Blueprints to Punch List | Contsructing a Career: Your Hosts' Stories | Episode 27
How We Got Into Construction: Dave & Ken on Journeys, Mentors, and Opportunities in the Trades
🏗️ Welcome to the Blueprints to Punch List Podcast! In this episode, hosts Dave Grosz and Ken Fulmer share how they each entered construction and what led them to Wilson and Company. Ken describes starting in high school doing HVAC and residential work, moving into the pool industry, earning an integrated business degree from UCF, and getting a project manager opportunity at Wilson in 2018 when Barry Henderson took a chance on him. Dave explains starting in his late twenties on a South Florida HVAC job site, moving into office work, becoming general manager of a service division, and later joining Wilson after relocating to Orlando, also with support from mentors.
They emphasize leadership as a reason people stay at companies and encourage viewers to pursue trades and construction careers, noting strong demand, hard work, and that AI won’t replace electricians and plumbers. 🧑🔧👷♀️
📞 Don't forget to check out our full-length podcasts and reach out to Wilson and Co for any construction project inquiries!
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Also, visit:
https://wilsoncompany.net/podcast
00:00 Welcome and Setup
01:10 Ken’s Early Construction Roots
02:12 Pools to Project Management
02:29 Degree and Joining Wilson
04:47 Host’s First Jobsite Shock
06:40 Moving Into the Office
09:12 Finding Wilson in Orlando
11:45 Why Leadership Matters
13:10 Opportunities in the Trades
15:49 AI Won’t Replace Trades
16:31 Wrap Up and Call to Action
