The Trade Collective

Directions Website

The Trade Collective Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Trade Collective, Nonprofit Organization, 1910 Greenwood Street, Evanston, IL.

Raising awareness and expanding access to skilled trades through education, events, and real-world exposure for young adults age 14-18 in the Evanston, IL area.

10/08/2026

Six hours of fog. The middle of the night at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

When asked by Richard Fisher of Autobarn to meet a group of Evanston youth, the president of IMSA had every reason to say "maybe next year."

Instead, he met with Dr. John Santiago's students on Sunday morning.

Both John Doonan and Dr. John Santiago know how valuable these conversations can be in influencing a young person to follow their passions down an automotive path. That’s why they are both committed to continuing conversations on how we can use motor sports to grow young people’s interest in the automotive industry.

Episode 16 is out now, with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) President John Doonan and Dr. John Santiago of The Community Garage.

Full episode link in comments 👇

09/18/2026

"Down the chain from all the AI, it's still plugging into the wall."

Dru Taggart has been running his own electrical company since 2005. Clark McCarthy has spent 14 years as a union pipefitter.

They're two of the people starting a new club aimed at bringing together professionals from across the skilled trades: The Trade Guild. They sat down with us to talk about why this community is so important to the local skilled trade ecosystem.

Both professionals have shown through their actions that they are committed to giving the next generation of tradespeople the hands-on-experience they need to become journeymen; now they’re building a network that is committed to joining them.

Full episode link in comments 👇

09/05/2026

Sam Gordon owns his own HVAC company. Seven years ago, he had never picked up a pipe wrench.

He picked up heat transfer running processing equipment in a trailer on an apple
orchard in California. He made his way home to Chicago with a baby on the way and enrolled at Oakton College. Within a few months had a job in HVAC - using knowledge he gained in that apple orchard.

His mother-in-law runs the Illinois House. She introduces him on this episode and tells the story of his career.

Full episode link in comments 👇


08/13/2026

Every November, ETHS reports to the school board on their new graduates' next steps. The students who enroll in a traditional 2- or 4-year college program get counted precisely; the 25 percent of students who don’t choose a college path get missed.

Episode 13 discusses a system that is changing that is called STEAMe. Rachel Kohler and Dr. Nichole Pinkard came to The Trade Collective with a diagram and a plan to help show the full-picture of our graduates' next steps. STEAMe is the shared resource that tells a community where its young people are and who is looking out for them.

There are more than 1,300 skilled trades jobs inside a ten mile radius of Evanston. Most pay $75,000 and up. Nobody had the map. STEAMe is helping to draw this map and make sure our students see their pathways to future success.

Full episode link in comments 👇

07/23/2026

The Trade Collective wants you to see the immense opportunities available for kids an hour north in Grayslake.

One building. 2,400 students a day. Twenty-two high schools that send their juniors and seniors into nineteen skilled trades and career programs the high schools could not run alone.

In Episode 12, Dr. Pete Bavis and Patrick Hughes sit down with Dr. Sebastian Kapala, who runs the campus, and Tris O’Shaughnessy, Executive Director of The Trade Collective, to talk about how the largest career technical secondary educational system in the state of Illinois is built.

Full episode link in comments 👇

07/02/2026

There are 600 open positions in commercial landscaping within a 10-mile radius of Evanston.

At The Trade Collective, we keep meeting employers who are hungry to hire. That's the demand.

Oakton College worked with BrightView to build a program. That's the supply.

Registration opens July 13. At the end of the course, there are employers ready to hire. That's real workforce development. Not just training people, but having somewhere for them to go.

Full episode at the link. Course registration link is in the comments too.

06/23/2026

Most people hear landscaping and think lawn mower not career.

Jamie Wallace has 40 years of experience across the field and would tell you differently His crews built the landscaping at SoFi Stadium. Twice. Even the person who runs BrightView's entire nationwide construction division started as an irrigation laborer 45 years ago.

There are 600 commercial landscaping positions open within a 10 mile radius of Evanston right now. The industry is growing 5 to 10 percent over the next decade and most people have no idea that these job openings are all around them.

How to get started: Oakton College and BrightView built a 5-week Landscape Technician. $468; scholarships and stipends available. 10 seats. Starts July 8th.

Hosts Pete Bavis, Ph.D. and Patrick Hughes, Jr. sit down with Jamie Wallace from BrightView and Leah Kintner from Oakton on Fired Up Podcast Ep. 11. Out now.

Register here: https://ce.oakton.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=10990448

Registration closing fast. 🔥

06/18/2026

$18/hr to start. No ceiling on where it goes from there.

Commercial landscaping isn't cutting grass. It's irrigation, design, project management, and a real career.

Oakton College partnered with BrightView Landscapes to design a 5 week Landscape Technician course to get you in. For $468, possibly free with scholarship, and 10 seats, don’t wait to sign up. Classes start July 8th, 2026.

Hosts Pete Bavis, Ph.D. and Patrick Hughes, Jr. sit down with James Wallace from BrightView and Leah Kintner from Oakton on Fired Up Podcast Ep. 11, dropping early next Monday June 22nd.

Registration for the July 8th course is closing fast. 🔥

Register here: https://ce.oakton.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&courseId=10990448

hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

06/11/2026

He showed up last to the interview and figured he had no shot. He got in.

That is Quintin Hamilton Jr. After graduating from Evanston in 2020 and spending a few years trying to figure it out, a connection through his girlfriend's mom brought him to The Trade Collective. Now he is a carpenter apprentice with Local 58, framing the new Ryan Field and writing his name on the studs inside the walls.

Anthony Medina took his own road in. He ran a junk removal business before a community connection pointed him toward The Trade Collective. He got the acceptance text with the confetti, joined Local 58, and went to work on the Kellogg Building at Northwestern. He is 20 and already talking about the house he wants to buy.

Different starts, same union, same pride in the work. Both of them want to get back to the high school and show younger kids what this path looks like.

Watch on YouTube or listen on your podcast app. Both links in the comments.



Fired Up Podcast is co-hosted by Pete Bavis, Ph.D., and Patrick Hughes, Jr. Produced by SparkRaw Media for The Trade Collective.

06/09/2026

Stefan Johnson asks every young person who comes through Abt Electronics the same question: where are you going to be earning $100,000 in five years?

The answer, he says, is a career in the skilled trades. Plumbers and electricians at Abt can earn $100K–$175K a year.

And Abt will teach you everything you need to know to get there.

All they ask is that you show up and work hard.
Josh Eddy started a month ago. He’s already talking about staying 20 years.

Watch/listen the full Episode 9 on our YouTube or podcast platforms.

Fired Up Podcast is co-hosted by Pete Bavis, Ph.D., and Patrick Hughes, Jr. Produced by SparkRaw Media for The Trade Collective.

Address

1910 Greenwood Street
Evanston, IL
60201

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Trade Collective posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category