DECKED program supporting community and schools
DEFIANCE – If you’re looking for an excellent-paying job, we have good news: the skilled trades world is looking for you. And it may be a much better career value (financially) than attending a four-year college.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates that by 2030, 2.1 million skilled trades jobs in the U.S. could go unfilled, with potential economic losses reaching $1 trillion annually. Electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, pipefitters, welders and industrial maintenance mechanics are among the most in-demand positions.
Local business highlighting skilled trades
DECKED, a Defiance manufacturer of storage and organization products for tradespeople and other audiences, is celebrating tradespeople and partnering with local schools to encourage participation in the trades. The company kicked off the effort on Sept. 30 with a Builder’s Day for Defiance employees and local officials, and an appearance by skilled trades advocate and TV host Mike Rowe.
“Skilled trades are the cornerstone of our business,” explained Bridget Noonan, senior brand director with DECKED. The company commissioned two studies to explore the current economic state and feelings within the skilled trades industry, including interviews with 500 skilled tradespeople. From that information came the “Built for Those who Build” campaign, which Noonan said, “highlights and dispels the bad stereotypes around the skilled trades,” while focusing on the value such a career can bring versus a college education:
- *94 percent of tradespeople report job satisfaction, but 78 percent say Americans undervalue the trades
- *73 percent of tradespeople graduate debt-free; of those who borrowed, 83 percent paid off trade school loans within three years
- *83 percent of tradespeople say their jobs cannot be replaced by AI
“The conversation we’re having now is one I’ve been trying to have for 20 years,” said Rowe. “The removal of shop class [from high schools] started this all.
“What’s worse is that there are 6.9 million able-bodied people who are not working and not looking for work. This has never happened in our history. More than 1 in 4 trades workers are age 55 or older, and for every five tradespeople who retire, only two new people become tradespeople. Where is the workforce hiding? They’re in the eighth grade. This gap is the story we’ve failed to tell, until now.”
Rowe is known for his work on the Discovery Channel series Dirty Jobs, where he performed difficult jobs along with current employees. In 2008, he launched the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which focuses on supporting the skilled trades. He has been an advocate for skilled trades since his television series, even testifying in 2011 on trade activism before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. His Work Ethic program has awarded $20 million in scholarships for skilled trades educational programs. And in July 2026, his scholarship program was awarded $10 million by the Department of Defense to train skilled workers for jobs (currently estimated at 400,000) in the defense industrial base.
Campaign features video series, school outreach
“The ‘Built for those who Build’ campaign is an opportunity to get in touch with who we are as tradespeople,” said Bill Banta, DECKED CEO. “How fulfilled are you by the work? How do you find the passion for the work? We’re investing in the folks we have and investing in our infrastructure.” The company, headquartered in Ketchum, Idaho, and with manufacturing in Defiance, is beginning construction of its third new local manufacturing facility in four years.
According to Noonan, the campaign features a three-part video series, “The Backbone of Everything,” which highlights the stories of tradespeople working around the country. “We’re changing attitudes about skilled trades,” she said. “We’re rooted in manufacturing in the Ohio culture, but we’re scaling this effort to the national level.”
DECKED is also beginning conversations with two Defiance area schools – Northwest State Community College and Four County Career Center – to develop local support and build a pipeline for the growth of the Defiance operations.
The campaign, including Rowe’s involvement, is helping to change attitudes about the skilled trades while preparing for the growth of future generations of tradespeople. “We’re telling the stories of what it takes to build things,” Rowe said. “In the short term, I think we’re entering the Golden Age of the trades. Everyone is paying attention to this. People should understand that the trades is a choice, followed by opportunity. The ship is starting to turn.”
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