Drew ”The MFG” Crowe is the founder and CEO of Drew Crowe Manufacturing and one of the most influential voices in American manufacturing today. Often referred to as the leader of the New American Manufacturing Renaissance, Drew is an MIT graduate and two-time Aerospace & Aviation Man of the Year. He served as Lead Professor of Advanced Manufacturing Technology at Ranken Technical College. His résumé includes speaking at the White House and the Pentagon, and features in Forbes Magazine and USA Today. His mission is to connect youth, underserved communities, and justice-impacted individuals to life-changing careers in manufacturing. And to help companies understand why that's not charity, it's a business solution.

In this episode, Drew and host Paul Robinson dig into the deep parallels between manufacturing and construction and why both industries are at a critical crossroads. Drew breaks down why 1.8 million manufacturing jobs sit unfilled and how that gap threatens national security and GDP. He explains why companies can no longer treat workforce outreach as a handout. The two get real about the generational barriers that keep diverse communities from entering the trades. They talk about why soft skills like grit and determination matter more than technical certifications. Drew also shares how he flips the script when talking to young people, connecting their passions for sneakers, video games, and cars to real manufacturing career paths paying $30+ an hour. Plus, he shares a powerful perspective on why he intentionally challenges corporate bias by showing up authentically in every boardroom he enters.

If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share with a colleague, and learn more about ConstructReach and the iReach podcast at constructreach.com.

In this episode:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:00 Drew's Against-the-Odds Journey into Manufacturing
03:00 What Manufacturing Actually Makes — And Why It Matters
05:15 3D Printed Houses and the Future of Construction and Manufacturing
06:07 Why Representation Matters When Reaching Young People
08:05 Connecting Overlooked Communities to Career Opportunities
10:22 It's Not Charity — It's a Business Solution
12:25 The State of Manufacturing: Tariffs, Workforce Gaps, and National Security
15:13 Construction's Workforce Crisis: 4 Million Jobs by 2031
17:45 The Most In-Demand Skill: Grit and Determination
21:26 What Separates Shops That Survive from Shops That Scale
25:06 Bringing Back CTE, Shop Class, and Career Pathways
27:19 Investing in Messengers Who Speak the Community's Language
29:21 Challenging Bias and Showing Up Authentically
35:00 What Drew Tells an 18-Year-Old About Manufacturing Careers
40:34 Closing Thoughts and Looking Ahead

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This podcast is sponsored by Construct Reach.

As a workforce development initiative that builds reachable opportunities through construction, ConstructReach increases the visibility of the construction industry by educating students about career opportunities within construction, connecting general contractors to interns and innovative internship curricula, creating content and experiences to expose a diverse population to sustainable construction careers, and uniting stakeholders to ensure the construction industry continues to thrive.

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