Commercial Grade

About Commercial Grade

What makes a contractor commercial grade? It’s not the size of your crew or the trucks you drive - it’s how you show up when it matters. Hosted by RC Victorino, Commercial Grade goes behind the scenes with industry leaders, innovators, and experts shaping the future of commercial contracting. From leadership on the jobsite to game-changing tech in the back office, every episode delivers real stories and hard-earned lessons for contractors who take pride in building what others depend on. This is Commercial Grade. A podcast from BuildOps.

Publisher

BuildOps

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Nov 2025

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

19 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Bringing Back the Trades: Steve Turner and Kennidy Asche on Building a Movement

   Steve Turner couldn't find a single young person to train, so he made a hat. Today, Bring Back the Trades is a national movement, and Steve and Kennidy Asche are working to make sure every kid gets an equal shot at a career in the trades. Episode Description: In this episode of Commercial Grade, host RC Victorino sits down with Steve Turner, founder and CEO of Bring Back the Trades, and Kennidy Asche, the nonprofit's Events and Marketing Manager, to talk about how a single baseball cap grew into a movement to restore respect for the skilled trades. Steve was the kid who couldn't sit still in class until he found the vocational hallway at his high school. He started his own upholstery business at 19, and decades later, after years of failing to find young people to train, he woke up with four words in his head: bring back the trades. He had a hat made, a contractor ordered a dozen for his job site, and the idea took off from there. Kennidy took a very different path, winning at school, working in K-12 education and AmeriCorps, and joining the team after hearing Steve on a podcast. The conversation covers why the trades fell out of favor in the first place, why the organization insists it's not college or trades but college and trades, and the new bottleneck emerging as apprenticeship enrollment rises faster than the number of journeymen available to train them. Steve and Kennidy also explain why young people are the best messengers for reaching their peers, and why the people writing workforce policy should have young people at the table. Finally, they take RC inside Bring Back the Trades' Skills Expos, hands-on events where kids operate excavators, try virtual welding, and ride in bucket trucks, and share how a Mike Rowe appearance changed the trajectory of the organization. In this episode you'll hear: How a homemade Bring Back the Trades hat turned into a nationwide movement and a scholarship program Why Steve and Kennidy believe the future isn't college or trades, but college and trades working together The new challenge facing the industry: more apprentices than there are journeymen to train them Why the younger generation is the best messenger for selling the trades to their peers What makes the Skills Expos different from a career fair, and why bringing parents along matters

2. 

   2 Sept 2026

   From West Point to the Trades - Rich Camacho on Skill-Based Hiring

   Gen Z is entering the trades in numbers not seen since World War II. Rich Camacho says the industry still isn't ready to hire them, and that gap could become a crisis in five years. In this episode of Commercial Grade, host RC Victorino sits down with Rich Camacho, CEO and co-founder of BlueRecruit, to talk about what's really happening in skilled trades hiring right now, and why the story is more complicated than a simple labor shortage. Rich is a West Point graduate, Army veteran, and former captain who spent his early career helping fellow service members transition into corporate careers. BlueRecruit was born out of a much smaller problem: his father-in-law's auto body shop kept getting resumes from house painters because of bad keyword matching on job boards. Rich and his co-founder built BlueRecruit to connect skilled workers with employers the way a dating app connects people, and the company now sees over 100,000 people a day on its platform. The conversation covers why Rich believes the industry is facing an experience and training shortage rather than a pure labor shortage, why so many new solar installers quit within their first week, why polished corporate social media does more harm than good when it comes to recruiting Gen Z, and how AI is already changing both back office work and life on the job site. Rich also makes the case that if the industry does not figure out how to train and absorb the wave of young people currently choosing the trades, it will trigger a skilled labor shortage in the next five years. In this episode you'll hear: Why Gen Zers are choosing the trades at rates not seen since World War II, and why career changers are following them Why polished, AI generated corporate content actively repels the workers and customers companies are trying to reach What BlueRecruit's data reveals: the industry isn't short on workers, it's short on experienced people to train them Why Rich believes the companies that invest in training now will dominate the industry within five years Why veterans' military experience often fails to translate into civilian trade certifications, and what Rich is doing about it About the Guest: Rich Camacho is CEO and co-founder of BlueRecruit, a skilled trades hiring platform based in Raleigh, North Carolina, built around skill based hiring. A US Army veteran and former captain, Rich attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he studied civil engineering, and later continued his education at Colorado State University. After the military, he spent his early career helping fellow veterans transition into corporate careers before recognizing a major gap in how skilled tradespeople were being matched with employers. He co-founded BlueRecruit to modernize that process, and the platform now supports roughly 109,000 people and tens of thousands of companies every day. Links & Resources: https://bluerecruit.us/ (https://bluerecruit.us/) http://BuildOps.com (http://BuildOps.com)

3. 

   19 Aug 2026

   AI, Data Centers, and the Workforce Crisis: Sean McGuire on the Forces Reshaping the Trades

   The trades are experiencing the busiest moment in a generation, and the data center boom is driving it. Sean McGuire of MCAA has spent 26 years watching the mechanical contracting industry evolve, and he's never seen anything like this. But the real question isn't whether the work is there - it's whether there are enough skilled people to do it.

4. 

   31 Jul 2026

   30 Days to Job-Site-Ready: Josh Nieves on Building the Trade Professional Academy

   You can be a millionaire in the trades. Josh Nieves wants young people to know that, and to know exactly what it costs to get there.

5. 

   8 Jul 2026

   Sisterhood of the Trades: How One Discord Server Became a Movement for Women in the Trades

   Nush Ahmed didn't set out to build a movement. She set out to be more visible. Two years and 1,160 members later, Sisterhood of the Trades is reshaping what community and mentorship look like for women in the skilled trades.

6. 

   17 Jun 2026

   The HVAC Disruptor: Omar Essam on the Problems This Industry Should Have Solved 50 Years Ago

   HVAC has been around for centuries, and it still has problems that should've been solved decades ago. Omar Essam has spent his career asking why, and pushing the industry to do better. In this episode, the self-described HVAC disruptor breaks down what the data center boom is really doing to mechanical systems, workforce, and the power grid.

7. 

   27 May 2026

   "Why Didn't You Tell Me Sooner?": Andy Bergmann on the Cost of Avoiding Hard Conversations

   Most contractors promote their best workers into leadership and then wonder why communication breaks down. Andy Bergmann of Mavix Coaching has spent his career in the trades figuring out why, and what to do about it.

8. 

   6 May 2026

   Trades Careers, Wages, and AI: Martin King on Attracting Talent in a Changing Industry

   The trades aren’t just facing a labor shortage—they’re facing a retention, training, and evolution challenge. Martin King breaks down how building a business, supporting the workforce, and embracing AI can reshape the future of skilled trades.

9. 

   15 Apr 2026

   Building HVAC Leaders: Curtis Perry Jr. on Service, Training, and the Trades

   Great HVAC work takes more than technical skill— it takes leadership, care, and a commitment to keep learning. Curtis Perry Jr. shares how service, training, and mentorship shape stronger technicians and stronger teams.

10. 

    25 Mar 2026

    Building Builders: Wilson Matthew Betances on Fixing Trade Culture

    The trades aren’t struggling to attract talent—they’re struggling to keep it. Wilson Matthew Betances breaks down how leadership, culture, and education can transform retention and “build builders” for the future.

11. 

    4 Mar 2026

    Passing the Torch: Manja Horner on Training the Next Generation Faster

    The future of the trades depends on faster training; Manja Horner explains how to make it happen.

12. 

    18 Feb 2026

    The Trades Need the Next Generation: Brooke Laing & Eric Hyatt on Stepping In

    The trades need tens of thousands of new apprentices—but are we preparing for it? Brooke Laing and Eric Hyatt break it down.

13. 

    4 Feb 2026

    The Trades Don’t Run on Shortcuts: Rich Malachy on Building What Lasts

    Real leadership isn’t flashy. Rich Malachy shares what it takes to build culture, earn trust, and grow a trades business the right way.

14. 

    21 Jan 2026

    Why “Tough It Out” Is Failing the Trades: Mental Health & Recovery with Josh Vitale (Project BUILT)

    The trades don’t just need workers—they need support. Josh Vitale shares how Project BUILT is changing the conversation around mental health and addiction in the trades.

15. 

    7 Jan 2026

    The Trades Don’t Run on Hype: Karly Rolls Hoehn on People, Work, and Standards

    Strong teams build strong work— Karly Rolls Hoehn shares what it really takes to lead in the trades.

16. 

    17 Dec 2025

    Youth in the Trades: Henry Kneeland on Finding His Place in HVAC

    What does the future of the trades look like? It looks a lot like Henry Kneeland.

17. 

    4 Dec 2025

    Leading by Example: Angie Simon on Empowering Women in the Industry

    Before there were pipelines of talent, there were trailblazers who created them.

18. 

    13 Nov 2025

    Futureproof: Greg Crumpton on Building the Next Generation of the Trades

    In the debut episode of Commercial Grade, host RC Victorino talks with Greg Crumpton, Vice President of Service Logic and host of Straight Outta Crumpton. Greg’s story starts with a toolbox and a father who taught him the trade. Four decades later, he’s leading one of the largest mechanical service companies in North America and mentoring the next generation to carry it forward. They dig into the changing face of the trades — from AI and data centers to mentorship and pride in craftsmanship — and what it really takes to build a career that lasts.

19. 

    7 Nov 2025

    Welcome to Commercial Grade!

    What makes a contractor commercial grade? It’s not the size of your crew or the trucks you drive - it’s how you show up when it matters. Hosted by RC Victorino of BuildOps, Commercial Grade goes behind the scenes with industry leaders, innovators, and experts shaping the future of commercial contracting. From leadership on the jobsite to game-changing tech in the back office, every episode delivers real-world stories and hard-earned lessons for contractors who take pride in building what others depend on. This is Commercial Grade. A podcast from BuildOps.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.4 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Contact Commercial Grade

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.