By Cory Kundert, CEO, Kundert Construction
If we want stronger crews, better leaders, and a healthier future for our industry, we need to stop treating workforce development like a recruitment problem… and start treating it like a leadership problem. Elevating the trades doesn’t start with job postings. It starts with leadership.
It means asking better questions:
- Are we developing people—or just employing them?
- Are we telling the right story about this work?
- Are we building pride in craftsmanship?
- Are we investing in the next generation early enough?
Our team, at Kundert Construction, is aiming to elevate the trades with training, respect and strategic partnerships. We work with schools, community development organizations and other contractors. We get together regularly to share what’s working. We admit what isn’t, and we challenge each other to improve. As we do this, we are working to undo harmful narratives, comments like “trades are for students who don’t excel at school,” or, “trades are a fallback option.”
We work hard to regularly state the truth, both publicly and internally:
- Trades are skilled professions
- Builders are problem-solvers
- Craftspeople are innovators
- Construction leaders shape culture
When young people see tradespeople treated like the professionals they are, it changes everything. Elevating the trades means positive language, investing in your people and working hard to ensure your culture reflects your mission. You can’t recruit your way out of bad culture. If your jobsite is toxic…
If your leaders don’t mentor…
If your people feel disposable…
No hiring campaign will fix that. Real workforce development starts inside your company:
- Train foremen to lead—not just manage
- Teach communication alongside technical skills
- Reward integrity, not just output
- Invest in long-term growth
When culture improves:
- Retention improves
- Experience grows
- Quality rises
- Reputation follows
That’s how you build a company people want to stay in—and grow with. Elevating the trades isn’t quick work. It won’t show up in next quarter’s numbers.
It requires patience.
It requires a team who buys-in.
It requires commitment, but the payoff is generational.
When:
- A student chooses carpentry over dropping out
- An apprentice becomes a crew leader
- A contractor raises their standards
- A community takes pride in its builders
That’s legacy work.
