For all of those twenty years, you've been in a big, big part of our training. Yeah. Training for various types of customers and students. Yes. Tell me a little bit about the types of training you've been doing, especially in the last, say, five years. Okay. Well, a little bit of history as I I started out by doing training for Messer Construction Company. So I developed a program with them the home office actually built me some modular forms. And I put those in the back of a trailer, and I would call them to their different regions, and then I would be training for their construction staff. Okay? So that's how it all started. I remember I was with you when you were setting up those those classes, messer in Ohio. Right. Exactly. Very close to Indianapolis. Yes. Now that a lot of things have changed Yes. What's with the farthest class you've done in the moderate states? Well, Scotland. I did a training class in Scotland. Training program is global. Yes, point. Training classes in Canada. So I've done some, training classes at Edmonton or, you know, a couple of our distributors there. In the, Ohio Valley, you know, Navajo, Ohio River Valley. Sure. So Kentucky, Tennessee, done carpenter's training classes in Michigan, California. So talk to me a little bit about the differences in the types of classes you do because you do, you know, we're talking folks that are in the high school realm, as well as as people who have been in the industry for decades. Yes. So I'm into, I'm I'm really trying to stress that there's more to career development than just going to college. I'm trying to bring people into the trades, and I'm doing that by presenting our product and telling them how they can utilize that in their career development. So I've actually done, classes at the high school level all the way up to the college level. Okay. So I actually did a class at clemson, did a class at Penn State technical college. What town do they play this off? The baseball world series? I I know it's Chicago, and I don't know what it is. William Williamsburg. Okay. Yeah. That's the school in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. We do a training class there. Done two of them there, and we get invited back every year. Penn state tech call it. Mhmm. Awesome. With respect to the home office, I know we've gotten a lot of really, really good feedback. From all levels, institutions that have received the training, whether it's our customers as in such as the dealers. Our contractors, meat, carpenters, organizations, apprentices. Okay. Trade schools. Yes. What would you say is the most rewarding part of doing all of that? Well, I've fallen in love doing classes. First of all, you gotta love what you're selling because this is sales pitch. So I love our products. I've drew up selling the product, developing the three working with development of the products a little bit, but mostly introducing it to people. So I get a thrill out of people going, oh, I know about gates, and then they go, oh, I didn't know about, Nate. And so that in you level or that you in-depthness that I bring to the classes or to a, a sales rep or to a carpenter. Somebody like that is very rewarding, or it's even better when within a couple of days I get phone call that says, Hey, I didn't know you could do this. I learned this in the class. Can you help me with this new project? Yeah. So we're here at the World of Concrete. Yeah. Two thousand twenty Uh-huh. And to piggyback off off of all of the training that you've described. Yes. It's under your belt right And how many new how many new sessions have you lined up for training into the future with new with new people that we didn't even know, prompted or needed the training. Here at the show? Yeah. Four. Alright. Yes. And is it correct to say that you've asked me to accompany you on a couple and Oh, yeah. It's a wonderful red wines that are happening in Hawaii. Yeah. Yes. Those are really those are really good things for us to do. Yeah. I mean, the reality of it is, and and I think you would would agree with this. You'll you'll be in front of, folks who may already know a thing or two about concrete forming. Yes. And I've been in the industry for their working lives. Right? Right. Exactly. But I would say that when I've seen you in action or when been a part of a class myself, there's always one little bit that is is brought to the table. And sometimes it's not even from us somebody might introduce something into the class that deaf. Twenty people now have benefited from getting that little bit of education. Yeah. So part of class dependent on what level of class I'm doing, but for example, if I'm doing it with with carpenters of people who have had the hands on experience, What I do is try and draw knowledge from them. What can I gain from them? I know they might be gaining something from me, but I wanna gain from their experience with our with our cloud insurance. And then I carry that forward into other, into other classes. Don, you've talked a lot about all the different types of training that you accomplished through the years and continue to move forward into the future. Yeah. And it's really good stuff. How would someone go about reaching us to get what I call the Don Valdez training experience. Well, they can always call me direct. My phone number is three one seven three three nine three eight four six, or they can text me, or they can send me an email to d valdez at gates concrete forms dot com, or they can call the home office and ask for me. Well, thank you, Don.
