From Internships to Industry: Building the Future Workforce with Sarah Nichols

The next generation of workers can't be trained overnight. And for industries facing the retirement of experienced employees, waiting until positions need to be filled may mean waiting too long.

In this episode, Christina May talks with Sarah Nichols of Robert A. Aird Inc., a second-generation building-enclosure contractor, about the workforce challenges facing her industry and the importance of preparing for the future. With decades of knowledge and experience at risk of being lost, Sarah is focused on preserving that expertise while helping the next generation find its place in the industry.

Sarah shares how early career exposure, hands-on experience, and internships can help young people discover opportunities they may never have considered. From welcoming high school students into the workplace to creating pathways for learning and development, her approach shows why businesses need to start building their future workforce before they have a hiring need.

Christina May: Well, Sarah, welcome to The Breakout Moment.

Sarah Nichols: Thank you very much. I'm excited to be here.

CM: I am excited to have you here. We have so many things in common, being only kids, having aging parents, and being business owners.

SN: Right. It's super exciting.

CM: Super exciting. So, tell me a little bit about your business, and let's just jump into the thick of it here with the family.

SN: Sure. Sounds good. So, Sarah Nichols, I work for Robert A. Aird Incorporated, but I'm also a second-generation building enclosure contractor, if you want to, you know, broaden the scope. Trowel trade contractors, but we specialize in EIFS, stucco. We also do plaster and historical plaster restorations. My parents owned and operated this company for 51 years.

CM: Wow. So, you grew up in it?

SN: I grew up in it. It's in my blood. It's absolutely in my blood. But I will tell you, I didn't start here. I started in hospitality. Loved it.

CM: Where in hospitality?

SN: So, I actually worked at a little bakery in Frederick. And then life took me to Arkansas for seven years. Lived in Arkansas. My cousin had two restaurants down there, so I moved down there. She said, "Come work for me this summer." I said, "Okay, why not?" Went, seven years later, I was still there, flourishing, learning who Sarah was. You know, living my best life and figuring things out.

Whether I liked it or not, I'm an only child. You kind of talked about it. Yeah. So, the business was coming to me.

I met my now husband in Arkansas. He actually was born and raised in Annapolis. So, there's that.

CM: There's the universe talking to you.

SN: Absolutely. Moved back to Maryland together. Worked in a couple of restaurants around here, and then just decided to say, "Sarah, it's time. I'm going to dip my toe in this water, and I'm going to see what this world is all about."

And here we are 14 years later. So, that is exciting for me.

We're currently in succession planning. Trials and tribulations. The generational leadership styles are a struggle. For anybody that I think has been in this dynamic, just changing that perspective on leadership, and especially workforce right now, this whole movement about building the people. I think that's a real—I mean, that's real. It's not out there.

The hiring that we've tried to do within the company. I'm out there advocating all the time. So, I think that that's just something that even that mindset needs to change. So, that's kind of a struggle I'm having. But there are things that are working, and that's really exciting.

CM: For people who maybe haven't had the joy, talk a little bit about the differences in style when it comes to the generations, because goodness knows, I think you and I are in the middle now. Elder millennial-esque.

But we're sitting in a workforce situation now where you've got so many generations, and they're so very different. Each one's very different. And we all, I think, like to complain about the youngest generation. I know they complained about us. It's funny now to be in the middle of it, and I catch myself going, like, you know, whether it's the language or what's important to them or the styles.

But maybe just kind of, especially since, you know, this is also your parents, you know, it's almost like a twofold situation. Talk a little bit about those generational differences and maybe where you're finding those struggle points.

SN: I think I can do this twofold also. So, one is, of course, with my parents, is the in-the-office factor.

So, one of the generational struggles is building the people. I think the old mentality was, you worked or you didn't, and there's the door.

Now, if somebody shows initiative, if they are willing to learn, I think everybody is teachable. Can't we teach everyone something and then give them a little while?

Maybe they learn a different way, maybe they don't. But maybe you have a seasoned project manager, but they're not the best at something, and you find that flaw. Why don't we build them? Why don't we give them those skills and push them to the next level? Give them that career pathway and see if they succeed.

So, I think that's one of my different mentalities, and then going out and finding those people, even if it's someone green.

We have a dual-enrollment senior who's in high school, and she's coming to us for six hours a day, three days a week. She is spectacular, and that generational change as well, and mentality of finding somebody that's in high school.

Yeah, she's here, and she's working six-hour days, three days a week, and she is doing the work. So, it's fantastic. So, I think those are some points of view for the office. But then I also have our field. This is another generational issue.

And the struggle is because our company is 51 years old. I have employees that are in the field that have known me since I was five. So, I'm sitting here looking at technology forward and putting more things in their hands and building them up because of the culture and the generational change again. And so, giving them simple things like FairClock, for example, to clock in and out using the phone.

Let's clock in and out using your phone today. It was a little bit of a struggle to get that happening, to say the least. So, I think just some of those little things, they can be changed, or I'm using a different word, we can adapt. I don't think my dad likes the word "change" very much.

CM: No, I don't. I don't really know anyone that really—I mean, I think entrepreneurs, we run into burning buildings. Change to us isn't quite as scary. It can be, but I don't—yeah.

No, I don't think I could see my parents, or if I bring up the word "change," why? This is fine. Like, why, why, why does everything—it's like when the phone updates or something. Why did they change it?

SN: Yes.

CM: Yeah.

SN: Why do I need a new charging cable?

CM: Yep.

SN: Absolutely.

CM: Although, I have to admit, there are days where I was like, it could just lay off for a little bit. Like, I just got caught up on this stuff. You know, I don't need change for change's sake.

But I think you're right. Reframing that word is probably important.

SN: I've tried, because I think also we look at what is the biggest killer of businesses. We don't adapt.

My dad being an English major, though, you know what he said? "What's the difference between change and adapt, Sarah?"

Like, okay, you got me there. Not a whole lot, but let's just say it's a lot.

CM: Yeah, it's how you approach the word. I'll speak for the kids. It's the vibes. There you go. It's giving better vibes.

SN: I like that. I think that's a little bit of the generational struggles that I'm currently having.

CM: Okay. And parents still are active in the business?

SN: They are there pretty much every day. Seventy-eight years old. It's wonderful to see them. They are active.

They have stepped back a little bit, which I love. They're not coming in—you know, Dad would be there 7 a.m. in the morning, if not six, leaving at five.

So, they're stepping back a little bit, taking a little bit more time for themselves, which I'm excited to see.

But of course, I need him there. I want him present. I want both of them present. They have these 51 years of knowledge that, at this point, our team needs to suck out of their brains.

CM: There's a visual, right out of the brain.

SN: And that's one of the initiatives that I'm working on, is I've started to create—it's called Aird Academy: Passing the Trowel, because we're trowel trade, right?

CM: Little pun, and English major Dad.

SN: Exactly. I have a little social media microphone, actually. A little fuzzy, actually. She was—she said, "Sarah, what is this?" I said, "It's going to record you."

So, we're going to record him doing his spiels and talks and all that good stuff and give us some visuals.

And then I'm literally building an academy that will go through everything from all of our scopes of work to leadership, mentorship, Building Science 101. I mean, a little bit of everything.

I went through Ambition Theory, the leadership class, and so I have some of those documents that Andrea shared with me to pass on to my team. So, just a little bit of knowledge that we can, again, take and stuff from their brains to capture for the future. And I think that's necessary.

CM: Well, and I think that's really what is a company's DNA. You know, it lives in leadership. It lives in the founders. And it's our job to make sure that it just doesn't live there, that we're actually communicating that to the rest of our team.

You can't expect your team to read your mind just because it's sitting there. We have to be really intentional, I think, about that. So, you know, and I'm sure there's fun little, like, isms or things that you're capturing too, which are also part of, like, your company culture.

SN: Sure, sure. Absolutely.

CM: I know here we will have turns of phrase that will become just part of our culture.

So, someone here once said, "Oh, that's not the Illuminate way." And now that is a thing. Like, what is the Illuminate way? The way we do things. And we even have, like, an internal channel that's named the i8 Way. So, it's just funny how those little culture things, you know, bubble up.

Speaking of, so with them still being there and still being present, obviously, you know, that has a shelf life to it. At a certain point, you know, they're going to decrease their time. They're not going to be there.

So, you said you're in the middle of succession planning right now. If you don't mind sharing bits of that, like, what does that—because this is an intentional process for you. What does that look like?

Because some people don't get the opportunity to do it in an intentional way, and I think we all should.

SN: Sure. I think for me, it's just, at this point, taking those little baby steps to show everyone, the world, that there is a second generation.

And it's, in all honesty, it's not just me. I might be blood, but we have people in the field that have also worked for their fathers that are still with us.

So, there is a second generation within our company, and I think just bringing that back into picture.

Sorry. Yeah, I went off topic.

CM: No, no. I love that, bringing that second generation. It's not just you. It's part of your team. If you're making them, it's part of that succession, right?

SN: Right.

CM: That's incredibly intentional. That's part of your company culture.

SN: And I think not just for them, but also for me, delegating some responsibilities, not just the trowel, but the torch.

So, what parts of that torch can you pass to me that you can step back, that then allows me to take on that responsibility and start becoming kind of the face, like knowing that I'm out there, knowing that this company will continue?

At least I'm striving to keep it going. So, as long as we can get this workforce under control and bring in that next generation, I'm hopeful. I'm excited.

And then I think another point of succession is I've had the tough conversations with our employees in the field.

How long are you going to be with us? Where do you see yourself? Do you think if I brought someone in green, would you be willing to mentor them?

You know, is that something? And of course, culturally, we have a different generation in the field.

Are they willing to mentor? I have to ask that question. Are they? Because I don't know.

So, those are parts. And then, of course, office employees. I have to know that too.

We have younger employees. We have seasoned employees. So, where are you in your, you know, cycle of life? How much longer are you going to be with us?

Things like that. Those are all kind of little bits and pieces of the succession planning.

But I think the other, bigger aspect for me is the issue with workforce.

That is, while I'm working with everything in the office with my parents, I'm also struggling with the workforce because, as I said, the seasoned employees that I have with us, the craftsmen, the people that I look at, some of the work that they've done, and just my jaw drops, and it's beautiful.

And I just wonder, how am I going to get that to continue?

Because that's our legacy.

CM: And it's a craft.

SN: Yes.

CM: It's truly a craft.

SN: It is. Some of the things we do, the EIFS and plaster. We're working on an 1834 mansion. We're doing historical lime plaster restoration.

I mean, we've worked on D.C. Court of Appeals. It's just those are the types of things that are, you know, exciting.

So, I think kind of talking about breakout moment, if you will, it started for me in 2017.

In 2017, I was honored to be nominated and elected to be the first woman to be on the board of directors of the EIFS Industry Members Association, or EIMA, which is my industry.

CM: That's a big deal.

SN: It was a big deal for me, especially being underneath my—well, not underneath now, beside—but at that point, my dad.

He's been doing this for 51 years. He taught the OSI EIFS Doing It Right class. He is known for what he does.

So, that honor just was unbelievable. It opened doors. It made me step up, put me at tables, in rooms with manufacturing presidents and manufacturing companies.

All five of our major EIFS manufacturers, the presidents, the top-level executives, were sitting at those tables, and talk about eye-opening on many levels.

But of course, I honed in on this workforce because that was my struggle.

So, I'd like to share some statistics that were read to me, which is, I think, another turning point.

Okay, in 2020, NCCER said the average age of a craft professional is 47. In 2019, the last of the baby boomers turned 55. By 2024, many will begin to retire.

Eight years from now, 29% of the current construction workforce will retire in 2026.

CM: Oh goodness, that's right now.

SN: Thirteen years from now, 41% of the current construction workforce will retire in 2031.

Considering the time it takes for an individual to become fully trained as a construction craft professional, eight to 12 years, depending on the occupation we have, we should have already started addressing this challenge.

Due to this inaction, we must start now.

Clearly, jaw dropped to the floor. So, that was my change in perspective in many ways.

So, now we're sitting in January, or January of this year. I read this earlier.

ABC, Associated Builders and Contractors, estimates that 394,000 workers that the U.S. construction industry needs to attract in 2026 just to meet demand for construction services.

And it gets worse. ABC projects that the industry will need 456,000 new workers in 2027 as construction spending growth picks back up.

CM: Oh my goodness.

SN: Of course, I had to bring statistics.

CM: Yeah. No, I love a good number. Are you kidding? I love numbers. That's incredible.

SN: So, of course, eye-opening, eye-changing.

So, 2017 is when I started kind of taking off with EIMA. I was creating an EIMA University. It was kind of an educational platform to be more hands-on, to be more specific to our industry.

I was tackling workforce, talking to ACE program, NCCER, lots of other advocacy programs out there.

MCCEI came into my realm. You're not familiar with MCCEI?

CM: I was just going to say, let's not alphabet soup it.

SN: Yep. It's a mouthful.

They are the Maryland Center for Construction Education and Innovation. I am currently secretary of their board.

But when I came back into their circle two years ago or so, they welcomed me with open arms.

I'm currently secretary of the board, which is amazing. They gave me a scholarship to Ambition Theory, which I was grateful for. Again, adding to my professional development for leadership.

And then they also put on Construction Career Days.

They do four different locations, expanding to Eastern Shore, which is super exciting, and they have over 1,000 high school and some middle school students that come to these Construction Career Days.

CM: Wow, which is super exciting.

SN: That is very exciting.

So, of course, along with kind of being involved with MCCEI, them opening doors, giving me other pathways to find that workforce development has been amazing.

And then a couple initiatives that I'm working on specifically, one was Aird Academy: Passing the Trowel, and then I'm also building—it's called The Blueprint.

So, it's a building enclosure career guide. Essentially, what it is, it's for a company, and it starts with what our company is: laborer, apprentice, foreman, mechanic, superintendent.

These are all the skills you need. Here's our career pathway. We show them money. We show them.

This would be great for skills that you have prior to getting in. But then we say, this is what you'll learn when you're going to be here. These are the skills we'll give you.

And then it shows them a path, which I think a lot of the feedback that I've gotten from the students I've talked to is, "What is my next step? Where is my next step?"

Right? I go to all of these, you know, Construction Career Days, and I'm in Project Lead the Way in high school, or I've taken the engineering classes or the construction management classes, but they don't have that connection to an employer.

So, who's out there doing that? That's the next question. And that's where we have to find that gap.

So, that's something that I'm intentionally doing right now, not just in our company, but also finding others that I can intentionally help, and opening doors, giving them a seat at the table.

One is the lovely Ava, who I mentioned earlier. Yeah, she's our 17-year-old who works in the office. I've taken her to construction sites, done job walks. I've taken her even to women empowerment sessions. SHE Week here in Frederick, we went to SHE Week. So, that was fun.

And then just kind of building her up, I got asked to speak at Morgan State University. So, I'm excited to see what connections I can make there and kind of just grow that initiative. And then MCCEI connected me with somebody out of Frostburg who's interested in construction management and sustainability.

So, you know, what can I do there? How can I make that connection? How can I open that next door for you?

That's kind of my mentality.

And then something I've been leaning into lately is exploration before expectation.

CM: Oh, oh, dive into that.

SN: So, when I was in middle school, I was expected to go to college. That was in middle school.

CM: Well, we're in that generation. That was the path, right?

CM: That conversation has changed.

SN: So, I was expected. That was expected out of me.

Was I able to explore all of my options? Absolutely not.

Now, have I explored them all today? Absolutely not.

Do I still know what I want to do today when I grow up? No, I could change.

CM: Oh no, absolutely.

I always—people go like, oh, like, I'm like, no, I'm like multi-hyphenate.

Like, I love media, I love marketing, I love spreadsheets, I love all of what I do, but I also love buildings. And I actually like building stuff.

You should always leave yourself open to learning new things, and you should always leave yourself open to trying new things.

I always kind of tout that there is no failure except failing to try.

SN: Very true. So very true.

CM: So, yes. No, we don't know what we want to be when we grow up. We're never going to grow up.

SN: No, I wanted to go to college to be a marine biologist, major in marine biology, and learn business.

CM: I got a business degree because I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I knew I was going to work for a business.

I didn't know that I was going to end up being a business owner.

And so that was, like, the box I ended up checking because I was like, I like so many things. I don't know how to narrow this down.

That was us. It's so different now.

SN: And so for Ava, when she came to me, when I was introduced to her, she said, "Sarah, I love engineering, and I want to go to college for engineering."

Okay. "I don't want to be stuck in that bubble."

Well, "But I don't know what kind of engineering."

Okay, try it all. Let's go figure it out.

Yeah. So, we went to, you know, one place that they do machining and they do CAD.

And we walked in, and we did a little bit of the engineering scoping.

We walked out. She crossed it off.

Fine. Cross it off. Check it. Whatever you want to do. We're exploring.

Yep. Whether, you know, it's just figuring it out.

CM: I always say it's kind of like a closet, you know? I mean, try it on.

SN: I'm sitting here today as title director of operations and estimating, but also jack of all trades, but also workforce and education advocate.

Because that's my passion, is I want to give the next generation something that I got 14 years—we'll give it 12 years because I got it a couple of years ago.

CM: That's okay.

SN: Later. Why can't we expose them now?

Yeah, I think that that's just, it's going to be the way and the shift that we all have to look at workforce development for the construction industry.

CM: Oh, I think even beyond the construction industry, it's not just an industry problem. It's a workforce problem, for sure.

I sit on the local community college foundation board, and it's something that I'm incredibly passionate about, connecting young people with employment, but also full circle, bringing that employment back to the college and going, "This is what we need."

Also, it needs to be a full conversation.

And, you know, we can provide training opportunities. We can provide real-world opportunities.

But while you're preparing them, also know, like, prepare them for this, not that over there. We don't do that.

And so my passion really lies there.

We, you know, host, you know, in our office about three interns a semester.

And we talk about kind of our intern-to-hire program.

Some of our best alumni, you know, have springboarded their careers from here.

And I'm unbelievably proud of them and being able to run into them at conferences or whatnot.

Now it's like the director of RevOps or whatever.

And it's, you know, hearing that story of, "Thank you so much for, you know, exposing me to this, helping me find my passion."

You know, that's what it's there for. And you can find your passion at any age, at any moment, at any time.

SN: And, I mean, Ava has already given me things in return.

Her energy, her perspective. I mean, my days get brighter when she's around.

Yeah. I can't deny it.

I mean, no matter how crappy the day is going or how I'm like, "This is not going well," she comes in, or today she's at the office now, and she said, "You're going to do great, Sarah."

And I'm like, "Thank you." It's that little puppy cheer.

CM: Yeah, we all could use that someday.

SN: Oh my gosh. Yeah, absolutely.

So, I love having that and just getting that, you know, energy.

And I'm hoping that I can continue helping others.

CM: I love that.

If you were talking to somebody in the construction industry or not, and they were maybe having some reservations around high schoolers, you know, particularly, I know maybe college, not so much on internships, but definitely high schoolers.

What if you could give a quick sound bite? What would you tell them to get them over that fear?

SN: Just do it. Just do it. Just, just do it.

Try it. That's what I did with Ava.

Yeah. I was presented the opportunity. We hired her. We brought her in.

So, it works both ways.

We're working with the internship program. We're meeting the goals that she's required to do.

It's not as hard as it seems.

Find the right people, find the right avenues, and just jump in and try it.

CM: I love that. It's not just—

SN: Another thing. Step outside of your comfort zone. Stop being comfortable.

I mean, that has changed.

I have my little cup. I have a story about my cup and my stickers.

But that was something that just—it was actually Andrea Jansen in Ambition Theory.

She talks about, you know, being out of your comfort zone.

I went to camp a week later, and there was a sticker sitting there: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

Like, sometimes you just gotta jump.

So, I've stepped into every door that has been open for me.

I have tried not to say no, depending on my bandwidth.

CM: Right.

SN: And I just keep stepping up to the challenge.

CM: I love that. So, here we go.

SN: Here we go. My next great adventure.

CM: Well, you've just completed one.

So, thank you so much for being on the podcast today.

Loved hearing how you're working with the next generation and helping to navigate, you know, the generation after us.

CM: Yes, absolutely.

SN: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

CM: Absolutely.