Building The Future

A handful of people at Agri Drain have been there 30 years or more, and turnover has been low enough that the company has barely needed to hire in the last couple of years. Scott Lukan, who leads the nearly 50-year-old manufacturer in Adair, Iowa, puts it simply: every business is a people business. On Episode 20 of the Building The Future Show, Scott joins Luke and the crew to talk about what that looks like on the shop floor and in the front office.Scott explains how Agri Drain builds water control structures and steel drainage products for farm fields, ponds, and municipal infrastructure, why customers can still reach a real person even as the company moves onto a new system with AI built in, and why fixing inventory and back orders came before chasing growth. He also shares what he looks for when hiring: consistency, character, and candidates who have seen the floor before they say yes.The conversation covers starting pay and vacation on the production floor, career paths from the warehouse to leadership, welding robots and cobots, and why a good workplace can make you better at home. For anyone choosing where to work, hiring their first employees, or trying to build a team people want to stay on, it is a practical look at how culture shows up in everything a company does.

Ethan Montang was working two part-time jobs and earning about $30,000 a year when he started saving for his first house. At 23, he bought it, and the rent from his two roommates covered the mortgage. On Episode 19 of the Building The Future Show, the real estate investor and entrepreneur walks through how that first step led to rentals, flips, and commercial buildings, including a 44-unit building full of small businesses.The conversation starts with a lost wrestling scholarship and a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad, then follows two years of saving, a first deal he calls terrible, and the duplex where things started to shift. Ethan explains seller financing, why he hires out the work he is not good at, how he screens commercial tenants, and why he calls buying a bar his biggest investment mistake.For anyone trying to afford a first home, thinking about investing, or wondering what it really takes to build something from a normal paycheck, this episode is an honest look at discipline, mistakes, and knowing your why.Primary Social PostHe was working two part-time jobs and making about $30,000 a year. At 23, he still bought his first house, and his roommates' rent covered the mortgage.

Chase Harris started mowing lawns at nine. Now 14, he is learning what it takes to turn that work into a business while keeping up with school. On Episode 18 of the Building The Future Show, Chase joins Luke and the crew to talk about finding customers, earning their trust, and figuring things out through experience.The conversation follows his first mower and first customer through door knocking, referrals, pricing, equipment costs, and plans to grow. Chase and the hosts discuss keeping your word, correcting mistakes, working with helpers, and the practical demands of adding services like snow removal.For anyone starting something of their own, helping a young person explore work, or remembering their first paying customer, this episode offers an honest look at learning as you go. It also explores how school, mentors, and hands-on opportunities can support that growth.

What does it take to turn an after-school mowing business into a commercial landscaping company? On Episode 17 of Building The Future Show, Riley Marvin from Alpha 1 Landscapes traces his path from borrowing his dad’s push mower to leading a team of about 50 people in central Iowa. Riley talks about changing direction in college, learning from an underpriced first commercial project, and becoming a better boss after an early crew quit. The conversation explores the work behind commercial landscaping, from hardscapes and irrigation to erosion control, along with the pricing, seasonal planning, and cash-flow challenges of running the business.For anyone choosing a career or thinking about starting a company, Riley brings the discussion back to practical habits: return calls, do what you say, learn from good employers, and communicate well. He and the hosts also discuss why a company’s culture needs to show up in everyday work and how focused crews can help people grow into leadership.

Knowing the code and finding the fault are only part of the job. On Episode 16 of Building The Future Show, Ben Kolo from Mr. Electric explains why communication, trust, and attitude matter alongside an electrician’s technical skills.Ben walks through the details of residential service, from preparing a van the night before to helping a homeowner understand the work they actually need. The conversation also covers apprenticeship and hands-on training, the responsibility to teach the next person, and Ben’s own change of direction from studying electrical engineering to working in the trade.For people building a career or leading a team, the discussion comes back to a practical question: how do you become someone others want to work with? Ben and the hosts explore curiosity, accountability, leadership, and the value of asking to see a job firsthand before choosing a path.

A skilled career needs a clear starting point. Zach Nunn joins the Building The Future Show to discuss how young people discover those paths, what keeps them from getting started, and why the people who build and maintain our communities matter.The conversation covers apprenticeships, community-college training, rural housing, and the workforce behind new technology. Zach describes his route through military service and into Congress, while the team shares stories of changing careers, learning practical skills, and finding pride in finished work.For students, parents, educators, employers, and anyone considering a new direction, this episode explores how exposure can become opportunity. The discussion returns to communication, lifelong learning, and following through on a plan to help the next generation get started.

What comes after a budget that barely covers the bills? In Affordability Part 4, Ben Sampica joins the Building The Future Show to explore how people can move from getting by toward building a better life. The conversation returns to the series’ household-budget example and asks what meaningful progress looks like when money, time, and local opportunities are limited.The group discusses career growth, asking better questions about pay and benefits, advocating for yourself, and recognizing when a job or location offers little room to grow. They also consider emergency savings, borrowing decisions, extra income, training, and the temporary sacrifices that can come with changing direction. Personal experience and disagreement keep the conversation grounded in the different circumstances people face.For anyone weighing their next step, this episode connects the affordability conversation to a larger question: what kind of future are you trying to build, and who can help you get there? Ben and the group reflect on community support, incremental improvement, and the difference between chasing a lifestyle and creating a better life.

A guest lecture introduced Will Ries to the person who became his boss. That connection led him to Just Add Water, where an internship became a career building ponds, waterfalls, and the team behind them.On the Building The Future Show, Will explains how a water feature becomes a living ecosystem, why the way a customer wants to use a yard matters, and how small design decisions change the finished experience. He also shares what he learned by taking on sales, maintenance, business operations, and production as the company needed help.The conversation moves from craftsmanship to leadership: training through the winter, making progression clear, involving the crew in hiring, and asking about the person behind an attendance problem. For anyone weighing a career move or leading a small team, Will offers a practical look at trying the work, continuing to learn, and earning trust.

What can AI take off your plate, and what still needs a person who knows the work? In Episode 12 of the Building The Future Show, ChatGPT Astra 6 joins us through a MacBook for a conversation about work, judgment, and the limits of a confident answer.We compare our own experiences using AI, challenge what it can do on a jobsite, and put questions directly to Astra. The conversation moves from practical office tasks and software ideas to business advice, apprenticeships, and choosing a career. We also ask whether an AI answer reflects our earlier conversations in the episode, and where human experience still has to make the call.There are useful answers, skeptical follow-ups, and an unexpected response when Astra is asked to stay quiet. For anyone deciding how much to trust a new tool, this episode gives that question a real conversation.

Cassie Cannon of FC Trucking joins Building The Future Show to share a family story that began with her grandfather hauling grain and led to building a trucking business of her own. From childhood rides with her dad to one truck, one driver, and daily calls looking for work, Cassie explains how she found her place in the industry.The conversation covers earning repeat business, working with brokers, buying and maintaining trucks, keeping accurate records, and handling the cash-flow gap between doing the work and getting paid. Cassie also shares the responsibility of providing steady work for a team and what she would tell someone thinking about becoming an owner-operator.For students, young adults, families, educators, and anyone curious about trucking or business ownership, this episode offers a practical look at the work behind the wheel and beyond it. Cassie's advice leaves room to explore apprenticeships, trade school, college, and a career path that fits your interests.