Manufacturers of storage buildings and garages know the pattern well. Demand runs steady for months, then an economic shift or a change in seasons pushes orders sharply higher, and the companies that win are the ones that can add installers and factory workers quickly. A surge in shed and garage orders does not help a […]
Money skills decide whether a young worker keeps the first paycheck, buys the first set of tools, or falls into the first round of credit card debt. Schools and employers increasingly treat financial literacy as a core subject, and the numbers show why. One regional bank reached 5,406 students through its financial literacy initiatives in
The construction industry faces a simple math problem: more work than workers. Experienced carpenters are retiring, trade school enrollment has not kept pace, and builders across the country report that finding a qualified crew is their biggest obstacle to growth. Some builders are answering by building their own talent pipelines. Free online training programs, such
Recognition lists rank employers, but the programs behind them do the work that earns the ranking. When Forbes published America’s Best Employers for Veterans in 2022, paint, coating, and specialty materials provider PPG appeared at No. 72 among the top 200 U.S. companies. The list rests on independent surveys of roughly 7,000 U.S. veterans working
A timberland manager runs one of the largest operations jobs in the rural economy. Overseeing a 158,000-acre fee land base across two states means coordinating harvest crews, contractors, log buyers, and foresters while keeping the land productive for the next rotation. The work is a specialized branch of operations management, and the roles and responsibilities
Trade publications and industry associations hand out a handful of honors each year that change careers. One of the most watched is the 40 Under 40 list for the wood products industry, which spotlights professionals under 40 who show leadership, innovation, and dedication. A recent honoree started as an intern at a plywood plant, spent
Construction crews are built from two kinds of traits: skills that can be taught and attitudes that have to be brought. A new hire can learn to frame a wall, lay out a foundation, or run a table saw in weeks. What cannot be trained in is the way a person shows up: whether they
The shed and portable building industry moves thousands of structures a year, from backyard storage units to finished cabins, and most of that output comes from small family-owned manufacturers selling through local lots. The work splits into clear streams: production, sales, delivery, installation, and the office functions that keep the whole loop running. Buyers rarely
The skilled worker shortage is one of the most repeated complaints in construction. Fewer young people are entering carpentry and the other trades that put buildings together, and builders feel it every time a crew comes up short or a delivery date slips. Trade programs at local high schools and colleges offer one of the
Starting a new job with little knowledge of the industry can feel like stepping into a different world. Every product, process, and customer question is unfamiliar. For people who enter the shed and construction industry that way, the first months are also the most valuable learning period they will get, provided they show up with
