e story also called out the tremendous
investment one remodeler, Mosby Building
Arts in St. Louis, made by taking ownership
of the problem and launching an independent
training program called Tradeswork. Last year,
they received 20 applications that yielded two
apprentices. is year they will take up to five
new apprentices. "is is definitely a cost cen-
ter for us," owner Scott Mosby is quoted as
saying. At the very least, his company has a
track to run on—a way to facilitate growth
moving forward.
is month Clapham
continued his work on
the labor shortage issue
by compiling a direc-
tory of two- and four-
year degree programs
in construction man-
agement that welcome
individuals interested
in pursuing residential
construction management. Forty-five pro-
grams around the country responded to us.
ey are very interested to connect with re-
modelers seeking to hire managers from their
programs. Since this directory went to press,
several other construction management pro-
grams have sought to be listed with us. You
can find the list under the "Business" tab on
QualifiedRemodeler.com.
In the meantime, we will continue to com-
municate on this issue with the goal of help-
ing remodelers connect directly with potential
hires. is labor shortage will require a lot of
blocking and tackling to repair. ese efforts,
as well as others to come in this magazine and
on its website, are our way of pitching in. In
the meantime, if you have a labor shortage
success story you would like to share, send it
to kyle@solabrands.com.
|
s remodeling activity moves to new
highs, a shortage of skilled labor
and qualified managers grows more
acute with each passing day. e
shortage has been the top issue among remod-
elers responding to our annual Top 500 survey
for the past three years.
In 2017 and beyond, the name of the game
is finding, hiring and retaining skilled labor.
ose who recruit better will be the winners
in the industry. Remodeling industry leader
Mark Richardson, CR,
puts it this way: "ose
who master labor will
master the business."
A year ago, I was pleased
to participate in a work-
ing group set up by the
National Association of
the Remodeling Industry
(NARI). Leaders from all
parts of the industry were
represented—from building product manufactur-
ers like Kohler to big-box retailers like Lowe's and
Home Depot. Some people, such as Amy James
Neel, an instructor for Oregon Tradeswomen,
Inc., represented local training organizations.
Ideas offered by the NARI working group
ranged from developing a new nonprofit fund
to implementing new flows of communication
designed to connect remodelers with a constel-
lation of local programs around the country.
In short, there was no easy fix. Years in the
making, this labor shortage will require years
of focused effort to solve.
Kyle Clapham, our senior editor, wrote a
piece for our January issue titled, "Developing
a New Workforce." It brought needed perspec-
tive to the issue. It highlighted the success sto-
ries from James Neel's Oregon Tradeswomen
program, along with several others.
No Quick Fix
to Labor Issue
A
In 2017 and beyond,
the name of the
game is finding,
hiring and retaining
skilled labor.
6 February 2017 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR'S NOTE
Patrick L. O'Toole
Published by
SOLA Group, Inc.
1880 Oak Ave., Suite 350
Evanston, IL 60201
847.440.3000
Publisher and Patrick L. O'Toole
Editorial Director Patrick@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 103
Senior Editor Kyle Clapham
Kyle@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 107
Associate Editor Kacey Larsen
Kacey@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 105
Proofreader Nancy Mueller-Truax
Audience Development Mike Serino
MSerino@magservgroup.com
Creative Director & Tracy Hegg
Production Manager Tracy@SOLAbrands.com
Editorial Advisory Board Stephen Gidley, GMB, CAPS,
CGP, CGB, CGR, CPRC, CR
Jeffrey Holloway, CKD, CBD, CGR
Michael Nagel, CGR, CAPS
Scott R. Sevon, CGR, CAPS,
GMB, CGP, GMR
Donna Shirey, CGR, CAPS, CGP
Kenneth P. Skowronski, CR
Midwest and West Paul DeGrandis
Sales Manager Paul@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 100
Midwest Sales Manager Jessica Fidrocki
Jessica@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 117
East Sales Manager Beth Emerich
EmerichB@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 101
National Automotive Tom Lutzke
Sales TLutzke@ACBusinessMedia.com
Literature Galleries/ Mike Serino
Classifieds Mike@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 102
Digital Programs Tim Steingraber
Manager Tim@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 106
Projects Manager Heidi Riedl
Heidi@SOLAbrands.com
Ext. 111
A preferred publication
of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry
and the NAHB Remodelers