Planting a Seed: How Rosendin Is Investing in the Next Generation of Skilled Trades Professionals

For Mario Flores, the work of building the next generation of electricians does not end at the jobsite. It happens at career fairs, middle school camps, and community events. Often on his own time. Always with the same goal: to help young people see what a career in the trades can really look like.

Mario has earned the right to have those conversations. He has been with Rosendin for 19 years, came up through the IBEW apprenticeship, and spent more than a decade as a foreman leading projects across Texas. Today, as a workforce development trainer, he travels to job sites across the company to help train the next generation of foremen and journeymen. The community work is something he takes on alongside that, often using his own time.

That kind of volunteer work feels like a natural extension of who he is, and it reflects something Rosendin has understood for a long time: the company’s impact on the communities it serves reaches well beyond the projects it builds.

From the Trade to the Community

Mario’s path into the trade was not a straight line. Before the apprenticeship, he worked in insurance, at a call center, as an interpreter, and then in concrete. His father-in-law introduced him to the IBEW. When a spot in the apprenticeship program opened up, he took it. Nineteen years later, he is a master electrician, a certified workforce development trainer, and a regular presence at career fairs, school events, and community gatherings across Texas.

His community outreach spans elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as veteran organizations. He leads The Rosendin Foundation’s TRF Camp Build program at Rosendin’s local Austin office, a week-long experience for middle school students that introduces them to skilled trades through hands-on training. He brings Rosendin’s bucket truck to community events, parks it next to the police and fire trucks, and hands out stickers to kids who have probably never thought about what it means to be an electrician.

When asked why he does it, his answer is straightforward.

“Maybe I can’t help by giving a ton of money. But one of the things worth a lot more is time. And if I can commit a little bit of time, I think it’s important to give back where you can.” – Mario Flores

The Message He Carries Into Every Room

At career fairs and school events, Mario is not making a pitch. He is having a conversation. He is direct with young people about what the trades offer and equally direct about the fact that a skilled trades career is not the right fit for everyone. What he wants them to walk away with is a realistic picture of what is possible.

The misconception he encounters most often is that construction work is not a serious career path but a fallback route to college. He challenges that framing every time he hears it.

“I was that kid who didn’t know what I wanted to do. I can relate to them, so I’ll say, ‘Hey, I know you’re super young, and you don’t really care what I have to say. But just know that when you get close to graduation, if you don’t think college is for you, it’s okay. You can still have a very good career.” – Mario Flores

He is realistic about the timeline. A middle school career fair is not going to produce apprentices by next year, and as he puts it, the return on that kind of investment may not be visible for another decade. Even so, he shows up because he believes that being present in the community matters. For Mario, that kind of involvement is not separate from the work. It is part of what Rosendin is meant to do, and part of the role he feels called to play within it.

A Career Without a Ceiling

Mario tells young people often that the apprenticeship is not the start of a narrow path. It is the start of a career that can grow in unexpected ways. At Rosendin, where you begin does not define where you can go.

Both company presidents came through the union apprenticeship. So did the Senior Vice President of Field Operations. Several of Rosendin’s senior leaders started out doing underground work in a ditch, just like many first-year apprentices do. That is the picture Mario wants young people to see.

“No matter where you begin, we don’t put a ceiling on you. You’re not in a box. Your potential is only capped by your ability. So as long as you show up, work hard, continue to learn, and continue to grow, you might be the next CEO. It’s possible. I’ve seen it.” – Mario Flores

What Mario wants them to understand is simple but powerful: a career in the trades need not stop at one title, one role, or one definition of success. At Rosendin, growth is real, and for people willing to keep learning and keep showing up, the path can go much farther than they may expect.

Beyond the Jobsite: Building More Than Projects

For Rosendin, community engagement is about helping people see what is possible. It is not about building a pipeline or meeting a recruitment goal. For many young people, it is about showing them there is another meaningful path forward, and that someone is willing to take the time to help them see it.

“I couldn’t do the career fairs and community events alone. I’m lucky to work with a lot of great people who also believe in giving back, and their support is a big part of what makes this possible.” – Mario Flores

That is the work Mario does on his own time, and it is the work Rosendin supports as a company. The bucket truck at the community event, the week-long camp build through the Rosendin Foundation, and the conversations at career fairs that may not produce an apprentice for ten years. None of it is transactional. All of it is part of what it means to be an employee-owner at a company that has been investing in people since 1919.

Mario’s story is one of many at Rosendin. If you are ready to start your own, explore careers at Rosendin and find your path.