Trade Strategies – Attracting and Building a Workforce for the Future

In this webinar hear what is going on in the Phoenix market to address the number one challenge the trades face – lack of a workforce.  Mike Brewer, CEO of the Brewer Companies, Arizona’s largest residential plumbing contractor will share how the industry, both commercial and residential have come together to help solve this issue, their attempt at attracting the next generation of talent and what his company is doing to train the future talent for his organization.  Mike has been in the plumbing business for over 40 years and has experienced many up and down business cycles over those many years.  He has never experienced the lack of workforce that exists today and disagrees with the common narrative that the young people of this nation “don’t want these jobs”.  Hear his personal story about where this started three plus years ago and where they are today.

Presenter:  Mike Brewer, CEO Brewer Companies, President of the ASA of Arizona

Professional Experience

Mike began his career right out of high school, choosing to work in the plumbing trade with his hands as opposed to going the college route.  He worked for one company for 12 years working his way up from apprentice to field foreman.  He was given the opportunity to purchase the company and did so beginning in January 1990.  He has held every role in his company and has built a team that produces high quality residential single family plumbing systems.

His team opened the Brewer Craftsman Academy onsite in November of 2018 and by end of year 2019 will have put 96 cadets through his program.  It’s the Brewer Companies solution to turning out field ready young men and women in a condensed amount of time.

The Brewer Companies consist of a family of plumbing companies – Brewer Commercial Services (commercial service and repair including drain work), Benjamin Franklin Plumbing (residential service and repair franchise business) and Brewer Enterprises Inc (residential new construction) that will build roughly 6,000 single family homes in the Phoenix and Tucson markets in 2019.