The Program Shaping the Roofing Industry - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with David Hutchinson of Tremco. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Intro: Welcome to Roofing Road Trips, the podcast that takes you on a thrilling journey across the world of roofing. From fascinating interviews with roofing experts to on-the-road adventures, we'll uncover the stories, innovations and challenges that shape the rooftops over our heads. So, fasten your seatbelts and join us as we embark on this exciting roofing road trip.

Karen Edwards: Hello and welcome to another episode of Roofing Road Trips from RoofersCoffeeshop.com. My name is Karen Edwards, and in today's episode we're going to be talking with Tremco about an innovative program that they have called the Rising Stars Program. To help me learn all about it, I'd like to welcome David Hutchinson. David, welcome.

David Hutchinson: Oh, thank you for having me, Karen.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. Can you introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about you and maybe what you do there at Tremco.

David Hutchinson: Yeah. Again, my name's David Hutchinson. I've been with Tremco CPG for a little over five years now. I've had a myriad of roles within this company, which has been the fun part of joining a company like this is I've had the opportunity to weave my path that ultimately led me to what I'm doing now, which is the president of the Rising Stars Program. I'm based in New York City, been a New Yorker, a Northeaster my whole life. This is where I reside. I'm really excited to talk to you about the initiative we have and what we're doing.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, explain to me what the Rising Stars program is.

David Hutchinson: It's a lot of things. At its core, it's a workforce development program. We focus on primarily youth but also contractors. Then, the youth program is 16 to 24 years old from all over the country, giving them exposure and opportunities within the world of construction. I've been a firm believer that messaging of our industry has been poorly done for a long time and maybe lacking some enthusiasm or excitement. This program focuses on how do we get young people engaged as well as supporting MWBE's role within our industry.

Karen Edwards: MWBE's for those who don't know...

David Hutchinson: Yeah, Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise.

Karen Edwards: What inspired the creation of the program?

David Hutchinson: If you flash back to a time probably people don't want to think about, summer of 2020. We're all in our homes, it's Covid, social unrest. It's just a really bleak time, just around. As I am in New York City, we were really not doing much because we were in our apartments. I went to our leadership at the time and felt there was an opportunity to create something positive, and I didn't really have a core understanding of what that was, even in myself. I thought as a company of our size and scope and opportunity, we could be better stewards in the communities that we operate. That was the core being of it was how do we do something with all of our resources that benefits others beyond doing the great work we do in the field? How do we actually help individuals? That was the genesis of the program that is obviously grown considerably since that initial conversation.

Karen Edwards: Tell me a little bit more about how you are interacting with those 16 to 24-year-olds. Are you going into schools, are they coming to you? What does that look like?

David Hutchinson: We're in five cities, seven overall programs and continue to grow. Anyone that knows me, I'm on a plane or a train every day of the week. At this point, I have a lot of frequent flyer miles. It is traveling to a couple of different things. We have some programs that are based in community centers where we have young people that come from schools and around. We have some that are based directly in vocational schools and some based in regular schools. We have a really unique mix of whatever is the best fit for the city and the best host location is where we go. We have scouts in the program that I truly believe in, but we're nuanced. What's program is like in Boston is slightly different than Brooklyn, which is slightly different than Charlotte and Cleveland and New York. We want to be intentional giving them the same experience, but also being smart about what is the best fit for each city that we live?

Karen Edwards: I like that, that you are tailoring it to, because everybody's different, every area is different. There's different nuances, different traditions, different customs, even different language, the way we say certain things. If you're in a community center or school or wherever you are, what are you doing? Are you doing hands-on activities? Are you doing educational? What's that look like for the participant?

David Hutchinson: All the above, because I'm mindful. It's been while, but I was that age at one point and I know just having the same person stand up there and talk to you for two hours is not going to do what we're trying to accomplish. We try and make sure that we're mixing it up while providing that information almost through osmosis. We want them to learn without realizing their learning. That is having a presenter talk about architecture and then having an architectural activity, having a trades person talk about careers in this trade and then doing it and demoing it. We try and make sure that all the lesson learning is tied to an activity that they can really have the real world. Then, we want them out in the real world.

We're not always just in the classroom. We're going to job sites, we're going to different factories, we're seeing the industry out where it should be. I've said this a lot of times, the construction industry doesn't happen in the classroom. The only way you're going to actually understand what you're getting into is going on a roof when it's 20 degrees or going on a roof when it's 90 degrees. You have to understand what it takes to be in this industry, but also hopefully generate the enthusiasm for, "I could do this. I've seen people do it, I've learned about it, I've seen it. This is something I can do." I try and make sure that we're not just focused on one thing, that we give them a wide range of experiences as well as learning in the process.

Karen Edwards: Seven programs.

David Hutchinson: Yes.

Karen Edwards: Do you have a team supporting you in this, because that's a lot?

David Hutchinson: Team is a relative term. There is one other individual, Turan Stearns, who is actually one of my previous gadgets that serves as an associate director in Brooklyn and supports and does a lot of the outreach there. We recently hired a young woman, Colleen Andrews, to help me in Boston. A lot of the team is just the massive network of volunteers through industry that create that quote unquote "team". I'm at every program, so I am traveling, but there are so many people that add their area of expertise that really is the lift of the program.

I tell this to young people, "You don't want to see me talk every day. That's just going to be white noise by week three. But, if you see me talk and you see an owner of this company, you see a trades person, you're going to really feel like you're getting the big picture." That's a lot of what we're trying to talk about is not just what you see in front of you today or what you're going to do as soon as you graduate the program, but what is the big picture of where you can land ultimately? The team is the volunteers and the people that we work with. That is what I consider my team, which is the best network I've grown over the years in the industry.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. I was just going to ask, the idea came around in 2020, when did you roll it out? When did the first one start and where did it start?

David Hutchinson: The first one, I was super ambitious. When I started the program, I started in three cities to start, which I would not recommend for anyone starting anything. Start at one spot. Brooklyn, Newark and Boston were all launched the same week. The initial launch came in Boston in the winter of 2022. It is a funny story. As I came up with the idea in 2020 and I'm trying to piece this all together, it wasn't really moving as quickly as I would've liked. I met with my then president and he said these famous words, "Sometimes things don't just work, Dave."

I don't know if that was a coaching technique or if he was being serious, but I took it as a little poke in the side and from then on it was off and running. It's one of those things, there's these inflection moments when you're creating something where it could go either way. You could just say, "Yeah, I gave it a try," or you're saying, "No, this has to make it." Luckily I chose the latter in the pathway. Then, by 2022 we have three cities operating and obviously up to seven programs.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, it sounds like you really found the traction. I love that the volunteer aspect of it, that it's not just you standing up there talking. What's the span? Is this a year round initiative or are they like, it's several weeks at a time and then the next one starts?

David Hutchinson: Each program is one day a week. We do one day a week, and typically when we're in the school, we start the fall of their senior year and carry them all the way to graduation. For me, it is because I'm doing an assessment while they're doing assessment. I want to make sure when I'm recommending or I'm thinking about placement that I have a really good understanding of not only the likes and dislikes, but the skills and the abilities of these young people. You can't do that in four weeks. You have to really get to know them. There has to be a trust that when I tell you that, "Hey, this is the path I think is the best fit," that they know I'm doing it from a point of interest and a point of care and not just to fill a spot or to fill a quote.

We do have about nine months with them, and I think that's by design. With the programs in the beginning, we're about half a year and I felt it was just too rushed. They were coming in, and just when I started to get them know they were going back out the door. It didn't feel like we were getting to a point. That also allowed me to have my network come in and really be robust in what we showed. Nine months is the typical length of-

Karen Edwards: I'd like to talk a little bit more about the minority and women-owned business aspect. Where does that fit in and how do you talk about that with the students?

David Hutchinson: Yeah. What you find is that there's an entrepreneurial spirit in the young people, and having them see minority women-owned business, people that look like them running their own businesses is a really encouraging thing. They also hear the hard part of it that running your business is not for everyone and it is for everyone in a case, but it's still really hard. Seeing that, but also supporting minority and women-owned businesses to get exposure to the network of individuals that our company has access, to the information. It's this reciprocal relationship where we're aiding them grow as a company and get resources, but they're giving back by supporting our young people get to where they want to go and see people that look like them doing the work that they're hoping to do in the future. It's a really nice back and forth that we get to develop in the relationships within the industry.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. It just sounds like such an incredible program. I'm curious to hear some feedback from you. What are the kids saying to you after they've gone through this?

David Hutchinson: Those are the emotional ones, the exits. The exit surveys are generally a tough week for me because not only am I going to miss them, but they give you so much and they give me so much to think about that I generally have to take a couple of weeks to process all that hurt. A lot of it is that the professional growth aspect of it, which under rates you have young people at 17, 18 that don't necessarily have people that are telling them how to do all the things great. They have a lot of people telling them what not to do, not a lot of people telling them how to get to their goals. Them feeling empowered that they belong in this is something that is generally the first thing. They feel like they can do it and belong in a job trailer, on a roof, in a corporate setting. That's hurdle number one is that self belief that we can develop.

Part two is just the feeling they have of a safe space to learn and develop is something that always comes back. We are a huge culture program. We want individuals that maybe don't necessarily have the A grades or anything like that, but they have a willingness and enthusiasm to learn. When you put 15, 20 of those individuals in the same room, it really develops a great environment. The environment is something that I get on every survey that they feel whatever they've gone through that day, they walk in those doors and they're like, "This is my space." Even when it's in the school I tell them, "I'm not your teacher. We're here to do work and to be professionals. Put your phone away. Did you do your job? All right, look on your phone, but don't let me catch you doing that in the middle of the workday."

It's about learning what it means to grow. All of them, I say, "You're ahead of where I was at 18. I was going to college. I had four years to figure out how to be an adult. I wasn't fully formed. I'm asking you to accelerate your timeline and be an adult at an early age." We hope that's what we do. That's some of the feedback we get is just the ability to see, "This is my path and I'm going to chart it and I'm empowered to do so as I move forward."

Karen Edwards: Now, you mentioned one of your colleagues who helps you out with this program is a graduate. Can you tell me a little bit about how that came about?

David Hutchinson: Yeah. Turan was with my first class in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was a really bright young man who was really trying to do a lot of good stuff for the community. He was just right next to me all the time or texting me saying, "Hey, can I come back and help?" He was always around it. Construction wasn't for him, but he really believed in the program. After some grant funds I brought in, I approached him and said, "Hey, do you want to be the associate director and be in charge of outreach, in charge of the thing?" He jumped at it in a second. He's been such a great resource because he's closer to their age.

There's also just that trust factor, but he's also proof of putting in work and things developing for you. I brought him to Cleveland recently to talk to that class. He'll travel with me a little bit to tell his story because he's from the neighborhoods, he understands the challenges, the hurdles, but he also is proof of what it takes to make it to next step and develop yourself. He has been a blessing to the program and me, and always given me some insight on how to improve what we're doing, which is all you can really ask for when you're so in a big picture spot and you get someone that can keep you localized.

Karen Edwards: I think that's also a great example of showing that you can work in construction or in roofing and you don't have to necessarily be the person installing the products. There's a lot of other opportunities in these industries for anyone who may not have that drive to work with their hands.

David Hutchinson: I'm so happy you brought that up. It's one of those things, your passion is what we want to really bring out. Your passion may not be to swing a hammer, but your passion is, "I love to be a part of the built environment." How do we continue to translate that into what you do, some of the most fun things? Finding what you're doing right now, how do we make sure we get you access to that within this industry? Construction adjacent we'll call it. There's a lot of parts and pieces to building a building, and it's not all installing as you said. How do we find out what you're great at and find you an opportunity with it? That is some of the most fun.

We have a young man in Boston who is passionate about photography. We got him taking photos for the projects he's working on, having him put it on the website. He's working, he's installing, but he's also able to excel at what he's passionate about. You don't get to do that if you don't have an understanding of construction. You get to know what you're looking for, what they're trying to see and all those things. Again, those are just two stories of how we try and make sure we don't extinguish something that is important to them while allowing them to make a better life and obviously have living wages for their families as well.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. Yeah, that's so important. It's great to hear that. The photography example is fabulous. Yeah, he's working there, but he understands it and he's going to take better pictures because of that knowledge that he has. I'm curious, what's next? The program's been in existence two years, it's taking off it sounds like. What are the plans for the future?

David Hutchinson: Well, for the next three weeks, it's rest.

Karen Edwards: Holiday rest.

David Hutchinson: I'm going to take a little time off, but besides that, there's more cities. Philadelphia is a city where I have a lot of family and something that's near dear to my heart. Finding good fits is really important as a bandwidth is always a thing. How do we find ... but we're also doing events in Vegas and Florida where we just do a one-day event. It's finding ways to do the exposure that may not necessarily be the fully formed program. How do we impact young people, provide opportunity exposure, but we don't necessarily have the time to do everything? It's me thinking intentionally.

Then, continually finding partners to do extra things as we partnered with the Glazing Union to do a dual purpose pre-apprenticeship program in New Jersey where they're learning roofing and they're learning glazing and they're becoming fully formed construction individuals.

It's really about being excited about and not holding everything to the chest. Ask anyone about it, I will give you the keys to the car. If you know how to run it, I'll help you do it because I think it's too important to be siloed in what we're doing. I try and find as many partnerships and individuals that want to add a new layer to the program and build it on. That's something that excites me, particularly a company that's a manufacturer like Tremco, manufacturing is now a part and piece of the program that we'll be. Just not thinking so strictly about what we do now, but how do we make it better moving forward is what's the next step.

Karen Edwards: If somebody's listening to this podcast and they are inspired and they want to help, maybe a contractor in Philadelphia is listening right now and said, "I think this is fantastic. How could I get involved?" What should they do?

David Hutchinson: Well, reach out to me, one. For me, before you do that, think about what you love within what you do and that's what we're going to have you do in the program. Anyone I ask to be a partner, I say, "What is the thing you think your group does best? That's what we're going to start with. We're not going to do all this exciting stuff and then have to pair it back later because of your bandwidth." I always like to say, "What's the bare minimum you would do every day for the rest of your life if you could with this program? That's what we're going to start. Then, if you want to build off that, great, but until then, you're going to be an unbelievable asset doing what you do well, whether it's demonstrating something, opening a job site to someone, talking about the business aspect."

There's so many things that people don't realize they're talented at that can be a benefit to our young people. That's what we try and do. The conversations are fun because we get to see what their passion is, and that's what we bring them in to do in the program.

Karen Edwards: Right. Their passion could be running the business, it could be sales, it could be designing. There are so many opportunities. I want to just commend Tremco because this is such an investment in the communities. It's an investment in the future of our youth, and it's just such a wonderful thing to do. Kudos to Tremco and to you.

David Hutchinson: No, thank you. Yeah, I would be remiss if I didn't say this is not in the scope of things they've ever done before. For them to allow an individual that was very new at the time at the company to explore this and develop this is a testament to what they think of what I created and their willingness to continue to invest and see it grow, both by physical support, financial support. It's been fun to be supported by a company that gets it. That's not always the case, and I know I'm pretty blessed to have that.

Karen Edwards: You are. I'm curious, what were you doing? What were you hired to do?

David Hutchinson: I was in sales. I was doing facade restoration specialist. I was focused on envelopes. Then, I was in the deep energy sector focusing on retrofitting buildings to be net-zero. I was in a unique capacity always at Tremco. I was never doing probably the prescriptive thing, which is what I'm most excited about. I'm a person that needs to keep moving, and then this is the next natural thing that happened to me. Go figure.

Karen Edwards: Well, I love it. You're a fantastic individual. It's been a pleasure to have you on the podcast, and thank you for sharing the story.

David Hutchinson: Thank you so much for having me, Karen.

Karen Edwards: We hope to see you on a future episode of Roofing Road Trips. If you want to contact David, go on to Rooferscoffeeshop.com. Tremco has a full directory. It has their contact information and how to get a hold of him. Just call and ask for David Hutchinson.

David Hutchinson: Absolutely. Please do.

Karen Edwards: David, it was a pleasure. Again, thank you everybody for listening. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite streaming platform so that you don't miss an episode. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.

Outro: If you've enjoyed the ride, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and join us on every roofing adventure. Make sure to visit Rooferscoffeeshop.com to learn more. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll catch you on the next Roofing Road trip.