Andy and Elliot sit down with Bo Jones — Founder and CEO of Tru-Built Construction and founder of CareerPathway.com — to talk about the future of the trades, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and why students are disconnected from real career opportunities long before graduation.
Most business owners already know hiring is difficult.
What fewer people realize is how deep the skilled labor pipeline problem actually goes.
Bo shares how Tru-Built Construction grew from small remodeling jobs during college into large commercial and multifamily projects, what surviving the 2008 housing crash taught him, and why he built CareerPathway.com after seeing firsthand how broken the workforce connection gap had become.
This episode covers:
Why the skilled trades labor shortage keeps getting worse
The reality of entrepreneurship during economic downturns
Why students are struggling to find career direction
How AI may shift interest back toward blue-collar industries
00:00 — Introduction
00:01 — How Tru-Built Construction Started
00:02 — From College Side Jobs to Commercial Construction
00:04 — Becoming an Entrepreneur by Accident
00:06 — Surviving the 2008 Housing Crash
00:07 — Why the Trades Labor Shortage Is Getting Worse
00:10 — The Reality of Business Ownership
00:14 — Why CareerPathway.com Was Created
00:17 — Building a Career Discovery Platform
00:20 — Connecting Students With Real Opportunities
00:24 — AI and the Future of Skilled Trades
00:27 — Growing CareerPathway.com Across the Country
00:32 — Construction Growth, Housing, and Permitting
00:36 — Why the Trades Are Losing Young People
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🏆 More on our guest:
Bo Jones (LinkedIn)
Founder / CEO, Tru-Built Construction and CareerPathway.com
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