Straight Outta Crumpton
The skilled trades are getting squeezed from both sides: demand is rising—driven by grid upgrades, battery storage buildouts, and the reshoring of manufacturing—while the workforce pipeline keeps narrowing. Across construction, manufacturing, and other skilled trades, employers are facing a demographic cliff: for every five workers who retire, only two replacements enter the workforce. Contractors…
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Why Leadership Without Humanity Is Failing Today’s Workplace
As the world faces historic labor shortages, an increase in burnout, and record-high turnover, organizations are confronting a leadership reckoning. In May 2024, Gallup found that more than 50 percent of U.S. employees were actively searching for new jobs or watching for openings. Taken together, these trends signal a clear and growing breakdown in…
Articles Building Management
Why the Trades Need a Cultural Reset to Attract and Retain the Next Generation
The skilled trades are at a critical crossroads. According to an August 2025 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), the number of women working in construction and extraction occupations rose to 366,360 in 2024, the highest level ever recorded. Yet despite that growth, women still account for only about 4.3% of construction…
Articles Building Management
Five by Five Leadership: Why Purpose, Warmth, and Clarity Matter More Than Ever at Work
For the first time in history, workplaces now span five generations, forcing leaders to rethink long-standing assumptions about motivation, communication, and career growth. As Gen Z enters the workforce, they bring expectations shaped by a desire for meaningful work, clear development paths, and work-life balance—rather than traditional, one-size-fits-all career ladders. In an era marked…
Building Management
The Next Data Center Bottleneck Isn’t Power or Cooling — It’s People: The Data Center Workforce
With the rapid rise of AI workloads, data centers are being built with higher power density, stricter reliability expectations, and cooling technologies that are evolving faster than most teams can adapt. As a result, these facilities aren’t just getting bigger—they’re becoming harder to operate, harder to staff, and far less forgiving when something goes…
Articles Building Management
Field Service Growth Depends on Leading With People, Not Just Technology
Skilled trades are facing accelerating retirements, rising customer expectations, and rapid advances in AI—putting the field service industry at a critical inflection point. Industry estimates suggest millions of frontline roles could go unfilled over the next decade, even as technology promises to automate more tasks than ever before. The stakes are high: decisions made now…
Building Management
HVAC Thrives on People-First Leadership, Not Just Technical Know-How
The skilled trades are undergoing a shift as experienced workers retire faster than new talent enters the field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for HVAC technicians is projected to grow 8% by 2034. That’s much faster than average — and shows the urgency of attracting and keeping new talent. While…
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IPS Global Sales Meeting 2026: Jonathan Schavey on the Value of True Product Expertise at TekniPlex
In today’s fast-evolving industrial landscape, companies that thrive are those that combine technical mastery with deep institutional knowledge. Events like global sales meetings don’t just align strategy—they surface the expertise and perspective that often drive innovation behind the scenes. At TekniPlex, that depth is evident in the caliber of professionals shaping its product…
Rick McKenna Reflects on Timing, Connection, and Impact at the IPS Global Sales Meeting Mexico City 2026
Corporate gatherings often walk a fine line between urgency and reflection, but the most impactful ones create space for both—allowing ideas to breathe while still driving momentum. In a global organization like TekniPlex, where collaboration spans cultures and continents, the pacing and tone of meetings can shape not just outcomes, but relationships. This…
Exploring Cross-Regional Learning and Sales Innovation with Jeetendra Srivastava at IPS 2026 Mexico City
In an increasingly interconnected business landscape, global collaboration has shifted from being a strategic advantage to an operational necessity. Companies that foster cross-regional dialogue are often the ones that adapt fastest, borrowing insights from diverse markets and translating them into scalable success. Events like global sales meetings are no longer just corporate rituals—they…
A First Global Sales Meeting Experience: Divyesh Maru on Leadership, Learning, and Collaboration at IPS 2026
Global sales meetings are often framed as strategic checkpoints, but their real value lies in the human connections and shared understanding they foster across regions. In an increasingly complex business landscape, aligning finance, operations, and sales through firsthand experiences—like plant visits and product deep dives—can transform abstract goals into actionable insight. For companies…
