Revival Requires More Than Respect

You can post all the trades‑appreciation memes you want, but let’s get real:

Applause doesn’t pour concrete. Hashtags don’t hang drywall. Gratitude alone won’t rebuild America.

Respect is where it starts, but revival, that takes ownership and action.

For every 5 Baby Boomers retiring, only 2 Millennials/Gen Zers are entering the trades. Boom—retirements grossly outpace replacements
Nearly 40% of the current skilled-trades workforce is over 45, and nearly half of those over 55, while less than 9% are aged 19–24.
A staggering 1 million fewer tradespeople are working today than in 2007.
Half of tradespeople say qualified worker shortage is their #1 challenge.
91% of construction firms can’t find enough qualified staff, and 68% say applicants lack basic skills.

Bottom line? We’re not rebuilding fast enough, or at all. The system’s broken.

Electricians earn a median of $62,350/year growing at 11% through 2033.
Plumbers take home $62,970/year, ahead of the average U.S. wage ($49,500), and projected to grow 6% by 2033.
Journeyman plumbers average $64,660/year, while master plumbers reach over $110,600/year.
Construction managers pull in $106,980/year.

This is more than a trade, you’re building careers, companies, and generational wealth.

Gen Z is ditching the diploma for the tool belt, vocational enrollments jumped ~16–23% last year alone.
They’re finding $19–45/hour entry pay in construction vs. white-collar uncertainty.
And they like it: ~90% of tradespeople say they’re very or somewhat satisfied .

This isn’t nostalgia. It’s a movement.

We don’t just need more tradespeople. We need more trade owners. We need a shift, hands on tools and hands on the wheel of business.

We don’t just need electricians, we need electrical companies. Plumbers who run payroll. Roofers cutting checks, not just shingles.

This is what revival looks like. This is what ownership means.

Respect? That’s where we begin.

Rebuilding? That’s where GSD Built starts the war cry.

Wanna be more than respected? Subscribe. Follow. Show up. Build.
Ride with us as we help tradespeople:
1. Learn business ownership
2. Build legacies
3. Rip off the “college-or-bust” script

Because respect? That’s just the foundation. Revival requires grit. Ownership. And a GSD mindset.

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