Blue Collar StartUp - Episode 46: Advocating for the Trades - AGC NYS

In this episode, our hosts Mike Nelson and Derek Foster interview Brendan Manning, the Vice President of Education & Environment at AGC New York!
The AGC (Associated General Contractors) specializes in discovering and solving the problems caused by federal and state legislation that pertain to the trades, and informing and working with local tradespeople based on that information. Whether it's by focusing on the legal side, directly training local business owners, or partnering with local organizations, the AGC is a fantastic Blue Collar advocate! Listen to this episode to learn more about their important mission!

Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp, the podcast!
Our Mission is Simple: To facilitate the growth and development of Blue Collar businesses. We will showcase REAL Blue Collar businesses in interviews, and use these stories to help educate and empower the next generation of trades workers to become Blue Collar business owners.

00:15 - Introductions: Happy Holidays!
02:36 - Associated General Contractors of New York State: What Is It?
04:41 - A Proactive, Reactive Organization: Weighing Potential Consequences of Policies
09:01 - Bills: Separating the Valuable from the Crazy
10:08 - A Better Way to Build: The Power of Computer Modeling
11:26 - Mike’s Chicken Mansion: A Perfect Example
13:25 - Nurturing the Budding Blue Collars: The Education Side of the AGC
17:20 - Which Training to Do in Person, and Which You Can Do Online
18:36 - Gaining Members During COVID: The Zoom Method
19:54 - Affordable Programming: Funds Scholarships!
21:45 - The Value of Schooling: Give Kids Options!
23:14 - Shoutout to BOCES!
23:51 - Don’t Go to College as a Statistic!
25:37 - What Goes Into Running a Business: Stephanie’s Story
29:18 - Cooperation to Improve Competition: P2P Networks
31:46 - Building Capacity for Natural Diversity
33:11 - Business Owner, Tradesman? Either Way, AGC can Help!
34:20 - Membership Options
36:22 - Suicide Awareness
37:33 - Joint Operations: Partnering with NESCA
40:33 - A Brief History of Brendan Manning: Banking, Software, Y2K, and More
42:19 - Brendan’s Key Piece of Advice: Find a Good, Specialized Attorney and Accountant!
44:07 - How to Get in Touch
44:49 - Closing Remarks: Shoutout to MLB and Michaels Group!