
owner of D.G. Liu Contractor, in Dick- ing about the labor shortage for the last ing responsibility and clear expectations.
erson, Md. “It’s an inherently prejudiced 25 years,” says Mark Richardson, presi- “It was obvious they wanted me to pros-
system” because it implies that trade pro- dent of Case Design/Remodeling. per,” he says. “Instead of flying blindly and
fessionals aren’t smart, he says. “Where Neither the shortage nor a major shift hoping that maybe there will be a raise
do you get construction workers when to Hispanic workers ever really material- around the corner, I get an outline of what
everybody’s raised as keyboarders?” ized at Case, in part because of the well- I should be able to do to advance to differ-
Determined to avert “crisis in 10 years,” known company’s magnet-like allure to ent levels,” Clayton says. “We’re not just
Liu has been proactive about workforce experienced workers from shuttered com- winging it.” —L.T.
development, going so far as to develop his panies (see “Into the Fold,” page 62).
remodelingmagazine.com Remodeling January 2008 61

3. RebRanding
best PRaCtiCes
the industRy / PaRt
1 “Demand for
skilled workers
Into the Fold What Case is start-
ing to experience —
in the construc-
“We’re all asking where
the next generation is com-
W
hen small remodeling compa- and what seems to tion industry is as ing from,” says Dave Bor-
nies struggle, big companies be the root of what high as it’s been in gatti, a carpentry instructor
often benefit. “In the last 12 to many believe to be an anyone’s memory.” at The Wood Construction
18 months, I would say we’ve had 50 small impending labor crisis Eric Gearhart, SkillsUSA Center at Seattle Central
remodelers tell us they want to work for nationwide — is an Community College. He
us,” says Mark Richardson, president of aging workforce. The median age of work- and others agree that a key sticking point
Case Design/ ers in construction occupations is 38.9, is society’s wholesale devaluing of blue-
Remodeling, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Sta- collar work, which has spurred severe
one of the larg- tistics. Citing job growth and worker loss cutbacks in construction education and an
est remodeling data from the Bureau, “the construction otherwise unflattering image of a profes-
companies in industry will be short 2.3 million work- sion that many remodelers know can be
the U.S. “Our ers by 2025,” says Brindley Byrd, a for- lucrative, intellectually challenging, and
biggest crop mer remodeler who is executive director personally gratifying.
of talent hasn’t of the Capital Area Construction Council “The problem is part image and part
been young of Lansing, Mich. “Demand is increas- awareness,” says Jim Carr, a professor of
fellows coming ing, and the workforce is being depleted,” construction management at the Univer-
out of voca- even in depressed economies like his own, sity of Arkansas, in Little Rock. He cites
tional school, he says. a Wall Street Journal survey that ranks
but owners who are surrendering” — who
still love the craft but are worn down, in Construction education in decline
many cases, by the stresses of running a
business in a softening market.
1982: 2.6 million 2005: 2.5 million
What attracts ex-owners? Stability,
benefits, and growth potential. Identify their
real strengths to engage their passions. “It Total number of high school graduates
could be their back and knees are shot, but
they’re really good at estimating or project 21.6 26.67
MORe aCadeMiCs Less tiMe in COnstRuCtiOn
management,” Richardson says. Others are total average credits CLass
carpenters, such as Chris Crosser (shown earned by high school average number of
above), a home repair specialist in Case’s graduates credits earned in
0.13
Handyman and Remodeling Division. construction classes 0.10
Use technology to extend your reach during high school
and visibility, Richardson adds. “In the past,
you wouldn’t expect a carpenter to go to
Monster.com or CareerBuilder.com. Now
usuaLLy nO COn- FeWeR COnstRuCtiOn
they do.” Also, leverage your employees’ 7.3%
5.4%
stRuCtiOn CLass MaJORs
word-of-mouth network. Like a growing 1.5% 1.1%
Percentage of high Percentage of high school
number of other companies, Case offers
school graduates graduates who concen-
referral bonuses to employees who help the
who earned any con- trated in construction
company find others with similar skill sets
struction credits (took 3 or more credits)
and work ethics. —L.T.
Sources: American Institutes for Research, National Center for Education Statistics
“We’re at war for talent. We need to overcome the low-skill, low-wage image of remodeling.
We’ve got to put our best face forward to let people know of the opportunities and the technology
that are embedded throughout the industry.”
Brindley Byrd, Capital Area Construction Council
62 Remodeling January 2008 remodelingmagazine.com

4. “Not only are
there hardly best PRaCtiCes
careers: Construction a relative or educator steered
any vocational
laborer ranked 248,
education pro-
them toward it, she says. Hire Globally,
just after cowboy.
“Our image is that grams, but there
Increasingly, the opposite
seems more likely. Dan Tad-
Train Locally
T
of dirty, stinky men,” are hardly any dei, director of education at he language barrier keeps many
says Brett Pressler of teachers. I know NARI National in Chicago, remodelers from hiring foreign-born
Timberland Construc- witnessed this first-hand workers. Jeff Santerre of Prestige
one who lasted a
tion, in Orem, Utah. when one of his sons decided Custom Builders, in Seattle, sees it as an
Echoing Reeves and semester before he wanted to go straight opportunity to
others, he notes that he left to start his from high school to a career hire hard-work-
many kids live in a own company!” in graphic arts. “I got the ing employees
virtual world of You- Darius Baker impression the counselors who are eager
Tube and Xboxes, D&J Kitchens & Baths wouldn’t even talk to him — and grate-
with “PCs and TVs in San Jose, Calif. until he committed to go to ful — to learn.
every room. They have college,” Taddei says. He’s Several of his
it much easier” — coddled by parents, in heard similar stories from NARI members employees
many cases, and given trophies even if nationwide, particularly in affluent areas speak English
their team never wins — and often “have where “the parents all want their kids to as a second lan-
no sense of delayed gratification.” go to college, or at least the school super- guage (ESL), including paint crew members
“I can’t imagine a young person natu- intendents perceive that to be the case.” Malith Tong Malith (shown, at right), who
rally being drawn to carpentry. There’s Not that the industry is opposed to survived civil war and a horrific, 900-mile
just no emphasis,” says Wanda Poe, higher education. On the contrary, “we desert trek in his native Sudan, and Sergey
executive director of the Austin (Texas) love to have workers who are college edu- Rymaruk (left), of Ukraine.
chapter of the National Association of the cated,” says John DeCiantis of DeCiantis “We’ve trained them how to work our
Remodeling Industry (NARI). Exacerbat- Construction, in Stonington, Conn. “We way, and they’ve been quick studies,” San-
ing the problem, Texas bans people under want them to be able to problem-solve terre says of his foreign-born staff. The key
18 from construction jobsites. “Construc- — it’s very important in my line of work,” is education and language development.
tion is not on their radar screen” unless and many carpenters at his and other “They know they can’t really be in charge
0 33.7%
unless their English is good,” he says. “It’s
their ball and chain.”
Lesa Keller, Prestige Custom Builders’
human resources manager, screens all
hires extensively and requires basic English
Projected net growth of the U.S.- Projected net growth rate of the knowledge at a minimum, “just for safety
born labor force (ages 25–54) foreign-born Hispanic labor force
between 2007 and 2027. between 2004 and 2014.
alone,” she says. The company also gives
each of its 30 employees a $500 annual
are youth more ambitious? ... education allowance, issuing quarterly
111% Growth in number of students taking Advanced Placement reminders to use remaining balances for
examinations (from 557,000 to 1,197,000), 1997–2005. classes in English, technology, or other rele-
vant topics. Performance evaluations cover
41% Projected college enrollment growth between 1990 and 2014 language training; ESL employees “know
(from 13,819,000 to 19,470,000).
their compensation will be limited if they’re
92% of middle-school students say they will definitely or probably attend college. not working on it,” Santerre says. —L.T.
Sources: Association for Career and Technical Education, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center
for Education Statistics, Educational Testing Service
“When you look at the high percentage of students who are encouraged to be college-bound,
and you see that the schools are not providing vocational education, well, what’s their option?”
Lucy Katz, Katz Builders, Austin, Texas
remodelingmagazine.com Remodeling January 2008 63

5. RebRanding
best PRaCtiCes
the industRy / PaRt
1 “The future genera-
tion of workers has
A Burn to Learn companies do have
advanced degrees.
been babied, and
high school students in
CTE programs in 2004,
schools and parents
M
ost people of this generation How educators up from 9.6 million in
are either texting or on their view remodelers may have not held them 1999, according to the
computer,” says Mitch Speck of be a different matter. accountable for Association for Career
Spectacular Home Remodeling, in Sandy, After a meeting with their actions. ” and Technical Educa-
Ore. “So we thought, ‘Let’s catch them educators, DeCiantis Dave Snyder, Career and tion (ACTE). But the
where they live.’” heard that “they were Technology Center of CTE umbrella covers
One way Speck catches tech-savvy pro- surprised that we were Frederick County diverse fields — car-
spective employees, including “awesome” coherent — we had Public Schools pentry and electrical,
apprentice carpenter Jenna Miller (shown), our teeth, we spoke yes, but also programs
is to advertise on craigslist, an online com- intelligently, and some of us are highly like 3-D animation, physical therapy, and
munity in hundreds of cities (www.craigslist educated.” More people need to know emergency medical care. Only 58.1% of
.com). His well- “that construction workers aren’t unedu- public schools had a construction class in
worded ad for an cated slugs,” he says only half-jokingly. 2002, ACTE reports.
entry-level car- “College has its place, but one of the “Every time you turn around, you
penter attracted things we’ve forgotten in education is hear about a construction program being
30 responses. It that not everybody learns the same way,” closed down or consolidated,” says Tom
also linked to a Taddei says. “Some kids don’t learn by Holdsworth, director of communications
job description, book, but by working with their hands. and government relations with SkillsUSA,
helping to weed And they’re being left behind.” He adds which prepares students for careers in
out candidates. that there’s also a giant skills gap between 130 technical and service occupations.
Speck hires novice construction worker and profes- “We’ve seen good, healthy increases in
for attitude over aptitude, using a team- sional remodeler. “In order to get the skills programs such as robotics and computer
interview process to distinguish candi- required to be a carpenter in remodeling, networking and CAD [computer-aided
dates who want to learn and grow from it’s hard to get there from being a laborer.” design],” he says, “whereas the more tra-
those with unrealistic expectations or a ditional construction trades have more dif-
tendency to blame others. Miller, 30, had Back of the classRoom ficulty in attracting or keeping students.”
no prior construction experience other So what of skills training programs? Some newly constructed high schools,
than a “great” seven-week class she had Interestingly, vocational education itself if they have a construction program at all,
taken with Oregon Tradeswomen. She — today called “career and technical “have a programmed computer for CAD,”
also had three years of college, as well as education,” or CTE — seems to be on the Borgatti says. “That’s their nod to it.”
a steady but unfulfilling job as a supervi- upswing. There were 15.2 million U.S. There are wonderful construction pro-
sor for a phone company. A lead carpen-
ter sat in on the interview, “and he said ... Or less realistic?
that one of the main things in his life was
444,000 students dropped out of high school in the year ended October 2006.
to continue learning,” Miller says.
“I thought that was really cool.” 67% of U.S. high school students graduate on time.
Miller also appreciates the company’s
small size, which has led to close working
38% of U.S. high school students enroll immediately in postsecondary education
after graduation.
relationships with supervisors. “Even their
criticism is constructive,” she says. “Mitch 18% of U.S. high school students go on to receive a bachelor’s degree within six
is such a good confidence booster.” —L.T. years or an associate degree within three years.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Association for Career and Technical Education
“A lot of people look down on construction and most of the trades. They see someone working on
houses and assume they can’t be very smart. There’s so much science and math involved in this work.
We need to show people it’s not what they think.”
Donnie Clayton, a 20-year-old apprentice at D.G. Liu Contractor
64 Remodeling January 2008 remodelingmagazine.com

6. “It’s this simple:
‘junk in, junk out.’ best PRaCtiCes
grams, to be sure, but
others are underfunded
As long as CTE is
because they don’t test
well and educators don’t
Open-Book
looked down on
and underattended.
“It’s a numbers game,” as ‘dumbed-down’
want to deal with them.
The result can frustrate
Ownership
W
says Dave Snyder, a education, it will even the most dedicated ith four field employees younger
school support special- teachers, many of whom than 30, and several employ-
produce low- ees with tenures of 14 years or
ist and special edu- could be making far more
cation teacher at the
wage work and money working in the trades longer, Riggs Construction of St. Louis has
Career and Technol- our trades will than in the classroom. a clear knack for finding and keeping good
ogy Center of Freder- continue to suffer.” A telling example is young workers. They include 29-year-old
ick County (Maryland) David Yost in West Virginia, where Dan Kayich (far right, shown with Brian
Public Schools, refer- a CTE building David Yost left a fulfilling Marquis, John Schuetz, and Brett Randall),
ring to the challenges construction teacher career with the military a project manager who started seven years
of maintaining enroll- (and took a $70,000 pay ago as an apprentice. Amie Riggs, vice
ment in the center’s carpentry class. “Pub- cut) to teach building construction at the president,
lic education is focused on raising test high school he graduated from 40 years attributes a
scores due to the unfunded federal mandate ago. He estimates, “conservatively,” that big part of
created by No Child Left Behind legisla- 98% of his students can’t read or do math this success
tion,” he says. Hands-on classes such as beyond the 7th grade level, and says that to the com-
woodworking “are at the bottom of the “they literally have not been taught” even pany’s union
totem pole,” beneath “academic” (and, such basic life skills as critical thinking, status. “We
it’s worth noting, less space- and mate- work ethic, and integrity. hire union
rial-intensive) subjects such as science, To prepare his students for construc- guys who
math, and English. tion careers, which do require those skills go through
In the meantime, “we’re losing the kids and many others, Yost has a classroom the system — who’ve had thorough training
who are sitting at the back of the class- budget that averages $600 a year. “I’ve and chose this to be their career,” she says.
room, staring out windows,” DeCiantis had to beg for donations from the local Riggs also does things that even remod-
says. In response, he has worked with the home builders’ association and building elers in nonunion towns could embrace
Home Builders Association of Connecti- supply companies,” he says. But “the to become more attractive to prospec-
cut to develop an accredited two-year thing that really blows my mind is that tive employees. Being open-book is “first
degree program in construction technol- we spent $1.4 million on an Astroturf and foremost,” she says. All staff review
ogy (stay tuned for more details in next football field and $270,000 on a basket- the company’s finances monthly: balance
month’s issue of Remodeling). ball court that we don’t need,” he says. sheets, budgets, P&L statements. “They
And the kids who do find themselves “The problem isn’t really the students,” know where the money goes, and they
in construction classes? Too often — at Yost says. It’s the adults. “We’re failing know why we have to make the margins we
least for now — they seem to be there the students.” R make.” This knowledge makes them “buy
into everything,” she says. “They own their
Half empty or Half Full? jobs. They’re proud of their trucks, and they
120: Number of the approximately 46,000 high school students in Fairfax County, take care of their tools.”
“Being open-book helps me deal with
Va., enrolled in its construction program each year. $2.1 million: Recent
clients when we face unforeseen issues,”
selling price of a home built by students in the program. 23: Percentage of first- says Kayich. “It helps me help clients make
generation Latino immigrants who are fluent in English. 88: Percentage of U.S.- the right decisions.
born adult children of immigrants who are fluent in English. 28: Percentage of Kayich’s union training focused on
field managers U.S. construction companies expect to lose within the next
new construction, he notes. “Remodeling
requires a little more know-how and flexibil-
10 years. 60,000: Number of high school and college students enrolled in
ity,” he says, adding that many apprentices
the architecture and construction career cluster of SkillsUSA. don’t last without on-the-job training. —L.T.
Sources: Fairfax County Public Schools, Pew Hispanic Center, FMI Corp, SkillsUSA
remodelingmagazine.com Remodeling January 2008 65

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