Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Gibbs.
Josh, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The largest reason I became interested in training is due to my education at Edison Technical High School in Rochester, NY. This school was a career prep school and offered civil engineering courses. I was able to use those courses to obtain internships starting at the age of 16 with NY State DOT and multiple road & bridge engineering firms in the area. Once I graduated high school I had the option to go to university and continue studying engineering or to be hired on with one of the firms from my internships, I decided to take the path of working which has lead me to where I am today.
After several years with the firm, I decided to take my skills home and to help in my family’s Asphalt Paving business. Due to the cold season being so long in New York eventually, I realized that in order to maximize the work we would need to branch out of state to warmer weather. Texas was the best option for project potential so seven years ago I brought my business to Texas. I spent a few years obtaining work in Texas and with each year I realized there was a shortage of skilled workforce for all of the projects. This led me to begin the training programs that are now done statewide. After a few years, we began contracting directly with TxDOT to offer grant-based training classes to help the heavy highway construction industry obtain labor.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being an entrepreneur takes time and plenty of patience. Every metric that you wish to reach once obtained there will be a new one. I don’t believe you ever are completely to your end goal because there is always something bigger along the way. We search for quality partnerships that truly want to grow the construction industry and it can take lots of effort working to build those relationships that will be beneficial to everyone.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the JJG Development story. Tell us more about the business.
JJG Development offers construction industry training. We offer training on various pieces of heavy highway equipment, along with industry-recognized safety training. The goal is to train individuals who are interested in obtaining a career in the construction industry but have little to no experience in the field. To qualify you must be 18+ yrs old, have a driver’s license, able to pass a drug test and able to commit to the full two-week training. I personally interview every candidate that meets all of these requirements in order to make sure they are a good fit for the program and the industry. We have a great team to help these classes run smoothly, from our admin staff to our instructors for safety training and our heavy equipment trainers whom I oversee.
The program has opened the industry to individuals who may have never known about all of the opportunities that are available. It gives a new career path for many and shows that it is possible to learn craft skills and make a good salary by doing hands-on work. The industry now has a new pool of candidates to hire to help fill the labor shortage gap. As a company, we are proudest of Starting the training school for this industry! We are one of the only privately held training providers for this specific industry in the area. Our biggest mission is to provide this training to individuals who typically would not be able to afford it, therefore we focus on grant-based training. This has been a goal of mine ever since I was young. Someone helped me find a career path that I have loved and I have always wanted to pass that on. I am passionate about giving back and being able to help give lifelong skills which can lead to economic stability to individuals who may have no other options or opportunities.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The construction industry in Texas is booming and will only keep growing over the next several years. There are more projects coming along and nowhere near enough skilled labor to complete these jobs. With a large portion of veteran construction workers retiring the need for labor grows daily and our goal is to help bridge that gap.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jjgdev.com
- Email: accounts@jjgdev.com
- Instagram: @tccatx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TexasConstructionCareerAcademy/
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