The trades have a reputation problem. And for a long time, construction was the industry you ended up in, not the one you chose. Carlos Rodriguez, owner of Mr. Roofing out of California, knows that story firsthand.

Carlos grew up watching his father build a roofing business from the ground up after immigrating from Mexico. He spent summers on tear-off crews as a teenager, went to UC Berkeley, worked in corporate, and eventually came back to take the family business to a level his dad never imagined. In this episode, he and Paul break down what it actually takes to run a construction company, why the stigma around trades is still real but slowly changing, and what young people are missing when they overlook this industry.

We discuss:

• The stigma roofing inherited and why it is finally starting to shift
• Growing up in the family business and what his dad's approach taught him
• What he looks for when hiring
• The looming labor shortage
• How to make the trades look as cool as they actually are
• His advice to every high schooler figuring out what comes next

Want to bring more young talent into construction? Let's talk.

#ConstructionCareers #TradesLife #WorkforceDevelopment #RoofingIndustry #iReachPodcast

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Meet Carlos Rodriguez
01:18 – Roofing industry stigma
03:06 – Family roots and lessons
04:37 – Reframing trades for youth
08:32 – Returning to grow the business
10:43 – From roofer to leader
12:42 – Culture and core purpose
15:42 – Modern trades misconceptions
18:24 – Hiring for heart and hustle
21:52 – Labor shortage and outreach
26:12 – Making construction look cool
29:19 – Trade vs. business skills
30:15 – Advice for high schoolers
31:11 – Closing thanks and wrap

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Follow Carlos Rodriguez:
Website: https://www.mrroofing.net 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-rodriguez-a481b69 

Follow Paul Robinson
Connect with Paul Robinson on LinkedIn.
Follow ConstructReach on LinkedIn.
Follow ConstructReach on Instagram @contructreach
Check out the ConstructReach website at constructreach.com

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.

#IReachPodcast #PaulRobinson #ConstructReach