The Maintenance Evangelist

Even as the economy slumps and unemployment rises, many construction and maintenance employers are scrambling to find enough skilled workers to plug current and future holes. The shortages of electricians, welders, pipe fitters and other high-demand workers likely to get worse as more of them reach retirement age.

At the Facilities Decisions Conference and Expo held last week, I interviewed Joel Leonard, former trainer for MPACT Learning Center, Greensboro, NC, who is on a crusade to get the future generation interested in maintenance (and construction) work.

In his seminar entitled, “Fighting the Maintenance Crisis,” Leonard asked the audience made up of over 200 maintenance professionals to stand if they plan to retire in the next 10 years. Over 80% of the audience rose from their seats. When he asked the audience for those in their 20’s to rise, only three people stood up.

“It’s the perfect storm,” Leonard said. “We have a vacuum created by people leaving, but we can’t tell the future generation to pursue skilled maintenance and construction-related careers.”

Leonard has made industry recruitment a personal mission. His zeal has earned him the nickname maintenance evangelist. He plans to make all media outlets his pulpit for improving the image of maintenance-related industies.

In cooperation with Putman Media, Inc., Leonard launched a new, internet-based TV show called SkillTV. (www.SkillTV.net). Leonard interviews industry experts, educators and government officials, including locals like Tom White of the NC Department of Commerce, on the SkillTV website to counterbalance the negative images of learning maintenance and construction-related skills.

A few years ago, Leonard came up with the idea of reaching young people by writing a song about the maintenance crisis. "I have no musical background," concedes Leonard. "My friends said the magic words, "I bet you can't do it,' and I couldn't back down from the challenge."

Leonard’s “Maintenance Crisis Song” has been downloaded more than 100,000 times. Radio stations, including national Public Radio, have played it.

“I’ve got eight genres,” said Leonard. In addition to hip hop, opera and garage rock, there’s also reggae, funk and blues versions, plus a song called “Find Me A Maintenance Woman,” which he hopes will inspire women to enter the field. You can play the song on the MPACT website.

We asked Leonard if he could suggest any unconventional places employers can recruit new maintenance (or construction)workers. He mentioned history reenactment camps and remote control race car competitions as sources. “These hobbies require creative mechanical skills,” Leonard observed.