labor shortage
Ep.97: Getting a Handle On Training with Chris Peterson
Training to help move team members up the ladder is important to any remodeling company and its ability to move fast and make money.
Chris Peterson has seen the importance of training from his first days in the field as a carpenter through to his present leadership position. He says it’s a concrete way to coach and promote great people from the ground up.
In this episode, Chris explains his company’s training methods to Tim and Steve, and shows you how to create your own education program.
Chris is a co-owner and vice-president of production at Schloegel Design Remodel in Kansas City, MO. Chris has been with the company for more than 23 years. He started in the field as a carpenter and progressed to lead carpenter, project manager, and production manager. In 2018, he purchased the business with his partner, Charlie Schloegel. He’s seen the need for better training from many angles.
There’s a real connection between emphasizing training and successful financial growth, says Chris. His company has started Schloegel University, which is in its initial growth phase. Some of the training is after hours on a volunteer basis, and there are mandatory meetings. Chris explains why making it cross-functional with classes that include field and office staff is important, as well as:
- Reactionary vs. proactive training
- Explaining how quality ties into profitability
- How much to spend on training
- Structuring a training program
- Understanding education is already happening
- Setting standards so things are done the same way, every time
- Putting the responsibility on the learner
- Creating enthusiasm around the process
- And more …
Dedicating the time to training, even if it’s informal, will help your people be successful, leading to better quality and more jobs for your company, says Chris.
Ep.95: Teaching People to See with Ian Schwandt
Today’s guest believes that training tradespeople is an overlooked part of solving the labor crisis the remodeling and construction industries continue to face.
Ian Schwandt says that lead carpenters are in the best position to have a positive effect on the development of young tradespeople. As a lead carpenter, he practices what he preaches.
In today’s episode, Ian talks to Tim and Steve about teaching young tradespeople to see, understand, and think about why they’re doing something, rather than only demonstrating the mechanics of the task.
Ian is a lead carpenter and estimator with Hudson Valley Preservation in Kent, CT. He started with the company in 2017 as lead carpenter after working with the owners as a carpentry sub. He took over estimating in 2019, and rebuilt the Excel-based estimating program. He wrote a four-part series about the idea of the Worker-Centered Crew in JLC.
Taking on the estimating task gave him added insight into how crews are put together, how they’re trained, and what they’re capable of. Ian started as a laborer out of high school, but found he loved carpentry work. He got a four-year apprenticeship program when he joined the carpenters union in Milwaukee, WI. His training there put him on a life-long path of learning. He talks about his views on training, and others can approach it, including:
- The Triangle of Obligations
- The importance of being organized
- Setting your field team up for success
- Building teaching time into the labor burden
- Teaching how to cheat
- The difference between working from the neck up and neck down
- Explaining the “why” of the whole project at the beginning
- Using YouTube videos and magazine articles to prepare your field staff
- Putting a package of PDFs together that can be accessed on site
- Asking the right questions to make workers think and understand the work
- Creating a working environment that will attract young workers
- And more …
Ian also writes his own blog at The Pen & Hammer — A Lead Carpenter’s View Inside the Office.
We Want to Hear From You
If you have a suggestion for a topic or guest for the podcast, send an email to Tim at tim@remodelersadvantage.com.