iReach Podcast

What They Never Told You About the Trades

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. [https://constructreach.com/contact-us] #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 Subscribe and Review the iReach Podcast: If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave us a review. We read every single one. 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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-robinson-a528151a/]. Follow ConstructReach on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/constructreach/about/]. Follow ConstructReach on Instagram @contructreach [https://www.instagram.com/constructreach/]Check out the ConstructReach website at constructreach.com [http://constructreach.com] This podcast is sponsored by Construct Reach. As a workforce development initiative that builds reachable opportunities through construction, ConstructReach [https://constructreach.com/] 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