Episode Transcript
Kirk: Welcome to Talk the TAUC, the podcast from the Association of Union Constructors. I’m your host, Kirk Westwood.
If you’re thinking, wait, wasn’t this The Construction User 2.0? You are absolutely right. We’ve got a new name, but the mission remains the same: real conversations with the people building the future of union construction.
Today, we’re doing something a little different. As we gear up for a bold and ambitious Season 2, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the most thought-provoking and inspiring moments from our first season.
We sat down with visionaries, leaders, experts, and innovators across the industry. And if there was one common thread, it was change, and the people brave enough to lead through it.
So here’s the question: what does it take to build the future? Let’s find out, together.
Michigan State Senator John Cherry brought it all the way back to family, reminding us why unions exist in the first place.
John Cherry: What unions have afforded my family is economic security and the ability for me to have opportunities when I grew up. That’s really what unions are about, making sure that if somebody puts in an honest day’s work, they have the ability to support their family and offer opportunity to their children.
Kirk: That legacy of labor shaping lives, that came up in conversation after conversation this season.
John Burke from The State Group joined us to share what it takes to keep a safety culture strong year after year, something that helped earn them a top Gold Star Award at the NMAPC’s Zero Injury Safety Awards.
John Burke: It is a culture. That culture starts from the boots on the ground to the top. We start each shift with the job safety analysis. We create a plan, we work the plan. It’s really a collaboration from the teams, from the top down.
Kirk: From orientation to daily routines, it’s consistency that builds culture, and culture that saves lives.
Junaid Ahmed joined us to break down the real-world power of artificial intelligence. And he gave us a wake-up call on how it only works if we’re asking the right questions.
Junaid: Unless you know what problem you're trying to solve, it's just going to stay as a toy. And when you start seeing what problems it can solve and see what other people are doing, then it starts making more and more sense.
Kirk: AI isn’t a gimmick. It’s a tool. And like any tool, it only works in the hands of someone with purpose.
Author and business strategist Geoff Colvin reminded us that future-proofing isn’t about tech. It’s about vision.
Geoff: The winners are the ones who are thinking now about that much larger question. They are thinking today about how we will be able to reimagine our business using this technology.
Kirk: Reimagination doesn’t start when the work is finished. It starts now while the scaffolding is still up.
A conversation that hit especially close to home for me as a veteran was with Marty Helms, Executive Director of Helmets to Hardhats. He joined us to talk about helping military service members transition into careers in the trades.
Marty: They are such a good fit for the building trades. You know, we have structure here. You know, we know chain of command. You know, we love that brother and sisterhood. The camaraderie that exists within the building trades of taking care of one another.
Kirk: Bridging the gap between service and skilled labor isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s a win-win for the entire industry.
And before we wrap up, one of the most powerful stories we heard all season came from Joelle Salerno and Danielle Harshman of the National Association of Women in Construction.
Joelle: I didn't really see a lot of those opportunities when I was growing up here. I know a lot of young women around this area who could have incredible careers and family-sustaining careers doing these things. I'm really passionate about making sure that they can at least see examples of women who are doing it.
Kirk: It’s not just about opening doors. It’s about making sure the path behind you is easier for the next person to walk.
So what did we learn in Season 1? We learned that safety is a culture, not a checklist. That change takes imagination, and that legacy still matters. We also learned that leadership is listening. And the next generation? They’re already here, ready to build what’s next.
Season 2 is on the way, and we’re diving even deeper. We’ll talk workforce development, clean energy, organizing strategies, and the new tech reshaping job sites.
And as always, we’ll be bringing you the voices that are leading the charge. Make sure to subscribe, share this episode, and drop us a line if something resonated with you. We’d love to hear it.
I’m Kirk, and this is Talk the TAUC. Thanks for being part of Season 1, and we’ll see you soon for Season 2.
