Tuesday, March 30 - Wednesday, March 31
Virtual Workshop
Agenda
1:00PM – 5:00PM EASTERN (10:00AM - 2:00PM PACIFIC)
There aren’t enough technicians, and everybody in the trade already knows it. The industry is running roughly 30% short of the people it needs, and for every tech actually willing to do the work there are close to two open jobs waiting on one. That gap isn’t closing on its own, so contractors end up fighting over the same few candidates and trying to win them over with a slightly bigger paycheck than the shop down the road. But that doesn’t need to be the case.
Over two days, Brad Barron lays out a different approach. He starts with what the shortage actually costs you, in plain numbers: what a bad hire and the turnover behind it add up to, which is something most owners have never sat down and calculated. From there he moves to recruiting that doesn’t depend on job boards — referrals, community presence, and using your own technicians to bring in new people, since candidates trust the people already doing the job more than they trust company messaging.
Then Brad walks through the in-house training school his company built: what it costs, how manufacturer accrual dollars cover most of it so it isn’t out-of-pocket, and how it gets new hires productive sooner. Training here isn’t just a way to bring people in — a clear career path is what keeps a strong technician from leaving the next time a competitor offers slightly better pay.
Key Takeaways:
- What a bad hire and steady turnover actually cost you, in real numbers
- Recruiting that doesn’t lean on job boards — referrals, community presence, and your own techs
- How to stand up an in-house training school largely funded by manufacturer accrual dollars
- Using a real career path to keep good people from leaving over a small pay bump
Who Should Attend:
Owners, general managers, HR and recruiting leads, training managers — anyone who owns headcount or turnover.
Presenter
Brad is a graduate of the University of Washinton (Seattle) with a degree in engineering. Prior to joining the Barron Team, Brad worked as a consulting engineer, eventually earning his Professional Engineering license. After a half-decade of consulting, he spent another five years as a sales engineer then engineering manager of a four-state territory, including Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska. During his tenure as an engineering sales manager, Brad's northwest team led the company in specification approvals and sales growth.
In 2017, Brad joined his father John at Barron Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. as the Business Development Manager. During his time in this role, he led Barron's expansion into Electrical, Solar, and Plumbing - after which the company was re-branded Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing. Recognizing the growing chasm of Baby Boomer retirements with few Millennials and Gen-Z-ers entering the trades, Brad spearheaded the development of the Barron Technician School (now WholeHome Academy). This in-house, 15-week intensive HVAC program has graduated three-dozen licensed and certified HVAC Technicians and has significantly helped Barron's growth through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through his career at Barron, Brad has worked as the Business Development Manager, Director of Operations, Chief Operating Officer, and now Chief Executive Officer & Partner. Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing's growth has been 100% organic - Barron has never acquired a trades company nor partnered with private equity. To this day, Barron remains debt free with a healthy cash reserve to continue on its multi-trade growth trajectory.
Brad is an adamant believer in his grandparent's (and Barron founder's) philosophy of "when you bless others, you in turn are blessed". He has a passion for sharing best practices and growing leaders - from sales and marketing to operations and finance. There is no need to re-create the wheel - Brad embraces a culture of equipping people with the tools and training to get the job done while advancing their careers and businesses. We don't need to do it alone!
Register Now