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DOWAGIAC — Communicate and be empathetic and kind was the advice architect Tony Leininger left prospective construction trades students from area high schools Oct. 25 at Southwestern Michigan College’s “Sawdust Day.”

“To communicate well,” Leininger said, “listen more than you talk. And talk more than you email and text. Don’t hide and say things you wouldn’t if we were together. One-on-one conversation is preferable to email or text.”

On empathy, Leininger said, “I want you to care not only about your customer or client, but your colleagues. Care equals better products.”

“Last but not least, be kind,” Leininger said. “We’re human, we make mistakes, and you’re going to have to ask for a favor somewhere along the way. If you’ve been kind, chances are they’ll want to help you.”

Leininger, of CARMI Design Group in Niles, not only works on SMC projects, such as the current residence halls expansion, he is in his 14th year teaching for the college.

“It sounds strange, an architect teaching construction classes, but designers and builders need to work together,” said Leininger, 64, who is celebrating 35 years in the business.

“You could not be in a better place than construction at this time,” Leininger said. “We have a labor shortage in our industry like we have perhaps never seen as a generation retires. Hand in hand with the labor shortage, we’re seeing CTE (career technical education), a resurgence of training, and interest rates are still low enough to make it attractive to people who want to build.”

When Leininger finished high school (he attended SMC in 1979 before transferring to the University of Cincinnati) he had industrial arts, encompassing wood shop, metal shop, auto shop and drafting. Public schools eliminated many such programs in the 1980s and ’90s. When the pendulum swung back, CTE emerged.

Trained to draw by hand, Leininger adapted to drawing by machine. AutoCAD, a 2D and 3D computer-aided design software application, was released at the end of 1982.

With today’s technology, he can walk clients with Oculus headsets through a virtually real finished structure before he builds it.

“Your generation is going to be immersed in virtual reality and robotics at the same time,” he said. “It’s really going to take off, with more automation in construction. I’m excited because I think there’s a divide between builders and designers. A hundred years ago there was no delineation. A master builder did it all, with no separation, like the auto industry, where both are on the same lines. Strong relationships build trust and mitigate risk.”

Mark Schmitt represented Watervliet’s Trident Dock and Dredge, which specializes in inland-lake marine construction, building permanent piers, boat hoists, steel seawalls and rip rap and bioengineered shorelines.

“Dock and Dredge was started in 1991 by my father, who had been a farmer,” said Schmitt, starting at Paw Paw Lake’s 26 miles of shoreline.

“Tony’s right, there’s so much demand. It’s a great career path,” Schmitt said. “A lot of tradespeople left Michigan in the last recession. We’re still rebounding from that. We also need leadership, guys who can take a crew and execute a job. It’s a tremendous opportunity for young people.
“We offer summer jobs,” Schmitt said. “That’s how we found (2024 graduate) Joe Kissane. Sharp kid, great work ethic and well-trained in this program. He came to us knowing stuff and now he has a great career, working alongside two master carpenters. We’re seeing him just blossom. He’s got leadership capability and is coachable. Be a lifelong learner to become a star player for your team.”

He ticked through a list of skills utilized at Trident — heavy equipment operation, welding and fabrication, custom carpentry, mechanics, licensed electricians, project managers, CAD, permitting, clerical and accounting.

“A person with no experience can start at $17-$18 an hour. A lot of guys earn $25 to $30, plus time-and-a-half overtime. We’re doing a marina on Gull Lake and there will be incentive bonuses.”

Ivan Alvarado and Sam Gusky spoke on hardwood flooring for a growing newer company, LumberJack Direct of Berrien Springs, established in 2015. Alvarado, a 2023 graduate, demonstrated the sawmill at Sawdust Day in 2022. Gusky also attended SMC, but studied accounting.

“You can start at around $22 an hour and, depending on your skills, go up to about $26,” Alvarado said. “We’re moving into commercial flooring. Someone who worked with us became vice president of a large finish company and flies back and forth to Germany.”

May graduate Drew Ickes talked about joining Dan Vos Construction east of Grand Rapid in Ada. A larger company with 100 employees, it’s capable of tackling projects in-house.

Ickes recalled gutting a 19th-century historical building in Lowell while preserving its brick exterior, then swapping timbers for steel framing for offices.

Vos specializes in food and pharmaceuticals (hair nets, lab coats), working around avoiding costly plant shutdowns.

“We are experienced in getting in and getting out. I was working in Allegan, where downtime of one line for an hour costs $2 million.”

“There are a lot of jobs in construction,” Ickes said. “It can be a lucrative industry to get into — especially now because there are so few young people. The average age of people I work with is 45.”