It comes as no shock to the average person that a ripple effect of recent technological advances and the growth of the Internet economy has been a tectonic shift in the labor force. The number of jobs that require sitting behind a desk in a cubicle – or anywhere a computer might be – has risen dramatically over the past 20 years. This shift has transformed our educational system into one that funnels students towards a different set of opportunities. While some of those opportunities offer new and exciting prospects for our economy, the trend has accelerated at the cost of marginalizing vocational and skills-based training – especially in the construction trades.

As I’ve said a few times now, my winning Business Person Of The Year really means that WE won Business Of The Year. As far as I’m concerned, there is no better place to work in Rutherford County, Tennessee, and maybe the world. But that’s not because of me…that’s because of you.