Coastlines to Cranes is your 15-minute midweek chaos cure, hosted by ABC San Diego CEO Shandon Harbour. She’s dishing out unfiltered takes on construction, politics, and apprentice glory—sprinkled with sass, laughs, and zero corporate snooze. Drops Wednesdays at 6 a.m. Buckle up (or don’t).
Ep. 47: The Truth About Gen Z Work Ethic in Construction
Is Gen Z work ethic really the problem, or is it how the construction industry leads its newest workers?
ABC San Diego CEO Shandon Harbour takes on one of the most common complaints she hears from contractors: young workers who show up unprepared and expect a promotion after 90 days.
Drawing on her own experience as a Gen X leader, Shandon looks at how expectations around hours, flexibility, and accountability have shifted across generations, and what leaders owe the people they hire. With October marking Careers in Construction Month, it’s a timely question for every contractor bringing the next generation into the trades.
Key Takeaways
The question Shandon puts back on every contractor who says young workers have no work ethic
What one job interview about vacation time reveals about generational expectations
Where flexibility ends, accountability begins, and who is responsible for drawing that line
Resources:
Learn more about ABC San Diego: abcsd.org (https://abcsd.org/)
ABCSD Apprenticeship & Craft Training Program: Learn More (https://abcsd.org/apprenticeship/)
Want to ask Shandon a question or suggest a future topic? Connect with Shandon on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shandonharbour/)
Follow ABC San Diego on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/abcsandiego/), X (https://x.com/abc_sandiego), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ABCSanDiego/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/18467830/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ABCSanDiego)
30 Sept 2026
Ep. 46: College vs the Trades: Two Career Paths at 22 ft. Trent & Mac
College vs the trades is one of the biggest decisions a young person makes, and this episode puts both paths side by side in real time.
Host Shandon Harbour sits down with two 22-year-old roommates born six weeks apart. Trent Harbour is a recent San Diego State business graduate searching for his first job. Mac Hamlin is a former server who went looking for a career and found it in ABC San Diego's electrical apprenticeship program.
One wakes up at 3:30 a.m. for the jobsite. The other starts his day with LinkedIn and a stack of applications. This is the first chapter of their story, and we'll keep following both paths.
Key Takeaways:
Why working alongside college grads at a restaurant made Mac rethink his plans
The part of electrical work nobody mentions when you sign up
Why a great interview can still end in silence, and what Trent is doing about it
Resources:
Learn more about ABC San Diego: abcsd.org (https://abcsd.org/)
ABCSD Apprenticeship & Craft Training Program: Learn More (https://abcsd.org/apprenticeship/)
Want to ask Shandon a question or suggest a future topic? Connect with Shandon on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shandonharbour/)
Follow ABC San Diego on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/abcsandiego/), X (https://x.com/abc_sandiego), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ABCSanDiego/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/18467830/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ABCSanDiego)
16 Sept 2026
Ep. 45: The Truth About Multi-Skilling and the Merit Shop
Multi-skilling, or cross-training, is finally getting a serious research treatment, and the early findings should interest any contractor who has ever watched a project schedule slip while one trade waited on another.
Shandon Harbour breaks down what cross-training a construction workforce actually does to productivity, employee engagement, and safety, drawing on a new multi-university study commissioned at the national level.
She also makes the case for the merit shop itself, a model built on rewarding attitude, effort, and performance rather than time served, and the career path it can open from apprentice to journeyman to business owner.
Key Takeaways
What happens to a project schedule when one trade has to stop and wait on another
The reason strong performers quietly leave companies that reward everyone the same way
A finding in the new multi-skilling research that has nothing to do with productivity
Resources:
Learn more about ABC San Diego: abcsd.org (https://abcsd.org/)
ABCSD Apprenticeship & Craft Training Program: Learn More (https://abcsd.org/apprenticeship/)
ABC National & SIMPLAR Report - Multiskilling in the Construction Industry: View Report (https://www.abc.org/Workforce/Multiskilling-in-the-US-Construction-Industry)
Want to ask Shandon a question or suggest a future topic? Connect with Shandon on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shandonharbour/)
Follow ABC San Diego on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/abcsandiego/), X (https://x.com/abc_sandiego), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ABCSanDiego/), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/18467830/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@ABCSanDiego)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Contact Coastlines to Cranes
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Coastlines to Cranes?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
