Erik and Becki sit down with Andrew Zimdars, Director of Partner Services at GPS Education Partners, for a myth-busting look at the future of work-based learning and talent pipelines.

Andrew shares bold insights into why the traditional four-year degree isn’t the only path to prosperity and why Wisconsin employers must shift gears to survive the “silver tsunami” of retirements. Vibrant stories from the front lines reveal how technical education is transforming students, businesses, and communities.

Andrew’s direct perspective on generational change, soft skills, and the immersive apprenticeship model offers a powerful roadmap for business leaders navigating the shrinking labor pool.

Episode Highlights:

04:03 - Everybody's heard about the millennial student debt thing, right? We all went to college for the experience instead of the pathway. And I think more and more students are feeling the pressure to know what they want to do when they get out of high school and to figure out, like, am I going to go to college? Am I going to go in the workforce? What do I want to be when I grow up? So, work-based learning provides them an opportunity to, at a low stakes, figure out, like, what they're good at, what are they interested in, what they want to do after high school, what are their skill sets?

08:22 - I think as a generality it's kind of seeing a student that comes in very immature, thinks they know what they want to do. Some career interest survey at the high school told them they were going to do this or that. Kind of felt like they had it figured out. And then to kind of be able to see that evolution of growth, to be just more informed and mature when they graduate. I think that's one kind of success that always stands out to me.

13:06 - They spend half of the day there finishing their high school curriculum, graduating with a diploma from their home high school because they maintain the status of being a student at the high school they're at. And the ed center has a bunch of different kids from a bunch of different high schools there. And then the rest of the day, we put them into a youth apprenticeship and they have to work and get skills through that and experience through that. What's really cool is that this kind of work-based learning, full circle happens where in the classroom they're being coached on things that are going to happen at the job. And then the employers are giving us feedback on what's happening at the job, and then we coach them in the classroom.

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Ben Westra, fourth-generation builder and president of WDS Construction, joins the show for an inspiring conversation on family legacies, leadership, and giving back. Known for steering his company to national prominence while staying rooted in core values, Ben Westra shares real stories from his journey and reveals how partnership and perseverance are the foundation for business success.

From humble beginnings working in his family’s yard to building a business that serves clients across 47 states, Ben Westra pulls back the curtain on the relationships, moments, and philanthropic spirit driving WDS forward.

Episode Highlights:

03:43 - Well, I'm a fourth generation contractor and you know, WDS stands for William, Dewey and Steve. That's my great grandfather, grandfather, and father. So as a young kid, I still remember getting in the back of the car on a Saturday morning, driving around to job sites with my dad and my grandpa and just loved being on the job site, having my own little hard hat and being able to hear the stories from the backseat of what were they working on that week, what were they struggling with, and just left a real impression on me. And from there, I realized that construction was just in my blood. It's what I was meant to do.

06:59 - One of the things that I've realized over the last 20 years has been that where I originally thought construction is notoriously transactional, whether it's low dollar, low bid, whatnot. But the way we get repeat work is all relational, all because of our relationships. 80% to 90% of the work at WDS is with repeat clients. And it's all due to our people, to be honest with you. Right? They're the ones that are continually building those relationships. And that's completely foreign from the way I thought it was when we started.

17:58 - At WDS, our core purpose is to provide for WDS families and build communities through our passion for construction. And that doesn't just mean we're building the 250,000 square foot cold storage facility. And that's all we do, right? To be able to build communities, we need to help others and maybe help the least of these. Right? So how do we work with these nonprofits to make that happen? WSD Works makes that a priority. Like we're going to try to knock these jobs out of the park, just like we would for a massive pharmaceutical plant. Right? So they are the best ribbon cuttings you could go to. Not a dry eye in the room.

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Is your bank doing more than just processing transactions?

In Part 2 of this episode, we spotlight how Horicon Bank’s “heart” sets it apart, fueling community transformation, supporting arts and education, and championing a CARE-driven mission. Community impact isn’t a talking point here; it’s woven into every decision, from building athletic fields and supporting hospitals, to empowering staff for 40 hours of volunteer service a year.

Ever wondered why some local banks become the glue that holds communities together? Hear stories that reveal more than just business success—they showcase a legacy of partnership and trust.

Tune in to hear from Fred C. Schwertfeger, Frederick F. Schwertfeger, and Alex Solanki as they unpack what truly makes Horicon Bank “The Natural Choice” for over 130 years.

Episode Highlights

01:06 – We're trying to be a community bank that participates in a meaningful way in each community. I would like to say, Becki, that one of our kind of mnemonics that we work toward at Horicon Bank is our CARE mission. Our CARE mission is defined as having an interest in our communities. And we use this word CARE and build it out to communities who value our presence, associates who are getting growing in their skills and success, and relationships that we have with customers who trust us. And then we have expectations to meet with regulators and shareholders and all that. And so that care mission is one reason why we think customers should bank with us. Someone asked me, a consultant asked me a number of years ago, well, why would I want to bank with you? And so it's quite easy to explain. We have a care mission.

07:14 – I would say that the fact that we empower our bankers to make the local decisions, it means we're making business decisions quicker than perhaps a bigger bank that has to go up the ladder of this approval process. But also, we invest in our communities, but we do that also with time. We allow every employee to have 40 hours of volunteer time to give back to their communities. So I think that's another sort of testament that we're making to our communities.

22:28 – And I think I have a good example of that one with a customer I started in his own business in probably the late '90s or the early '90s. And he started a manufacturing company in Horicon. And went on to sell it for a nice price. But along the way, I had an opportunity to, especially in retirement, to work with him and tell him the good news about the gospel, really, that Jesus died for his sins and he could trust in Jesus because he was ill, Eric, at that time, and he was in the Beaver Dam Hospital. He contributed to the new hospital that I talked about earlier, and I was invited to be the officiant at his funeral. So talk about from inception to grave kind of banking care.

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