Josh Nieves on Electrician Careers, Union Access & Trades Mentorship

Andrew Brown [: 00:00:00

So we need 80,000 electricians every single year up to 2030 according to the bls.gov so for every five that are leaving, only two are coming in. And it's, it's really shocking. But I brought on an expert who is an electrician, ibew. Josh Nieves, workforce development manager for Miller Electric. Thanks for, thanks for coming on the show, Josh.

Josh Nieves [: 00:00:24

Thank you so much for having me, man. Yeah, it means a lot. I'm happy to be back home in New York.

Andrew Brown [: 00:00:29

Yeah, sorry I couldn't bring the good weather.

Josh Nieves [: 00:00:32

It's okay, man. You can't have it all. Can't have it all.

Andrew Brown [: 00:00:34

You know, I was thinking about this story about my extended family member who wants to be an electrician. And interesting enough, he came from a white collar background, worked for Trader Joe's for like 15 years. He's like, this is, it's not for me. He's out in California, he's got two kids, he's in his mid-30s. So average age is, you know, older, slightly older when it comes to starting in a trade. Career changer. And he wants to be in the union, but he got wait listed or denied, studied as much as he could, and he just, he couldn't get in. And that's a lot of the feedback that I get from people on social media is that I can't get into the union.

Andrew Brown [: 00:01:23

How do I get into the union? You're a union member of local number three. How does somebody get into the union who wants to be an electrician?

Josh Nieves [: 00:01:33

Yeah. So the apprenticeship program can be a challenge to tap into. Right. The goal is to score high when you take those exams. And then there's another part to it where there's an interview portion. Right. So they're looking for the very best. And, and this is, I feel like any, any company would, any organization would.

Josh Nieves [: 00:01:59

Now what's happening is we have all this work that's on the plate. It's on, it's on the table. Huge Runway. Huge Runway of opportunity, especially with all the data centers out west in the South. So the IBEW is now organizing members in. And this could be a great opportunity for them as well. Where we have other divisions, where we have our A division, which is your typical apprenticeship program. You apply, you get in, and then you go to school.

Josh Nieves [: 00:02:30

We have what we call now in New York City, the M division, which has been in place for many years. Those are guys who get organized into the local. Maybe there were companies that they brought in because they had significant work, or maybe they just wanted to bring in a certain amount of individuals. Right. So what I'm finding down south now, the northeast is a little bit different. Right. But down south we also have what we call CECWs. When the union can't fulfill the call, meaning all the members are out to work.

Josh Nieves [: 00:03:03

Right. What they'll do is we will direct hire. It's in our contract. We have the ability to direct hire and, and bring them right into the program. So there are multiple avenues. But again, you don't know what you don't know. So if that's a conversation that we could have with him, I'd be more than happy to do so.

Andrew Brown [: 00:03:24

Yeah. Because and I see this quite often when kids reach out, especially like I said in all different platforms, whether it's TikTok, even LinkedIn and parents, they just, they don't have the information. Yeah, right. They don't know anybody in the union. They don't have a family member in the union, they don't have any friends, they don't have a neighbor. They just don't know and the information is scattered out. There's a lot of information out there. So they just say like union doesn't want me.

Andrew Brown [: 00:03:49

Right. And how do you, somebody who gets wait list who can't get in because there's only a certain amount of positions, what do you do at that point? Because a lot of them get discouraged just like now. What do I go, you know, open shop. What do I do in between? What's, what would you tell them.

Josh Nieves [: 00:04:06

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:04:07

To do?

Josh Nieves [: 00:04:08

So ice wise, I would always. If you are passionate about the construction industry, you, you need to find a way in no matter what it looks like. So yes, the ibew, I'm always going to advocate for that. That is for me the crown jewel of the electrical industry. But at the same time, if that opportunity isn't there for you, immediately start getting some skills on your tool belt. See if there is a local contractor, maybe a small mom and pop, maybe medium or large non union contractor that you can go and work for immediately. You know, you don't, you don't want to sell yourself short and at that point at least you get some, some knowledge and you'll get some skill under your belt. So prior to me entering the ibew, I got in at a young age, I got in at 18, I went to a vocational school.

Josh Nieves [: 00:05:04

So I got, I had some of the skills and I had some of the ability to perform the work. So don't sell yourself short. Right. If you are passionate about stepping into the electrical industry, find a contractor who can meet those needs and get you the skills necessary to be successful. And then from there, the doors will always open at some point. Right. Never check it off the list. Never.

Josh Nieves [: 00:05:27

Don't, don't get salty about it and say, well, this, it didn't work out at 18 for me. You know, I'm not going to give it a shot at 22. Like, keep going. If you want it that bad, it's going to happen 100%.

Andrew Brown [: 00:05:39

So if you go that direction, and I like that, that advice that you work for local contractors, let's say you have a couple years of experience and now you get into the union, it's basically almost starting fresh through in an apprenticeship. Right?

Josh Nieves [: 00:05:54

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:05:55

Even though that you might know this couple, this thing, a couple of things. Because you've had two years underneath your belt, you gone out on a handful of jobs, you are pretty much starting as a complete newbie.

Josh Nieves [: 00:06:05

Correct.

Andrew Brown [: 00:06:06

And it's how many years?

Josh Nieves [: 00:06:07

So local three, it's four years. And then you have a year and a half of this time. We call it like your mij time. So that's. You can call it like an intermediate journeyman. Right. So we would technically call it a five and a half year program.

Andrew Brown [: 00:06:23

Five and a half years.

Josh Nieves [: 00:06:24

Five and a half years, yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:06:25

And something that also comes up. And this always comes up. You don't make any money in the trades now. It's not just electrical. Right. I know you're chomping at the bit too myth bust this. But a lot of kids look at the starting wages and they say, well, it's 18, $20 an hour. I can, I can work at McDonald's, I can work at Chipotle, make $22 an hour.

Andrew Brown [: 00:06:48

I can't pay my bills, I can't pay gas. How do you myth bust that? What do you say?

Josh Nieves [: 00:06:54

Yeah. So when someone says, I can go work at McDonald's, I could work at Dunkin Donuts, my question is, okay, so like, what does upward mobility look like for you there?

Andrew Brown [: 00:07:05

Exactly.

Josh Nieves [: 00:07:06

And that seems to always be like a difficult question to answer unless you have someone who understands the corporate structure and can say, well, I'm going to start there and then one day I want to own my own McDonald's. You don't really hear too many people talk like that. If I did, I would be really impressed because that's a, that's a, that's a nice goal to have. Right. So the majority of individuals are going to go work there, but we know that's not going to, that's not going to allow them to have a life that we would say is thriving by any means. Right? So to me, that kind of just immediately, whatever argument someone could make, I'd say, okay, well, what does the growth look like there? Right? What do you see for your future if you decide to work at McDonald's? And it almost sounds funny to say, right. Most of them would say, well, well, nothing. Well, we know that.

Josh Nieves [: 00:07:54

We know that's true. Right. For the majority of people now you have to start somewhere. I don't know any other space. And I'm going to speak from my perspective. I got into the IBW at 18 years old. I was very blessed, very fortunate. At 22 years old, I was a general foreman.

Josh Nieves [: 00:08:16

Breaking six figures won't tap into those numbers. But with overtime and everything like that, 120 an hour with overtime, medical benefits, loading up my 401k with one of the largest electrical contractors in the nation, I was doing just fine. And, and that allowed me to step into entrepreneurship and find success in other avenues. So there is a ton of opportunity. But like anything else, you have to start from the bottom. This is just how it works. No matter what world, you can come out of college and, you know, you can get into the medical field, even the legal space, and no matter what, you're going to have to start from ground up. So it just really comes down to patience.

Josh Nieves [: 00:08:56

But with that, I don't know any other industry where you can come directly at a high school. They're only requesting a diploma, right? And you be 18 years of age and they could put you right to work where you'll have benefits for you, your family, a 401k ESOP, depending on, you know, who you're, who you're, what jurisdiction you're working out of, and a pension. You know, if you can name an organization or a structure that's set up that way right out of high school, let me know.

Andrew Brown [: 00:09:25

Yeah, and this is my pushback too, on a lot of these people because they automatically just say, like, you're not going to make any more money, but you do make more money as an apprentice. Right. You don't just start off. You maybe start off at like $20 an hour, but you, right, there's a pay scale. And you know what that pay scale is going to be? What I love what you just said is that you climbed the ladder of success. You still worked overtime, got to six figures and moved to entrepreneurship. That's not everybody's journey, but for some kids it is. And sometimes they just don't get the mentorship or they don't have anybody in their life to kind of push them.

Andrew Brown [: 00:10:01

But when it comes to the wages, if you can speak a little bit more, maybe it's just on your, your union, but what does it look like year one, year two, year three, year four from a wage standpoint so people can get a good understanding from a wage standpoint.

Josh Nieves [: 00:10:19

So when I got in in 2008, the wages were totally different. So I was making, and I know some people are going to wince at this. $11 an hour, okay. When I was 23 I was making $58 an hour. So that, that was the structure. And every year there was incremental changes. Now I believe it's closer to $20 an hour and it may even be more than that now because of, you know, how competitive competitive it is.

Andrew Brown [: 00:10:48

Inflation.

Josh Nieves [: 00:10:49

Yeah, yeah, so on and so forth. But, and again that changes on the demographic. So you know, the like I'm working at a 9:15 in Tampa right now. The wages are I think around like, I think like 19 or 20 an hour. Every year it's a three, four dollar increase. Right. But then when you become a journeyman, right. Everything, everything significantly changes.

Josh Nieves [: 00:11:10

Right. So the earlier you get in, the better. And I tell young people this, by 22 years old you could be doing very well. So it's just, they just need to be patient. And that also kind of ties to, you know, we live in an age where instant gratification is a thing. So we, once you can kind of tap into that and explain that process to them, they eventually get it. And this, this is what, it's a huge part of my mission and we're getting there.

Andrew Brown [: 00:11:38

Yeah. Delayed gratification doesn't fall into a lot of people's vocabulary.

Josh Nieves [: 00:11:42

No.

Andrew Brown [: 00:11:44

Everybody wants to start from the top and I get that. The patience of building something over time, just like wealth. Everybody looks at the social media gurus like we were just off camera, we're talking about Mr. Beast and everybody's looking at these social media. Oh, I'll just go on social media still. That's not an easy path going that direction either. But I like the fact that regardless if you go union or non union, just putting that under sort of like a microscope, but you can avoid a four year college degree of spending six figures. And today it's unbelievable the amount of money.

Andrew Brown [: 00:12:27

And I remember sitting down with my kids and we Talked off camera two kids who were 8 and 11. And I remember speaking with a financial advisor and I'm like, how much Is college going to cost? My kids are. And I was like, what? And you start to think, like, if you go into a trade, you avoid that. You start making money, you learn and you earn. If you go to trade school, obviously there's a slight investment that's nowhere near what college is and you start learning a skill that's always in demand.

Josh Nieves [: 00:13:00

Always.

Andrew Brown [: 00:13:00

It's always in demand. Like everyone needs an electrician. We're sitting in a studio right now with lights. Just think about it, right? It's just, it's wild.

Josh Nieves [: 00:13:09

Yeah. So fortunately for me, I had a great opportunity while I was in high school to get into an electrical program. My father, he was a signatory contractor with Local 3. I saw that we had a really good life. You know, food on the table. You know, me and my family, we always had clothes on our back. My mother didn't have to work. We know how big of a deal that would be today if you can do that for your family.

Josh Nieves [: 00:13:35

Beautiful home. And I saw what my father built. So naturally, when I was in high school, I always gravitated towards the construction industry and the trades. So 11th grade, there was an opportunity for me to go to Orange, Ulster Boces, which is over in Goshen. And I mean, best in class vocational school, best in class. And immediately I had the opportunity to step into the electrical construction program. And that's exactly what I did, just to get my feet wet. A great part.

Josh Nieves [: 00:14:05

We talked about degrees before. I had not mentioned this about Local 3. After you finish your four year apprenticeship program, you come out with an Associates in construction. So I believe it's a construction management or something like that, but you come out with a degree that they're paying for, no cost to you. And I know this is different. And again, in different jurisdictions, depending on what resources the, the locals have, but I saw that as another great opportunity too. So took it and here I am today. So.

Andrew Brown [: 00:14:37

Well, you kind of had that in your, your blood, right?

Josh Nieves [: 00:14:40

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:14:40

Your, your father, the, the, it rubs off on you. It's interesting when you look at people's families and families dynamics. Like my wife is in health care, right? And her father, her father was a rheumatologist like, and her mother works for a hospital. It just goes hand in hand. Your dad was in electrical contracting and it just. You kind of followed suit. My father was in industrial distribution. It followed suit.

Andrew Brown [: 00:15:04

Obviously, I have a story to back that up. But it's funny how you just kind of naturally sometimes go into something that your parents or father or mother was was into. So it must have had a tremendous impact like you said. And there was. Tell me a little bit about sort of I want to bring in 911 in that story we were kind of talking about off camera because obviously I have a story for 911 which I'll talk about as well. But tell me a little bit about that and your father. And.

Josh Nieves [: 00:15:35

So 2001 the planes hit the towers and many of us know the rest of that story, but there are other stories within that, within that day that so many people don't get to hear. So my father had the maintenance contract. He was a signatory with Local 3. I mean he was a contractor under the Local 3 umbrella. The IBEW and small minority owned business had I think at maximum about 50 guys, right? Some, some context there. And he had a couple guys who took care of maintenance in both towers. Huge contract for, for a smaller unit ec. And you know, on that day I believe he had lost one employee.

Josh Nieves [: 00:16:23

And turns out also that day my father did not go to work. Every day at 9 o' clock my dad would step into the building and he would go see his guys and he would have coffee with them. This is what he did. He was a small ec, so that was like a normal thing. Have coffee with the guys, check up on everybody, break bread and get out of there, right? So that's what he used to do that day he actually had a doctor's appointment and he didn't go into work. And we know there are, are thousands of stories like that, right? So I was about 13 years old at the time. The towers had fell and this was just obviously, you know, devastating to this entire nation and so many, so many families. So this happened and I remember hearing it in school, I was in middle school at the time.

Josh Nieves [: 00:17:09

All this commotion, watching this thing on tv, thinking about my dad. People couldn't get a hold of their family members. It was just, just chaos, right? So finally I get a hold of my dad and I'm like, dad, are you okay? He's like, I'm home son, everything's all right, but I need to go into the city. And I had asked my dad said, can I go with you? And he told me I couldn't, I couldn't, couldn't go to school. I said, dad, I want to go with you. I want to help. My dad had built a, you know, know in a seven figure, eight figure business had, did very well. And I knew that this was going to impact our family in a, in a really big way.

Josh Nieves [: 00:17:47

So I just wanted to and honestly, at that time, it just made me want to be with my father. I just wanted to spend time with my dad because so many people didn't no longer had parents because of, you know, because of that event. So I just felt. I just wanted to be with them. So when I went down there at 13 years old, it, it was just. It's. It's certain things you forget, you know, especially from. From them.

Josh Nieves [: 00:18:14

But this, this was just something that I have. I have certain images that are kind of. I'm processing right now as we talk about this. And I just went down. I went down to the city. My dad had an office in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. And I just helped them in the recovery efforts. Whatever I can do, right?

Andrew Brown [: 00:18:34

Just.

Josh Nieves [: 00:18:35

It was a lot, A lot of paperwork, a lot of stuff happening in the office. I didn't know what was going on. 13 years old, I had no clue what was going on. It just seemed like chaos and going back and forth between the site with my dad. Seeing that at 13 years old was, was. It left a mark.

Andrew Brown [: 00:18:54

That's.

Josh Nieves [: 00:18:54

That's the best way I could describe that. Right. So. But in that time, I got to get to know his workforce. I got. I got to connect with some of his. Some of the journeymen that work with him, his office staff, and they were just like characters out of a movie. New if.

Josh Nieves [: 00:19:12

If you spend any time in New York City construction space, you'll know what I'm talking about. They're just unique. They're unique to anywhere else in this country. Best in class as well. So I just. The way they were talking and the things they were saying, it felt like a movie I wasn't allowed to watch as a kid, but I loved it. Right? Goodfellas. You never let your kid watch Goodfellas, but when they finally see it, you're like, oh, man, this is a great movie.

Josh Nieves [: 00:19:36

Right, right. So. So it was a similar experience. So, long story short, I was just very attracted to the community, the construction community. And I was like, okay, like, I want. I want to be a part of this thing. This is really unique and special. And years later, I ended up being a.

Josh Nieves [: 00:19:56

And we could talk about this as well, a general foreman at the. The Freedom Tower. And I was there the day that they landed that spire, and they had the names of the lost members of the IBEW etched into the. The steel of the building, which was amazing. So full circle experience, man.

Andrew Brown [: 00:20:15

It's amazing these, these stories that, that people have and you just, you know, not going to go too much into Obviously the what happened when everybody knows what happened but how it's impacted your life and where you are today because of that. And it's very to some degree similar in my story. I was, I was a high tech guy. Like I wanted to be in it. Yeah, that's what I wanted to do. And when I was in the city that obviously the planes hit the, hit the buildings and I had a friend who was in one of the towers and I thought that was it.

Josh Nieves [: 00:20:48

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:20:49

And to this day, well, he survived. To this day he cannot go into a tall building or he cannot go like we were at a stadium once he freaked out, left. Like it's made a huge impact on his life. But when I was down there and it was almost a whim with a friend to go down there and helped. We got down there and I remember being there and just watching tradespeople do whatever they could, could to help whether it's find survivors. I remember going into seven World. I think it was seven World Trade Center. Like we're not supposed to be in there.

Andrew Brown [: 00:21:22

My friend were just rummaging around. I'm like, I mean I have images of this, like old, like snapshots of this, like us being in there. Like we should not have been there because they were screaming get out, get out. There's glass falling. And I'm this kid who's 20, I'm 23 at the time. And it's such an impact on me. I just taking it all in about people in the trades and talking about brotherhood that I was like, I'm in the wrong path. What am I doing that I want to be in it? And that's literally I quit my job in IT in the city and that's when I formed my business tool Fetch to give back to people in the trades and develop a platform with my brother to help people in the trades to get them what they want, when they want and where they want with products for all different trades.

Andrew Brown [: 00:22:13

And it always harkens back to that. Even though that experience was really difficult, it's what fuels the tank for me and I'm sure it fuels the tank for you seeing your father and the people around him. And it's set up your future in the way that you were supposed to be. But you had to go through this to get to the other side.

Josh Nieves [: 00:22:39

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Andrew. You know, I just wanted to. My goal was just to make my dad proud. You know, to this day he's 85 years old and one phone call, he's there, he's There for me, he always has been. And the electrical industry just seemed like a great avenue to go down. But again, it was really in the beginning, I just wanted to make my dad proud. And then eventually I started to kind of figure out my own way.

Josh Nieves [: 00:23:07

And the not, you know, the 911 experience was, I would say, the seed that got planted. And then from there went to trade school and then at 18 years old, got into Local 3. That was, that was all she wrote, you know.

Andrew Brown [: 00:23:23

So what's the craziest story? You worked in New York City?

Josh Nieves [: 00:23:28

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:23:29

What's. What's a crazy story that you could share with us that, that pops into your mind about being on the job site or.

Josh Nieves [: 00:23:37

Oh, man, let me think. Let me think about that one. So I would say unique, unique experiences that most who are in the construction industry will never be able to be a part of because it's over. So once a certain structure is in, it's in and it'll never. It'll never happen again. So kind of going back to the spire at the Freedom Tower, you know, that, that was an amazing experience for me. It was a. It was a full circle moment.

Josh Nieves [: 00:24:11

And when we talk about collaboration to this day, there's always like, competitive edge about which trade is the best. You always hear that. There's always everyone, they're. They're breaking chops about the electrician never cleans up or, you know, plumbers always smell like. Right. Like, there's always like these little jokes and we always throw jabs at each other. Carpenters or, you know, they always leave a mess and all these different things that we joke around. And like, that was the one project where I saw so much collaboration, right? Everyone was just supporting one another.

Josh Nieves [: 00:24:47

It was just seamless. And there was just like a united effort that I haven't seen, like, to this day. And, and for me, it was. It was amazing to. To be able to witness the names of the members who passed away on 911 of the IBEW. Their names were etched in the spire. And watching that spire get lifted and landed on the top of the building was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen in my entire career. So when we talk about crazy, you know, I had like an outer body experience when I watched that, and I just feel like that was probably one of the.

Josh Nieves [: 00:25:29

One of the greatest highlights of my career. And, you know, also working on the Brooklyn Bridge, you know, that. That was absolutely amazing too. You know, being able to be part of the Brooklyn Bridge restoration project. And sure, lighting that, lighting that Bridge up, you know, the, the archways and, you know, that was really cool. Empire State Building, that was a project we did in conjunction with Siemens. And obviously we all know Empire State Building was a Knicks game. It lights up blue and orange, Yankees blue or whatever's happening in the city, St.

Josh Nieves [: 00:26:02

Patrick's Day parade, green. Being part of that project, that was right when I became a journeyman. And being part of those things. When I say, when I think of, like, like an incredible experience or something, that really sticks out, just being part of those things is just something that's going to be with me forever.

Andrew Brown [: 00:26:21

You see, you just lit up and I can see the smile and the passion. And this is what I love about tradespeople, is that it's the fulfillment aspect. Like, you're talking about your work and being proud of it. And I love how it's more passion. It's not, I don't want to use the word bragging. It's more of the passion that, you know, you built that school or you helped in that bridge or that tunnel, if you're an elevator tech, whatever it may be. There's something about that, about working with your hands and about putting something together. And I always feel that people in the trades don't get that recognition.

Andrew Brown [: 00:26:57

It's always just like, you bring in someone to fix your boiler, your heat, your ac, your electrician, your roof, they'll come in, they'll fix it, and we're all just, you know, someone will come and fix it. We don't realize the work that goes behind that. To be an electrician, you have to be smart. Like, you have to know, right? You're working with wires. Like, I know my, you know, I'm not a trained electrician at all, but I'll dabble with things, but I know my, like, limitations. Like, there's a lot of, like, you need to know a lot of stuff. And when I was sitting with. When I was talking about earlier, sitting with my extended family member, like, he's studying hard.

Josh Nieves [: 00:27:39

Oh, yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:27:39

For these exams. Like.

Josh Nieves [: 00:27:41

Oh, yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:27:41

Tell us a little bit about, like, how you prep for that type of work. Because it's not straightforward work.

Josh Nieves [: 00:27:47

No, no, it's not. You know what I say to people all the time, and this could trigger some people, is that there is installers and then there's electricians. Two different people, right? We have a lot of installers and very few electricians and we need more electricians. So prior, when I became a journeyman, right, I always. I got to a point in my career Where I was like, okay, like, I'm not just going to stay here. I'm going to want to grow, which means I'm going to have to challenge myself. And when we talk about prep and having that continued education, I wanted to become a master electrician for the New York City Department of Buildings, right? So that is like kind of like the chest out, look at me, right? But I did it. My father was so I wanted to follow it, like, again.

Josh Nieves [: 00:28:41

Goes back to my old man. I said, dad, you know, I want to do this, but I want to do it at the youngest attainable age. I want to be as the youngest guy in the class. And I definitely was. So that process for me was about. It was about 18 months. 18 months of just really having to dive into, to the nec, you know, learning code, learning electrical theory, and really kind of going back into my time as an apprentice. But at a.

Josh Nieves [: 00:29:08

I'm going to say it was at a higher level. You know, the. The education behind becoming a licensed master electrician for the city of New York is. Is going to be a little bit more niche. That's probably the right way to say it. We're really going to tap into the code book now. There is a lot of work that has to happen for you to be an electrician. Right.

Josh Nieves [: 00:29:28

I see, I see today a lot of individuals just show up to work. They look at the foreman and they say, hey, what do you need me to do today? All right. They need constant supervision, constant direction. To me, that's an installer, right? An electrician is somebody. No, he. When he comes to work every single day, he shows up with purpose and he knows what he's there to do, and he doesn't need direction or his handheld. I pride myself in that. I really do.

Josh Nieves [: 00:29:55

And today we need more people who are willing to step in the uncomfortable positions, like being a foreman, being a superintendent, stepping in leadership roles and also adding value to their own work. So like I did, I was just a journeyman, but I wanted to become a master electrician. After I became a master electrician, I wanted to be a general foreman. General foreman. I wanted to become a superintendent and eventually a business owner. So you have to keep reaching. You know, we can't stay stagnant. And unfortunately, a lot of people show up to work every single day and it's Groundhog Day for them, and they don't want to do that work.

Josh Nieves [: 00:30:38

But there is, to your point, the original point, is that there is work that needs to be done, and our industry is always evolving, which Means you're always have to, going to be continuing to learn.

Andrew Brown [: 00:30:48

So not everybody wants that. You're very entrepreneurial and you want your own thing in, in your own business and you've done that. Not everybody wants that. They're, they're maybe just, they're happy as a journeyman. Sure, I'm okay. I'm satisfied. I have my benefits, I make a certain amount. I don't want to be a master.

Andrew Brown [: 00:31:05

I don't want to, I don't want to deal with owning my own business. But some people do. Correct, but that's a whole different skill set.

Josh Nieves [: 00:31:11

Yes.

Andrew Brown [: 00:31:11

Nobody teaches you that. And I'm 25 years. Like I, I, nobody taught me that. I just kind of like went through highs and lows and things I don't know and got ripped a new one. And it's just what it is, that's just the, that's just a part of it. Going from journeyman to, to master. It's. You said it's about 18 months, so.

Josh Nieves [: 00:31:31

Depends if you pass or fail, right? So, so the process for me took about 18 months. Full transparency. I failed my practical, which was the most embarrassing thing that's ever to happen to me in my 20 year career. I, I was very proud like that I was capable. I was like, if anything I was going to knock it out of the park. And I cracked, Totally cracked, man. I got really nervous and I messed up a, I messed up a three way, four way, which is even more embarrassing, right? Because that's like basic electrical work, right. But it was a, it was one of those things like a.

Josh Nieves [: 00:32:08

Okay, I'm gonna come in there now next time around and I'm gonna knock out of the park, which is what I did. So, so yeah, it was for me that was like a really big achievement because I knew if I can do this, I can do anything in the.

Andrew Brown [: 00:32:23

Industry, you know, and the going back to the wages. So a journeyman to a master wage wise. What's the bump?

Josh Nieves [: 00:32:33

Yeah, So a master electrician is not, it's not affiliated with the apprentice journeyman, foreman, general foreman. Kind of your typical structure to become licensed. That typically has to do with like a local municipality. So New York City. You notice I said before, New York City Department of Buildings, not local three master electrician. Right. So my license is in affiliation with the city of New York. So it's a totally different entity.

Josh Nieves [: 00:33:04

Some, some states, it's a state license. So you become a master electrician and it covers the entire state. New York isn't that way. It's it's like county based. So Westchester county is a perfect example. That's a separate license. Orange County, New York, same thing. That's a separate license.

Josh Nieves [: 00:33:22

New Jersey covers the entire state, Florida covers the entire state. So when you get that license in New York, that essentially means that you can be a contractor now. You can, you can run around, you can be, you can be your own, you can be your own boss if you want to do that. And that was my goal. That was something that I wanted to do. So when we talk about the pay gap, well, you know, you're going from a worker to essentially being a business owner now if you, if you choose to do so. And you know, that could be, I could, the money could be endless. You know, it depends on what you're looking for.

Andrew Brown [: 00:33:56

So, so if you get up and you move. So obviously Florida is different from New York, but if, if you want to go to, I don't know, Oregon.

Josh Nieves [: 00:34:06

Right.

Andrew Brown [: 00:34:06

And you wanted to be an electrician out there because you're a master. But you have your sort of your license in more of New York. So if you switch, what happens?

Josh Nieves [: 00:34:16

Oh, no, you got, you'd have. So if Oregon had their own dedicated master electrician's license, which I'm almost 99. Sure they do, you would need to go, you need to retest and get a license out there. So I think, I think real estate is like that too. Like a real estate license.

Andrew Brown [: 00:34:29

Yeah.

Josh Nieves [: 00:34:30

So you have it in New York, you can go to California. But doesn't apply. You have to, you have to retake it again. I think maybe law too as well, you know, so same principle, same thing.

Andrew Brown [: 00:34:40

No, I was just curious really for the audience, if somebody's thinking about moving to a different, a different state.

Josh Nieves [: 00:34:51

Some states also do require for you to even become a journeyman, you need to have a license. New York isn't like that. I believe California is California's one. I think for some reason the west coast is really, is really heavy on that. Florida? No, the Southeast. No. But yeah, I know California. For you to be a journeyman, you need to carry a license, which I love that.

Andrew Brown [: 00:35:14

Yeah, no, it makes sense. Makes total sense. And I was thinking about when you were saying about the entrepreneur route, because this is some of the feedback that I get too out there is that it's great that you've made it as an entrepreneur and you're making good money, but a lot of workers feel that they're not paid enough from the owner. Now I see both perspectives because I'm an owner of my own business, and I understand the employee owner. Like, as an owner, you take on a lot of risk insurance and you're charging what you're charging because you have to make up the difference and then pay your workers. But sometimes workers don't feel that they're paid enough, and there's a lot of pushback there. Yeah, you know, what is the. How do you navigate that as a.

Andrew Brown [: 00:36:02

As an entrepreneur and especially when a worker could be like, well, I'm making two more dollars down the street. I'm going to go work for them? I think really the main question here is like, retention. How do you retain somebody who can make $2 down the street if you're a business owner?

Josh Nieves [: 00:36:20

So I think it's really important to understand what their goals and needs are. Right out of the gate, right before you hire someone, you know, have that conversation like, what, what do you want for your career? You know, what. What are your goals and what are your aspirations? Working within this company and, and have that, have that established immediately. If you're the owner, you know, you want to know what this, you know, what this guy's goals are, you know, especially if he's really talented and if he is, if he is meeting his. His KPIs and he's doing everything he needs to do for your business to thrive, you're going to have to take care of him, you know, whatever that looks like. For me, it was quality of life, Right. I'd worked in New York City my entire life, and I wanted to change and work. You know, working in workforce development, that allows him to be more present for my family.

Josh Nieves [: 00:37:09

It had nothing to do with money for me. I know I can go anywhere and thrive and make money. I'm not worried about that. But being present for my daughter was the most important thing. Now, that's not going to be. My story is not going to be the same as Joe's over here. Joe may say, my family's good. I'm not.

Josh Nieves [: 00:37:26

I want to make more money. Right. So, you know, he's going to go where he needs. He's going to make more money. So you need to have that. You do need to understand where he's coming from as well. And if you can't do it well, Joe's gonna have to keep it moving. He's got to do what's best for him, and then you have to do what's best for you.

Josh Nieves [: 00:37:44

But I think, kind of like, how do you navigate it? It's. The conversation should happen immediately. Expectation should Be set by both people, employer and employee, come to the table when they're hired and you know, have that conversation. This is what I need from you. And as the employee, you could say, hey, well I'm coming to work for you. This, these are, this is what I'm looking for. But that never happens. That never happens.

Josh Nieves [: 00:38:07

You know, when I, when I came to work, when I got into the business at 18, I didn't sit down with the owner of the company. It was a thousand man shop, top 10 in the nation. Right. Not going to sit down with me and have those conversations. But I did do that with my foreman, I did do that with my superintendent. I said these are my goals, these my, these are my aspirations. This is what I'm in need of right now. And they were always met, it was always just a conversation.

Josh Nieves [: 00:38:30

And the best advice I ever got at that time was a closed mouth doesn't get fed. And I never forgot it.

Andrew Brown [: 00:38:36

So I like that.

Josh Nieves [: 00:38:37

If you want something, whether if it's from your workforce or if it's the workforce to leadership, let's ask for it. And if you're not getting it on, on either end, you know, you know what you got to do, got to keep it moving.

Andrew Brown [: 00:38:51

Well, if you don't ask, you don't get.

Josh Nieves [: 00:38:53

Exactly.

Andrew Brown [: 00:38:54

Right, exactly. And you know, working for a large company, it's hard, especially when you're new. You gotta stand out somehow. Right, sure. You gotta, you know, prove your, prove your worth. But yeah, I think it's difficult to find people. Always say that it's hard to find people. But I think it's also hard to retain.

Andrew Brown [: 00:39:14

Like if you're losing people, you have a leaky bucket, meaning that people are leaving your company. There's a reason why.

Josh Nieves [: 00:39:21

Absolutely, yes.

Andrew Brown [: 00:39:22

Could it be wages? Yes. Could it be perks? Yes. Could it be work, life balance? Yes. Pto? Yes. There could be a lot of different.

Josh Nieves [: 00:39:31

Yes.

Andrew Brown [: 00:39:32

Things there. But I also feel like the culture aspect, even though you're making more money somewhere, you can hate your job, you could hate your boss. I don't want to go to work. I'd rather make less somewhere else and be happy versus just being there for the money.

Josh Nieves [: 00:39:48

Yeah. Culture is culture and construction, right. Like 20 years ago the word culture never had a place in the construction industry. Today it is front facing and everybody knows what it is. Right. We have, the tech companies started to implement these things. I remember when we talk about culture, I was about 25 years old and we had a project with Google, Google headquarters and it was Like, I was small crew. I was running at the time and got to go work at Google HQ in New York City.

Andrew Brown [: 00:40:24

Nice. I know exactly where that is.

Josh Nieves [: 00:40:26

I like, okay. Like, I walked in there, I was like, okay, this is culture. Like, this is. Everyone in here is smiling. People aren't, like, they don't want to leave.

Andrew Brown [: 00:40:35

There's people making probably a ton of money.

Josh Nieves [: 00:40:36

Yeah. They're all. Everyone seems like they're making, like, a ton of money. Everyone's keeping their boss happy. And it was a place where people wanted to be, not where they had to be. Right. So I never saw that with contractors in New York City. Right.

Josh Nieves [: 00:40:52

I'll be honest with you, I never really saw it. I'm seeing it a lot more today. Miller Electric is a perfect example of that, and that is what attracted me to them. When I moved to Florida, my intentions weren't to work with anyone. I was going to continue to consult, mentor, coach, and kind of build my personal brand. But I had. I had connected with someone on the executive side, and I went to their headquarters, and I'll never forget this. And I remember I first walked in and I remember seeing somebody, like, with, like, a golf putter and kind of, like, really dialed into this thing, and he was kind of playing, like, mini golf, like, next to his office.

Josh Nieves [: 00:41:31

And I'm like, this would never happen in New York.

Andrew Brown [: 00:41:34

Never fly. Never fly.

Josh Nieves [: 00:41:35

Right. But. But I also saw a place where I walked in. I was introduced the minute I walked in the front door. From the front desk receptionist to they have, like, an executive hall. Everyone said hello to me. I'm like, all right, either a, this is the biggest scam I've ever seen in my entire life. Being from New York, I'm always questioning everything.

Josh Nieves [: 00:41:59

And you know how it is. You know, you're in the five boroughs is always nothing. If it's too good to be true, there's a problem. Right. But I saw this consistency in the workplace, and I went, okay. Like, I haven't seen this in my entire career.

Andrew Brown [: 00:42:13

Yeah.

Josh Nieves [: 00:42:14

But not to say that it was bad, but it was just different. Right. New York is a whole different flair. But I was like, okay, like, I like this. I like this. I can bring a lot of value to a place like this, and it's nice. I feel like I could let my hair down a little bit after 18 years and also still contribute to the growth and success of an amazing company. So I saw how they operated, and truth be told, on top of me having the ability to be present for my daughter, they Also supported an intrapreneur type role where like, hey, we're gonna, we're gonna give you the, the ball, we're gonna let you run with it and we trust you.

Josh Nieves [: 00:42:52

We trust you. And that's one of their core values and their culture. Their culture is amazing. They do an amazing job. So naturally I was attract. Right. 18 years in the business, if they could attract me, someone who's, who's led teams on some really notable project, another very successful electrical contractor. They can grab anybody.

Andrew Brown [: 00:43:12

So, yeah, first impressions are or everything.

Josh Nieves [: 00:43:16

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:43:17

Someone holding a putter.

Josh Nieves [: 00:43:18

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Andrew Brown [: 00:43:20

Atmosphere.

Josh Nieves [: 00:43:20

Exactly. That was a little taboo for me. I was like, yeah, man, that's a, that's not happening with any EC in New York City. You know what I mean? But, and this is, again, I never worked in the office, so maybe there are contractors who operate that way.

Andrew Brown [: 00:43:33

Yeah.

Josh Nieves [: 00:43:34

A little bit more lax, but I don't know, man, I'm kind of, I'm sticking with that as a truth, you know.

Andrew Brown [: 00:43:39

Well, it's funny being New Yorker myself. Like, I get that feeling like, is it too good to be true? I've always got my spidey sense.

Josh Nieves [: 00:43:47

Yeah. Going there's strong culture. Another, another amazing contractor, Cupertino Electric out west, like Quanta, you know, and these are. I've, I've met and connected with their leaders, I'd say, over the last year. And the way they operate, you know, just go to their, go to their, their hq, go into their building, just read people, read social cues. You'll tell if it's a place that's, you know, great to work at or if it's a place that, you know, people are running away from and, and those are best in class businesses.

Andrew Brown [: 00:44:19

Yeah. So you can, you can get that sense right away, you know.

Josh Nieves [: 00:44:22

Yeah, yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:44:24

I want to go back just to, you know, working with a crew, obviously in this case electrical. Another pushback out there is that, you know, I won't get treated well, especially as an apprentice. Like, you know, they're going to razz me. They're going to. I don't want to be like, you know, the gopher or anything like that. And a lot of people say, I don't want to deal with that because this is what they hear. This goes back to the old adages and you picture a plumber with plumber crack and, you know, it's if, if you're going to be in the trades, it's option B and, you know, you're a C level student, so you can go be in the trades. That type of thing.

Josh Nieves [: 00:45:01

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:45:02

What is it like, sort of in a crew? Because I feel like you almost need to prove your worth. Like, it's, it's more like an initiation, right. And some people don't want to do that. Like coming, coming into, like a new crew and you're like the newbie and they're pushing you around, like.

Josh Nieves [: 00:45:20

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:45:21

I assume it builds trust, but not everybody can handle that.

Josh Nieves [: 00:45:26

Yeah, that's true. So I was never 18 years old, as green as could be. I went to a vocational school. But that only prepared me for a small part of the work. But there is a huge social aspect, and I say it in my content. Speaking the language that, you know, you can only. You can only understand it if you're in it, right? So when I first got in, you know, my role and responsibility was to sweep the floors, get coffee, right? Carry my journeyman's tools to and from his work area. That's not, that's not hazing.

Josh Nieves [: 00:46:08

That, that's part of the process. That's, that's you paying your dues. Who's gonna clean the shanty? Who's gonna get the coffee, right? Who's gonna carry the tools? I mean, no one really does that anymore. Honestly, I think it's a really good practice. I think it's a good way to humble someone. I did it because my father said, you do what you're told, right? As long as it's safe, you do what you're told. So I understood it. I was a bobblehead.

Josh Nieves [: 00:46:33

And eventually I understood what the guys were doing. You know, I understood that it was a grooming process. Miyagi do, right?

Andrew Brown [: 00:46:42

Yeah.

Josh Nieves [: 00:46:42

Wax on, wax off. If you can't get a coffee order, right, how are you going to get a material order, right. When you're a foreman? True, Right. If you can't sweep the floor, how are you going to have a nice clean shanty for guys to enjoy during their half an hour break after working on a 60 story deck with negative 20 wind chill? Right. The appreciation that the guys gave me because they saw that I cared and I was invested, was. Was best in class. But again, ego and pride have to be left at the door. When I, When I work with young guys and I mentor a couple young guys that are getting into the business now, and they call me and they kind of give me their frustrations and I, I laugh about most of it.

Josh Nieves [: 00:47:31

I said, man, like. And I tell them my story, they're like, oh, man, that was way worse than what happened to me, right? And I said, yeah, man, you just. It just pay your dues. It's. Eventually it's all gonna make sense. And it always does. It always does. But I just think that the reason why they're not prepared is because the mentorship isn't there either.

Josh Nieves [: 00:47:51

You know, I had my dad, so I had had a little bit of muscle behind me. So when I came home upset that, like, all. All I did was this today, dad. All I did was organize tools. All I did was organize material. My dad would explain that process to me a little bit more, and eventually I got it. It made sense, because then I became the journeyman that would call somebody kid. I had one kid.

Josh Nieves [: 00:48:14

He got upset. He said, I'm not a kid.

Andrew Brown [: 00:48:15

It's.

Josh Nieves [: 00:48:16

It's. It's a term of respect, man. It's not. You know what I mean? I had to explain that to him, But I did it. I got used to it. It's just about paying your dues, and it's. At the end of the day, the best way I could summarize it. It's all love.

Josh Nieves [: 00:48:27

That's all it is.

Andrew Brown [: 00:48:28

I think so. And that, you know, it does create a bond. You know, it's like a brotherhood. Right. You're just. It's just the way it is. Not everybody can. Not everybody can do that, in a sense.

Andrew Brown [: 00:48:39

Like, it just. Like, that's not. That's not for me. But you are lucky that you had your dad. Right? He went through it, probably pushed you a little bit. You vented. He gave you advice. He was a mentor to you.

Andrew Brown [: 00:48:52

Not anybody has that.

Josh Nieves [: 00:48:53

Correct.

Andrew Brown [: 00:48:53

You know, and they just have nobody to lean on. Like, it's great that you're mentoring some kids, and they're probably venting to you always. Right? And you're probably saying that's. What are you talking about? Look. Look at the crap that I went through years back. And I think just. You need to have a little bit of a thick skin.

Josh Nieves [: 00:49:10

You do.

Andrew Brown [: 00:49:10

You have to stay off your phone, show up on time. Like, these are basic things. Soft skills and things like that that not necessarily exist as much as they once did. I think there's a lot of distractions today, and that's what. That's what a lot of pushback again. I always go back to the pushback, but can't find the right person. They don't show up. You know, it's.

Andrew Brown [: 00:49:34

There's always an excuse of some. So this. I'm not. I'm just telling you what I hear. Yeah, but it's. I think it's different today. I think it's different than it once was.

Josh Nieves [: 00:49:43

Yeah, so. So I hear, I hear that a lot. You know, when it comes to this generation, they always say this. These kids, you know, they don't want to work. These kids today, you know, there's two sides to that. You know, I like to ask, you know, well, who bred these kids? Where'd they come from? That's when people kind of take a sit back and go, well, you know, that's totally different. No, it's not. No, it's not.

Josh Nieves [: 00:50:09

You know, expectations were set for me when I got into the business, so I knew what my role and responsibility was. Young people today need mentorship. They need, they need to be guided. Right. It's not even just young people today. I needed it then and I had it. No one really called it mentorship. Nobody really called it coaching.

Josh Nieves [: 00:50:32

Today we call it that. But at the time, it was just somebody who cared enough to take me under their wing and show me the right way. If I had things my way. Andrew, that would be standard industry practice across the board. Mentorship would be implemented across the entire industry. And if you were an IBW contractor, it is part of your scope to have a mentorship program within your company. That would be like, if I was ever in a position to make a call, it would be that because you've.

Andrew Brown [: 00:51:05

Seen that you, you know what's expected. Yeah, it's just the years of your experience and being literally on boots on the ground and being on big projects and working for the union, you have that to back that up. Is there anything else that we didn't cover about anything electrician wise, IBEW union that you want to share?

Josh Nieves [: 00:51:30

Yeah. You know, one of the most important things right now is just is training. You know, we really need to make sure that we are giving our guys best in class training. Also coupled with mentorship and career coaching, this is super important. You know, 99% of the time it's just apprenticeship program, just training, but that's only covering you for four, five and a half years. What happens for the rest of your 30, 35 year career? What's the plan? So once you finish your training, once you finish that, you know, there should be a second step to that. I don't know how difficult it is, and I'm being sarcastic when I say this, to find one employee that works with your company who is a superstar, give him five people to mentor for a course of six months. How difficult is that? It's not, it doesn't cost you Anything, Right, what, half an hour a week to get on a zoom call or, you know, Google Meets and just really pour into these young men and, and you know, young men and women and kind of just be their eyes and ears and listen to them.

Josh Nieves [: 00:52:47

Right. And then on top of that, really just meeting this generation where they are, not where you'd like them to be where they are. I hear it all the time. Oh, you know, what do I do with this young kid? It's like, hold on, hold on. Have you had a conversation with him? Right. What are you doing to help him? It sounds like he's, he's just a problem for you, but what are you doing to help this young man? You know, we really need to implement some really, some really purposeful training, mentorship. And then we need, we need to coach these guys. So I would love to see that across the entire industry.

Josh Nieves [: 00:53:23

I have a plan. I think it's going to happen, but it's just, it's, it's just going to take some time.

Andrew Brown [: 00:53:30

So, yeah, every generation is going to be different. Right. And you have to meet them where they. It's good that you said that to meet them where they are. Some of them have different motivators. It's just very different. It's not like how you used to do it. This is how we did it.

Josh Nieves [: 00:53:42

Right.

Andrew Brown [: 00:53:42

You know, well, it's not how you do it anymore. It's a different generation. They're the younger generation that's going to be the future electricians and plumbers and welders and whatever trade that it may be. And you have to be flexible and you have to be adapt to that. But giving back and paying it forward, like you're paying, like you're paying it back. Like your father mentored you, you're mentoring people and that's how it should be. Like they should be jumping on a call and helping younger kids because they were new once, right? They went through that. Wouldn't you want someone, someone who maybe helped you? You should want to help that person too.

Andrew Brown [: 00:54:19

Like, I do that too. I'll jump on a call with somebody and help them through something business wise, just just to help. Something trades wise, just. Just to help, just to be somebody you can call. Yeah, there's nothing. There's the feeling of just having somebody who can reach out to and you can vent, but also give you guidance.

Josh Nieves [: 00:54:39

Exactly.

Andrew Brown [: 00:54:40

And they, they're there for you and they want to see you do well. It's such, it's so powerful and that's what keeps you Going in this game.

Josh Nieves [: 00:54:48

Absolutely. Andrew. You know, I say this a lot and depending on the room, I get a lot of looks. Is that. How many times do you hear, I got 30 years in this industry and this is the way it should be? And I know I got 40 years. Everyone loves to highlight how much time they have in construction and it's kind of annoying, right. And I'll tell you why it pisses me off, to be quite honest with you. Right.

Josh Nieves [: 00:55:13

Because time spent is not the same as value added. Totally different things. Right. So I know guys who have been in the industry for 30, 40 years and they, and they just do the bare minimum. They, they show up, they do their, their eight, you know, their, their 40 hours a week. They go home, won't even have a conversation on the job or even help support this, this guy who's coming up. Right. Then I see people who got four or five years in and they're super invested in the next generation.

Josh Nieves [: 00:55:43

They're super invested in, in looking for ways to create content, get the trades front facing. Like you're doing, like I'm doing. So, like we need more people who are willing to add value. And right now I think there's too many dinosaurs. It's probably going to get me in trouble too. There's too many dinosaurs sitting at the table, right. Trying to fix modern problems and they're trying to end the same ones who created the problems that we're dealing with right now. That's my own personal opinion.

Josh Nieves [: 00:56:16

And yeah, I see that everywhere. I go to these trade shows, I go to summits and I go to events. This is definitely gonna get me in trouble. And I see the same people talking and speaking on behalf of a generation they know nothing about. It needs to stop. So when you talk about another personal mission, that's. That's one of them.

Andrew Brown [: 00:56:38

Yeah. And it's all about perspective. And I, I totally get that argument of. You don't really understand the generation if you're not from that generation.

Josh Nieves [: 00:56:46

Right, right.

Andrew Brown [: 00:56:47

How do you speak to that generation? I just think it's a, it's evolving. Hopefully sort of everybody can sort of come together.

Josh Nieves [: 00:56:54

Yeah.

Andrew Brown [: 00:56:54

Because we all want the same thing. We want the future of the trades. We don't, you know, 40% of retiring over the next five or 10 years. And I could spew out, and I'm sure you can spew out sort of the shortages out there and all the different trades, but you know, we both want the same result at the end. It's just, how do we, how do we get there, sure. Yeah, sure. What kind of advice would you give somebody who's just starting out in the electrical field? They want to get their, their hands Wet. They're, they're 18 years old.

Andrew Brown [: 00:57:30

What do they do tomorrow?

Josh Nieves [: 00:57:35

So I think it's really important to know what you're signing up for. Right. I love this industry. It's given me such an amazing life. Right. So before you decide to jump into a trade, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, welding, just, just do your homework, you know, have a, have a real good understanding and reach out to people like myself, like you. Right. Social media influencers, and try to, try to tap into the world as much as you can before you decide to fully sink your teeth into it.

Josh Nieves [: 00:58:10

Right. And once you have an avenue and once the door opens for you to, you know, enter some form of employment in the trades, just try to, when we talk about instant gratification, just work through each day in a, in a way that. Work through each day and just understand that it's just part of the process. Right. You're going to. There were days that I was really hot, you know, working, working on a deck job, really cold working on a deck job and then in Google headquarters in a polo shirt, you know, slinging some Cat 6 in a drop ceiling and then sitting on some bouncy balls for lunch. You know what I mean? So, like it's going to look different for everyone, but just try not to take everything at full face value as well when you come into the business. And like we talked about kind of like that grooming process and just pay, pay your dues, just pay your dues.

Josh Nieves [: 00:59:10

You know, it's, it's going to come and go really quickly and enjoy it. Just have fun. That's what this is all about. I can't. There are so many stories that I think of even like right now in the back of my head about the laughs, the laughs I've had or even the emotional times I've shared with, with guys I work with in the ibew. And it's, it's truly a brotherhood. And yeah, just, just enjoy the ride. Enjoy the ride, but just be intentional about what you decide to do.

Josh Nieves [: 00:59:40

And once you're in, put one foot in front of another and just put your heart and soul into it and it's gonna, it's gonna reward you.

Andrew Brown [: 00:59:48

Yeah. And that's great advice. I mean, if you wanna work with your hands, you have that mechanical ability of that technical spark, you know, to be an electrician or anyone in the trades. If you wanna do that there is a ladder of success that you can climb your way up. You're proven example of somebody that started off at an early age, got into the union, worked his way up, and got into entrepreneurship because you wanted that and you. You had that inside of you. And for the people that. That want that, it is possible.

Andrew Brown [: 01:00:21

And there's people like you and many others out there that can help lift those individuals up and set them up for success. Josh, where do people find more about you? Social media website.

Josh Nieves [: 01:00:33

Yeah, yeah, LinkedIn. That's. That's where we connected. LinkedIn is my. My wheelhouse. TikTok, you know, Instagram. For me personally, I think it's just for. It's just a big distraction, you know, TikTok.

Josh Nieves [: 01:00:46

I've actually had some amazing engagement there. But for me personally, I love the professional aspect of LinkedIn. So if you're looking to connect and we're looking to learn more about the electrical industry or construction as a whole and how you can tap into it, I'd be more than happy to connect with.

Andrew Brown [: 01:01:07

Yeah. And definitely check out Josh on LinkedIn and some of the other social platforms. He's doing some great things. Thank you for coming in.

Josh Nieves [: 01:01:16

Thank you.

Andrew Brown [: 01:01:17

And it's been a blast. And appreciate you being on the show.

Josh Nieves [: 01:01:20

I appreciate you, man. Thank you so much.