Hi Mike – I heard your interview with Kelly Ayotte, the governor-elect of New Hampshire. Excellent! I was wondering if you two will be working together on the trades issue, or if you might consider a role in the Trump administration? Labor maybe? Also curious if you’ve heard from RFK since he asked you to be his running mate?
Jason Smith
Hi Jason
It was great to see Kelly again. We first met ten years ago when I testified before the Senate Commerce Committee. She was a senator back then, and asked me some very prescient questions about the need for a national campaign to reinvigorate the skilled trades. I saw her again in Concord last Friday, at a terrific event called Bring Back the Trades. The event was a huge success, and with her at the helm, I think New Hampshire might very well lead the charge in closing America’s skills gap. And yes – I’d be happy to work with her team to help make that happen, and shine a light on what the Granite State is doing right. In fact, I hope this post might be a way of accomplishing that very thing.
As for a role in the Trump administration, probably not. I’m not interested in official positions or appointments or titles with a .gov email address. But I would welcome the opportunity to participate in a national effort to reinvigorate the trades, by helping the government make a more persuasive case for the millions of positions currently open that don’t require a four-year degree. Personally, I think the best way for me to do that is to keep doing what I’ve been doing, on a larger scale. As you might know, we award about $2.5 million in work ethic scholarships every year, and we’ve so far gotten our work ethic curriculum into 53 schools. In fact, it was RFK who told me, “If you want to turn mikeroweWORKS into macroWORKS, you should be my vice president. You can do exactly what you’ve been doing for the last 16 years, on a much larger platform.”
I was surprised at how much thought I put into his offer. I have no political aspirations, and I didn’t think he could win. But the business of running for VP would have definitely attracted a LOT of national attention, and all sorts of interest in my foundation – along with lots of donations for mikeroweWORKS. That would have been nice. Then, when Bobby lost, I could go back to my apolitical life and start awarding a LOT more work ethic scholarships. It was kind of tempting.
Ultimately, though, the risk of winning – though tiny – was still too great. I’d have been a single issue candidate, and America would have been stuck with a vice president who can’t multitask, can’t work in an office environment, and can’t function in a bureaucracy. The people deserve better, so I thanked Bobby for the offer, and passed. We’ve texted a few times since then but I haven’t seen him in person. I hope to, though. He’s welcome on the podcast anytime, to discuss the business of making America healthy again, among other things. That would be fun.
Elected office aside, I do think the feds have a role to play in reinvigorating the skilled trades, and I suspect the Trump Team understands the urgency of doing so. Boomers are retiring in record numbers, and not being replaced at anywhere near the same rate. Right now, for every five skilled workers who retire, two come in. It’s been that way for a while, and the math is not sustainable. Today, every company that relies on a skilled workforce is struggling to hire. Construction companies in particular are desperately short-handed, and The Submarine Industrial Base – a collection of 15,000 separate companies charged with building four nuclear powered submarines – is looking to recruit 100,000 tradespeople over 
the next nine years. 100,000!
“Where are all the tradespeople?” they asked me. “We’re having a hard time finding them.”
“I think they’re in the 8th grade,” I said. “Have you looked there?”
I wasn’t kidding. Everyone with a useful skill who wants to work currently has a job, and the next generation of skilled workers are not guaranteed to appear, simply because we need them. They need to be engaged today. We need to show them – and their parents – the many great opportunities that don’t require a four-year degree. We need to debunk the myths and misperceptions that keep them giving the trades an honest look. The skilled trades need better PR on the national level, the state level, and local level. And they need it right now.
That’s why I flew to Concord last Friday. The event was organized by Steve Turner, a skilled trades evangelist who founded a scholarship program called Bring Back the Trades Inc. The event was supported by the Grappone Automotive Group, a local business that understands the importance of technical recruitment, along with dozens of other like-minded employers, all looking to hire. And it was turbo-charged by the Governor-Elect, who understands how important a balanced workforce is to her state. The result? Three-thousand school kids showed up to for themselves what kind of opportunities exist in New Hampshire, for those willing to master a skill that’s in demand.
On stage at the event, and at dinner the night before, Amanda Grappone showed me a map of New Hampshire.
“Look at all the orange dots!” she said. “Each one represents a school that’s coming to this event! Some of these kids are coming from three hours away! This is incredible!”
Amanda was justifiably proud, because she also understands that making a more persuasive case for the trades comes down to marketing and PR, and from a PR standpoint, this thing was an undeniable success. Thousands of kids came from all over the state to get a first-hand look at dozens of industries, and there’s no doubt that many of those kids loved what they saw. Steve Turner was standing by with over $100,000 in scholarships. Who knows, maybe a few of them will go on to build a submarine or two? Anyway, other states would do well to follow this model, and if I can be of use, mikeroweWORKS is standing by.
Mike
PS. Another shoutout to Steve Turner, whose foundation is doing great work. They award scholarships to trade schools every month, and you can apply for one here. https://bringbackthetrades.org/ He also tracked down my favorite hat from an old photo, and customized it with his logo. I’ll wear it with pride.
PPS. And a very happy birthday to Grappone Automotive, who just celebrated their 100th year in business. Quite a milestone. I was honored to chat with Amanda Grappone while sipping a civilized bourbon in front of their 250 loyal employees. Many happy returns!