America's skilled work crisis is a large and growing challenge: Over 1.3 million skilled construction and manufacturing jobs are unfilled today in the U.S., and this shortage is poised to grow 3x to more than 4.3 million by 2030 at an annual cost of more than $280 billion. Globally the problem is even greater, with an 85 million skilled worker shortfall across industries poised to cost $8.5 trillion by 2030. Come hear from a panel of inspiring contactors using new technology and leveraging government initiatives to tackle the skilled worker challenge. This panel is sponsored by UpSmith, a technology platform to source, screen, upskill, and deploy a new generation of talent to fill critical gaps in their workforce, with business cases focused on expanding revenue and productivity. HVAC technicians sourced through UpSmith are on pace to deliver up to $200,000 in annual revenue for their employers in year one, having accessed high-pay, high-purpose roles through employer-financed career accelerators designed by UpSmith and delivered in partnership with employer sponsors.
Wyatt Smith
CEO and Founder, Upsmith
Wyatt Smith is the Founder & CEO of UpSmith. UpSmith's mission is to address America's skilled labor crisis by expanding the supply of skilled workers. To do this, the company partners with employers to identify high-demand jobs, then uses technology to source, screen, upskill, and deploy high-potential candidates to fill them. Video here describes the model in more detail. In previous roles as Head of Business Development for Uber Elevate, Wyatt closed 25+ global partnerships with leading aerospace manufacturers and infrastructure providers, >$125M in corp dev investments, and led an M&A deal with Joby Aviation. At McKinsey, Wyatt served Fortune 50 on the future of edtech and product management, utilities in frontline service ops for construction. As a high school history teacher, Wyatt received the 2013 Sue Lehmann Award, Teach for America's national teacher of the year recognition. He learned basic skilled work (carpentry, welding, electrical wiring) growing up on a family-operated cattle ranch in rural Alabama.
Jeff McLanahan
Vice President of Learning and Development at ARS
Jeff McLanahan is a learning & development, operations, and human resources professional with experience in building global organizations. As the Vice President of Learning and Development for American Residential Services, Jeff is responsible for spearheading the design and implementation of industry-leading training and development strategies focused on both technical skills and leadership competencies in support of our business growth strategy.
Eddie McFarlane
Vice President Training, Development, and Employee Engagement at Sila Services
Eddie McFarlane is Vice President Training, Development & Employee Engagement at Sila Services, a leading national HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical services provider. Eddie brings decades of HVAC industry experience to Sila Services, including a passion for guiding others in their professional development. As a recognized HVAC industry leader, Eddie serves on the Board of Directors for the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and is a Board Trustee for North American Technical Excellence™ (NATE). Additional industry contributions include co-founding Schedule Engine, a leading scheduling platform (acquired by ServiceTitan), and co-founding/starring in the popular online program Toolshed that provides best practices training to both expert technician and novices alike.
Tony Denhart
Executive Vice President, Workforce & Talent Aquisition at Indiana Economic Development Corporation
Tony Denhart is the Executive Vice President, Workforce & Talent at Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Tony is an inspiring leader that has built an incredibly strong reputation throughout his career for constantly delivering results, driving innovation, being a deeply strategic thinker and keeping the customer front and center at all times. Today, Tony provides a critical link between businesses and talent resources including universities, government agencies and resources, as well as community and education stakeholders, to make it as easy as possible for employers to cultivate robust talent pipelines, meet hiring goals and implement training and development programs.
Stephanie Bothun
Co-Founder and Vice President at Ascend Indiana
Stephanie Bothun is the Co-founder and Vice President at Ascend Indiana, a dynamic nonprofit that is on a mission to make Indiana a place of economic opportunity for all. Ascend Services supports employers in addressing labor market and talent development needs through customized solutions, including: talent pipeline development, organizational strategic planning, modern youth apprenticeship, and economic development analyses. The Ascend team works alongside organizations (companies, nonprofits, etc.) to identify the current challenges and desired project outcomes, research current best practices, secure relevant partners, and develop a detailed implementation plan to create a sustainable talent solution.