Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain MCA Podcast

The Agricultural Innovation of FarmBox Foods featuring Jason Brown

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Jason Brown, Vice President of Operations for FarmBox Foods which provides the tools and knowledge to sustainably grow locally sourced food year-round in any climate, anywhere in the world. They handle all of the transportation logistics and shipping, and their deployment team will help you get up and running once the farm arrives at your site. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this episode:

• What was the origin for FarmBox Foods?
• How do you set up a farm inside a shipping container?
• How much food can grow in one of these units and what types of foods are grown?
• Who has been purchasing these types of units and what does it take to get them up and running?
• What are the company's biggest accomplishments so far?
• What are the biggest misconceptions people have about farming and agriculture?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about FarmBox Foods, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

New RMMCA Board President Lana Marsh

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome our Executive Director Randy Drennen and Lana Marsh, Executive at Olson Plumbing & Heating, a company committed to providing reliable plumbing services across Colorado. With decades of experience, their company prides itself on delivering exceptional service to home and business owners. Whether addressing a leaking pipe or a clogged drain or providing emergency plumbing services, their skilled team ensures prompt service day and night, resolving plumbing issues with professionalism and dedication to customer satisfaction. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this episode:

• Olson Plumbing & Heating started in 1917. What can we attribute their success and longevity to?
• What does the path to Board Presidency entail? How long is it?
• What does she hope to accomplish in her tenure as President?
• What issues are top of mind as we approach 2026?
• What projects stand out most for Lana in her career?

Check out the original motorcycle of Mr. Olson in the picture below:

And here's the recent re-creation of it:

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about Olson Plumbing & Heating, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

Getting to Know MCAA CEO Tim Brink

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Robert Beck, CEO of Mechanical Contractors Association of America, which serves the unique needs of approximately 2,600 firms involved in heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing, piping, and mechanical service and is the national organization under which RMMCA exists. He is also the President of Hughes Environmental Engineering. This conversation will focus largely on Robert's role as MCAA CEO. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this episode:

• What was Tim's background that led him to lead the Mechanical Contractors Association of America?
• What key issues is MCAA focused on now and what are they monitoring in the near and long term future?
• What accomplishments is he most proud of?
• How did the COVID-19 pandemic change the business? Has it returned to where it was, or has it changed forever?
• What excites him most about the skilled trades? What keeps him up at night?
• What is something everyone should know about the skilled trades that they may not currently?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about Hughes Environmental Engineering, please visit their website.

For more information about the Mechanical Contractors Association of America, please visit their website. 

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

Skills Jam featuring JJ Owen and David Ottavianelli

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome JJ Owen, Executive Director of Skilled Careers Coalition, and David Ottavianelli, Skilled Careers Coalition Advisory Board Member. In his role as Executive Director of Skilled Careers Coalition (SCC), JJ Owen creates, shapes, and directs the strategy behind SCC and its mission to fuel a robust pipeline of talent and help close the widening skilled labor gap by inspiring and empowering the next generation of skilled professionals. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this show:

• What is Skilled Careers Coalition and how did they come to be involved in it?
• Where have they seen the most success in recruiting more workers to the skilled trades?
• What is Skills Jam?
• How young is too young to get students thinking about potential career paths?
• What has been the most rewarding accomplishment they've had in their time at SCC?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about Skilled Careers Coalition please visit their website. Also be sure to check out Skills Jam on YouTube and TikTok. 

For more information about Hughes Environmental Engineering, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

Getting to Know MCAA President Brian Hughes

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Brian Hughes, President of the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) and Hughes Environmental Engineering. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this show:

• What was Brian's path in ascending to leading MCAA?
• How long has Hughes Environmental Engineering been in business, and what does he attribute their longevity to?
• What is a project he's worked on that stands out most in his mind? (It's very cool)
• Why get involved in trade associations? What benefits are associated with membership and participation?
• What has been most effective in developing the workforce for the skilled trades?
• Where are some of the more unusual places new workers in the skilled trades are coming from?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about MCAA please visit their website.

For more information about Hughes Environmental Engineering, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

Recorded at the Mile High Sports studio inside Number 38.

Debunking Myths about Labor Unions featuring Rick Allen

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Rick Allen, International Representative for the United Association. I'm also joined by Randy Drennen, RMMCA President. You can also view this episode on our YouTube channel. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this show:

• Who is the International Association and what does Rick's work entail?
• What are the top myths both guests have heard about organized labor?
• How have portrayals of unions in pop culture influenced some of the myths about labor unions?
• Are the skilled trades simply "back up" for those who can't go to college? 
• Are skilled labor jobs dirty, dangerous and low-paying?
• Are those in a labor union lazy?
• What are the truths about these myths and what else might we not know about the realities of labor unions?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about the United Association please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

Recorded at the Mile High Sports studio inside Number 38.

The Man Behind Denver's Number 38 featuring Spencer Fronk

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Spencer Fronk, Co-Founder of Number 38, where we also recorded this episode. You can also view this episode on our YouTube channel. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this show:

• What is the origin of Number 38? How did it come to be?
• How much time goes from ideation to doors open for a concept like this?
• How vital are the skilled trades to a project like this, and what was Spencer's exposure to them prior to opening this venue?
• How complex is a project like this with indoor and outdoor space, multiple draft lines, and a lot of unique needs?
• What are the challenges of owning a restaurant in Denver in 2025?
• What moments stand out during his time in owning Number 38?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about Number Thirty Eight, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

Skilled Trades and Sports Media featuring Nate Lundy

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Nate Lundy, CEO of Mile High Sports and our President Randy Drennen. We recorded this episode at the Mile High Sports studios inside Number Thirty Eight in Denver's River North neighborhood. You can also view this episode on our YouTube channel. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this show:

• What is Nate's knowledge of the skilled trades, and what is his general impression of them?
• What are the qualities that make for a good team and how does that impact how he shapes his own team?
• What are the greatest moments each of us has experienced live?
• What are the biggest challenges about working in sports media? What is not well-known about the work?
• What are some surprising similarities between work in the skilled trades and in sports media?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about Mile High Sports, please visit their website.

For more information about Number Thirty Eight, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

Leading the Next Generation of Skilled Tradespeople featuring Michael Burke and Adam Nelson

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Michael Burke, Director of Post Secondary and Workforce Readiness, and Adam Nelson, Carpentry Teacher at Adams 27J School District, here in Colorado.  Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this show:

• What is the Workforce Cooperative Program and how did it come to be?
• How do the building trades and firefighter training go hand-in-hand?
• What are the specifics of the kinds of things kids get to work on in this program?
• How has this program helped to evolve the perception of the skilled trades?
• What would the ideal future of education look like?
• How ready are kids for job sites after going through this training?
• If you have a stress dream where you show to school and take a test you're unprepared for, what subject is it in?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about Adams 27J, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.

The Heavy Metal Summer Experience featuring Angie Simon

On this episode of Tradeswork: The Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association Podcast, we welcome Angie Simon, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Heavy Metal Summer Experience, which exists to inspire students with real-world training showcasing dynamic career opportunities in the skilled trades, and to ensure the continued vitality of the union construction industry. Here are some of the questions you can expect to be answered on this show:

• What is the Heavy Metal Summer Experience and how did it come to be?
• What do campers do in their camps?
• How much has the camp grown, and where does it operate now?
• What do people most need to know about a career in the skilled trades?
• What is Angie's professional journey, and how did it lead her to found this organization?
• Is Angie a fan of heavy metal music?

This episode is available on podcatchers everywhere. Please rate, review and subscribe.

For more information about the Heavy Metal Summer Experience, please visit their website.

For more information about Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association, please visit our website.