On The Job

Jessica Rowland started her own painting business without really knowing it. A champion of the gig economy, her new venture has thrived during the pandemic and shows no signs of stopping.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In March of 2021, the shipping freighter Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal for six days and captivated the world. In this episode, we dive into what the event says about our economy, and what it says about us.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spencer Lanning lost his job during COVID, and is one of many people who were forced to face their demons in the isolation of the pandemic. Coming out the other side, he now protects Vermonters from hackers in his job as a cyber security analyst.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcellie Bellinger cleaned up the streets of Yonkers, NY – literally. He takes his job as a Ranger seriously, and brings his infectiously optimistic work ethic everywhere he goes.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Educator and software engineer Thierry Mugabo Uwilingiyamana knows what the stakes are when education isn't allowed to flourish – so he's dedicated his life to spreading knowledge and giving kids the tools they need to love learning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Carey leaves his stable, decade-long career in marketing to make a risky move doing something he loves – being a butcher.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

General store manager Karen Banks perseveres through the turbulence of losing her employees, and the huge influx of customers coming into her small Vermont town. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brown University economist Mark Blyth sets the stage for Season 6 of "On The Job" by telling the story of how we got where we are today.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the season five finale of "On The Job," we meet Leonette. Her path to her career - she's a Law Clerk at the US Department of Education - had more than a few twists and turns. In fact, she started law school in her 30s, after realizing that she could help to address the yawning gap in African-American and female representation in the legal field. Now, she's using her degree to advocate for others who lack a voice: victims of predatory for-profit colleges. She's part of the DOE's Borrower Defense group, and is responsible for processing claims against these unscrupulous schools. Turns out that Leonette found her niche after all, and her work is helping others - many of them new to the country and to the English language - regain their footing so that they, too, may find their niches. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Afua Bruce's career in data science and technology is dotted with a bunch of impressive acronyms: IBM, the FBI (!), even working for the POTUS (Obama) as Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council. Now, she's taken on a new challenge as Chief Program Officer for Datakind, a global non-profit that harnesses the power of data science and AI in the service of humanity. Heck, she even has her own statue as part of the #IfThenSheCan women in STEM initiative (https://ifthenshecan.org). Tune in to hear an amazing story of a truly unique life path. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Like so many food industry workers, Meg lost her job during the pandemic. And instead of going back on the job hunt in this historically challenging environment, she decided to gamble on herself. She launched Das Butterhaus (https://dasbutterhaus.com), named for her love of German pastries - and now she's baking in a local kitchen and selling her delicious concoctions for pickup and delivery. Learning how to be an entrepreneur - bookkeeping, marketing, etc. - at the same time she's standing up her new business has been all consuming, but she's relishing her newfound contact with her customers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

If Kitty Hailey didn't exist, some enterprising author would have conjured her up. A well put-together woman of a certain age, she resembles a hip kindergarten teacher - a fact which has served her well in her actual occupation; she's a private investigator. Using the skills she's honed over decades of investigative work, Kitty has risen to a position of prominence in her field, evolving from the typical "cheating spouse" assignments to doing trial work that has had positive, life-changing impact for the folks she's worked with. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

During the height of the pandemic, unemployment peaked at around 15%. And many of the jobs lost, especially in industries that were already seeing disruption through automation and outsourcing, may never come back. Enter Benny Boas and the Burlington Code Academy. He and his co-founder Alex Horner have created a 'boot camp' to teach people new skills, primarily in software coding and interface design. BCA is a lifeline for folks trying to attain new, work-from-home friendly skills - especially single parents who are balancing raising children with making a living. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Jaye Gardiner is about as perfect an example of a modern-day renaissance person as you can get. A first-generation American of Belizean descent, a scientist and cancer researcher, she spends what little free time she has creating and publishing aspirational comics to increase students' STEM literacy. She's a born teacher, capable of reducing complex science into simple and easy to grasp metaphors. You can check out her company, JKX comics, here (https://www.jkxcomics.com/). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

For the Calabrese family, based in Utica, New York, serving their community is a family tradition. In 2013, John Calabrese Sr. and his wife Lori embarked on a new career by opening up their own Express Employment Professionals franchise. Intrigued by the business, their son, John Jr., joined the cause and began doing the important work of matching candidates with companies and vice versa. Along the way, he noted that a lot of the area's unemployed were also veterans - many of them homeless and struggling. So he and his family launched the Veterans Supply Drive initiative, using two repurposed military vehicles to collect and distribute food and clothing, as well as monetary donations for like-minded charities. Twenty tons of donated food later, John Jr has received awards for his important and proactive work. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

How do you tap into your inner salesperson? For Chris Lundy, a late-bloomer and raconteur who takes pleasure in knowing that the medication he sells can change lives, it's all a matter of attitude. And after a stint in the PR department for the Philadelphia Eagles, his segue into pharma sales has provided him with plenty of championship moments. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Marc Banwart is the Manager of Technology at Country Maid. In this episode of On the Job, Marc shares stories about leadership and unexpected moments from his time in the industry.

Ray Brown is the CEO of ESCO Group, located in Marion, Iowa. In this episode of On the Job, Ray shares safety stories and the importance of having a safety culture

Mitch McDonnell is a Project Manager and Estimator at Electrical Concepts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In this episode of On the Job, Mitch tells stories from his time as a journeyman electrician and reflects on the significance of trade jobs.

STORIES FROM THE FLOOR | Ryan Rice, Automation Product Manager at Van Meter, tells stories from his time in the industry prior to joining the Van Meter team.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD | Michael Price, President of Commonwealth Electric of the Midwest, and Kevin Buckalew, President and CEO of Triforce Management Applications, share their stories about working on 9/11.

For those of us fortunate enough to be able to work from home during the pandemic, our new normal finds us juggling the pressures of work, family and health in ways we hadn't previously experienced. Imagine being responsible for 45 elderly folks spread across three bucolic residential homes during all of this? And not just accounting for them, but catering to their every need, honoring their extremely specific food requests, staging an elaborate Easter party and tending to their life and death medical needs in the face of an especially threatening virus. For Josh Winn, it's not just a labor of love, it's a compassionate calling. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Catering - and food service in general - is a challenging work in the best of times. And now, with public-facing events still mostly shut down, Heather Bublick and her business partner/chef/husband D'Andre Carter have found new ways to bring their gourmet comfort food to the masses via "Soul & Smoke." They're serving their delicious fare to school kids in need, unemployed hospital workers, nursing homes and "the populations that need us most" in their native Chicago.   You can make donations to them directly through Venmo (@feastandimbibe) or Zelle (team@feastandimbibe.com). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Just about 200,000 of the estimated 3.5 million truckers on the road today are women - and that number represents a 65% increase over the last decade. Today we catch up with one of them, Ingrid Brown, a 5'2" 50-something grandma who's been driving a rig for over four decades. Calling from the cab of her truck, Ingrid, whose role has been deemed "essential" throughout the Covid-19 crisis, gives us insight into what keeps her happily rolling across the country as she surpasses the 4 million mile mark, looking forward to spending time with her family while simultaneously dreaming about her next journey. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

For Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), the coronavirus is only the latest chapter in a vocation that requires constant vigilance. Meet Kyle Robillard, an EMT/Fireman/Sports Doctor, who tells us how multi-tasking tends to be a way of life for emergency responders, even as the stakes become more personal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Wind turbines have changed the way our country operates and are only becoming more popular – creating highly skilled jobs along the way. In this episode, we talk to skilled technician Jim Slicer as he maintains turbines in Vermont. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Teachers and school administrators have been navigating the new normal and attempting to continue doing what they've always done: enrich the knowledge and lives of students everywhere. In this episode, elementary school teacher Gail Campopiano shares the ways in which her approach to her role has changed, and the deeper connections that make teaching such a rewarding, if at times difficult, profession. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How can you do your job better, advance in your career and unlock your potential? Listen along as Dr. Julie Gurner, Executive Performance Coach, shares how to identify and understand behaviors that allow people to level up in their careers and everyday lives. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Meet Tom Harrison, a former park ranger turned cartographer, as he patiently navigates the world around him and turns his adventures into high-quality maps. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How can a job become more than a job? Sometimes a job becomes an identity and a legacy through all the people your job touches. How you live on through the people you know and had an effect on. This is the story of an elephant trainer and activist, Jim Laurita, who died a few years ago. Jim was adored by the community and started an organization called “Hope for Elephants” to help rehab hurt elephants and educate the community. When he died mysteriously, the community was devastated. This story is told through Jim’s family, friends and fellow trainers - an extraordinary person doing an extraordinary job, and the legacy he left behind.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Can a job lead to a life-changing relationship? In this episode, listen to several short stories of couples falling in love - on the job. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How many jobs are there where you need to know and trust the person next to you, because there might be a time where your fate is in their hands and vice-versa? Meet Anna Nadler - a 27 year old civil engineer, and firefighter, from Massachusetts. Small in stature and sweet as can be, Anna got addicted to smoke-eating a few years back and is now one of the best firefighters on the force. By day Anna runs construction and engineering crews building bridges and roads. At night she is on call as a firefighter. Anna is a shining example of a young woman getting involved in a job that gives back to her community. She is also an example of a woman excelling in what is a traditionally macho work environment. She has many stories of life-threatening situations on the job, showing heroism in the face of them that only made her want to do it more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Avery Thompson is a funny, heartfelt and eccentric filmmaker and radio producer who has done almost every job under the sun. Like many 20 year-olds, he had big plans of what he was going to do with his life – he was determined to be the next Orson Welles. Unable to find someone to fund his creative endeavors and a portfolio of nothing more than a few zany student films, Avery took a summer job with a landscaping company in the Hamptons, determined he would meet the right people to eventually help him land his dream job in film. Surely Jerry Seinfeld would need a new walkway! Or Robert Deniro would need his roses cut! As the weeks went on, toiling away under the hot sun, Avery received the worst project he could think of – paint a fence in between overgrown holly bushes. But then a hilarious and chance run-in with Steven Spielberg helped set Avery on the path to what he was destined to do. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Linda McKinney is an Italian woman in McDowell, West Virginia who runs the Five Loaves & Two Fishes food bank with her husband. In a down-and-out coal town, she is single-handedly responsible for feeding 150 families each week. An interesting and eccentric character, Linda McKinney is a wonderful example of the goodness of humanity against all odds. Linda does her job with humility and without a need for thanks – because she does it for the people she knows and cares about. Where you come from and what’s happening around you drives you to do the job you need to do. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Jim Ellis is a master of a dying art. Meet this 80 year old blacksmith from Cape Cod who is committed to making sure one trade isn’t lost to time. What happens to an occupation like blacksmithing if the next generation doesn’t learn the skills needed to see it survive? What happens to these occupations when the ones who do them move on? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

What does it take to be a young farmer in a digital age? This is the story of two young brothers rising in the maple syrup industry in Vermont. Hear how important the Stewart brothers’ highly loyal and supportive community is to surviving and running a small agrarian business in 2019. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Meet Yelitsa - a next-level, twenty-something entrepreneur who started her own company, Healthy Roots Dolls, to teach young black girls about natural hair. Listen to the emotional ride of starting your own company when you decide to put yourself out there, kick open doors, make connections and plant seeds. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

A cattle rancher in rural Colorado is also a state representative. We learn about the two sides of her work life, and listen as she does chores on her ranch. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

We meet two women, one a caregiver, the other nearly a centenarian. We learn about what it takes to make their relationship work, and how the caregiver's job is central to the older woman's independence. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

We meet Terrica Ellis, a rental agent, and Mitch McNeal, an executive at a faith-based chain of assisted living facilities. Express Employment Professionals found them the perfect jobs for their next steps. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

One of public radio's premier producers finds out secrets from her mother's career. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

These motivated high school students spend half their days learning a trade. Some of them will go to college; other graduates will begin apprenticeships. But every student is taking full advantage of thousands of dollars of free technical education that will prepare them for high-paying careers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Watergate got Karen MacPherson interested in journalism. 9/11 made her rethink her priorities. Now she's doing the work she loves, as children's librarian in a small Maryland town. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers