AIA Chicago Webinar: Revolution Workshop – From Custom Homes to Custom Training

Our very own Scott Simpson and Amy Mangold will be speaking in an important webinar with AIA Chicago!

TUESDAY / NOVEMBER 10, 2020 / 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
REVOLUTION WORKSHOP: FROM CUSTOM HOMES TO CONSTRUCTION TRAINING
What if you are designing and building custom homes, coping with a labor shortage, and then realize you can do something about it? That’s what Scott Simpson and several others decided to do. Revolution Workshop is a social enterprise that provides construction and woodworking workforce development for unemployed or underemployed people in partnership with area businesses. With the ongoing, dire labor shortage in the skilled trades, Scott and his associates decided to build a best-in-class construction training program fused with a custom furniture social enterprise. Its goal is simple: help solve an ongoing labor-demand issue for skilled trades employers, while transforming lives at the same time. Learn more in a three-minute video (below) on the workshop titled “Behind the Build: Social Enterprise.”

Speakers:
*   Scott Simpson, partner, Scott Simpson Design + Build
*   Manny Rodriguez, executive director, Revolution Workshop
*   Amy Mangold, AIA, Scott Simpson Design + Build

Video Transcript:

Scott Simpson, Partner, Scott Simpson Design + Build

Three, four years ago, Tom my partner, and I came upon an idea that what we really needed was a way to train people that were up and coming and get
them working. A lot of it had to do with the act that we were looking for talent and there’s a real talent shortage in our industry – still. We came on this
idea of Revolution Workshop with one of our clients. Today, on this job site in Evanston, we’re actually touring some of the alumni. We’re trying to get them re-inspired on carpentry and wood working and construction in general and just giving a tour of the house today, showing them some techniques such as you know, measuring cutting and installing cabinets, installing doors and and the like. Scott Simpson Design + Build is a general contractor. We do some of the hands-on work ourselves, but much of the work is subtracted out to people like Jeff and Bianca. It’s called “herringbone.” If you look around the corner, you’ll see that there’s one door left over here. This room and that room, the Butler’s pantry and the kitchen, were all gutted down to the studs. The door opening you see here used to be here and we simply moved it over. We redid some electrical work. Secret little room back in here. We got two HVACs up here our mechanical systems up here. We’ve got big steel casements here. Still work very, very well. These guys, companies like Jeff’s, his company Evryyman, are indicative of the kind of subcontractors that we like to work. These people are moving in about 3 or 4 weeks, so we’re a little bit under the gun. Here’s my friend Jeff…

Jeff Lycett, Owner, Evryman Wood

It’s hero work, right? Bianca and I show up in 2 days, half their kitchen’s up and their trim is going in and it’s starting to look like their house. It’s like Scott’s the quarterback grinding the whole way down the field and we’re the people who catch the ball for the touchdown and then we go: “Yeah. I know we’re great – this is awesome.” This will make you a good carpenter, if you master these 4 things. Measure, cut, fit, nail. You can just show up to an empty space and drywall then you’re done with this masterpiece that they’ve envisioned, you get to complete it.

I put this one in and make sure it’s level. I put these three together, make sure they’re level. Then I make sure all three of them are together. If you’re struggling with something you’re doing it wrong.

Bianca Buice, Graduate, Revolution Workshop

Hi, my name is Bianca Buice. I graduated through Revolution Workshop, cohort five and I’ve been working for Jeff for like 6 months now. I knew I wanted to be a carpenter but when I went to Revolution Workshop it just inspired me to go forward with my dream as being a carpenter. Don’t give up. If this is something that you really wanna do, as a career, never give up just keep going forward. Stay focused.

Scott Simpson, Partner, Scott Simpson Design + Build

The advantage of being in business for 25 years is that we get to pass along our our talents to the generation that’s coming up behind us.