About this episode
Warren Barry and Bob Lund discuss youth in trades, safety leadership, and the importance of hands-on experience in building meaningful career pathways.
In this episode of the Better the Pond Pondcast, Warren Barry sits down with Bob Lund, Corporate Health & Safety Manager at Main Road Group, for a candid and grounded conversation about youth in trades, safety leadership, and building meaningful career pathways. Bob shares his unexpected journey from mills, electrical work, and Alberta oil fields into safety management, highlighting how curiosity, mentorship, and hands-on experience shaped his career. Together, they explore what makes Main Road’s employee-owned, family-style culture exceptional, and why safety is less about rules and more about influence, ethics, and trust. The conversation expands to the future of trades, education, and technology, challenging the idea that university is the only path to success. Warren and Bob emphasize the importance of early exposure, pre-apprenticeship programs, and real-world experience for young people—especially hands-on learners who thrive when building something tangible. They also discuss how AI will augment, not replace, skilled trades, reinforcing the irreplaceable value of human judgment, empathy, and experience. At its core, this episode is a reminder that the trades offer…
People in this episode
Host: Warren Barry
Guest: Bob Lund
Topics covered
- youth in trades
- safety leadership
- career pathways
- employee-owned culture
- trades education
- technology in trades
- hands-on learning
Keywords
- trades
- safety management
- mentorship
- AI in trades
- career success
- pre-apprenticeship programs
- employee culture
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Main Road Group, Mainroad Highway Asset Management, Road & Bridge Maintenance
Places: Alberta
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