What Does it Take to be an Elevator Constructor? | Ryan Schuett

By Averi Harris | March 23, 2026 |

In this conversation, Ryan Schuett and I discuss his role as the business manager of the International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local 31 in Houston, Texas. Ryan addresses the significance of mentorship, the challenges of recruiting, and the importance of perseverance. We also discuss his own journey as a first-generation elevator constructor, and he offers his advice for aspiring elevator constructors.

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Transcript:

RYAN SCHUETT (00:00)

If you are passionate about something, how passionate are you ? Are you going to be the person that takes wiring diagrams home? Like how dedicated to an industry are you ? And it doesn’t have to be the elevator trade. We have candidates that come from all walks of life that come through our doors. And usually the ones that are successful have that positive mental attitude, but also those that know what they’re signing up for, at least to some extent. And there are some great resources that are out there.

Elevator info is a great resource to find out about the elevator trade. But if you come through the doors and someone asks you , why do you want to do this? And you don’t have a great response that can be telling. There are going to be times where not only are you going to be tested, there are going to be times you might want to give up. When that happens, what do you do?

MATT ALLRED (00:43)

Yeah.

Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast brought to you by the Allred group. I’m your host, Matt Allred. When talent is mission critical, call the Allred group with industry expertise, top talent and exceptional customer service. You need the Allred group on your side. Your priority is our priority call now (404) 890-0445.

Ryan, welcome to the show.

RYAN SCHUETT (01:42)

Hi, thanks for having me.

MATT ALLRED (01:43)

Thank you . And I’m excited. It was great to meet you in person at the NAEC Expo in Houston. And I’m excited to be able to have this follow-up conversation and obviously talk a little bit more about you , your career, and even your role as the, ⁓ remind me, the title of…

RYAN SCHUETT (02:01)

manager, financial secretary of the International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local 31. It’s a mouthful.

MATT ALLRED (02:07)

Perfect, yeah, no, I probably would have messed something up there. So thank you for just saying that. That’s awesome. So let’s talk a little bit about, you mentioned to me that you ‘re like a first generation elevator constructor, not one from one of the multi-generational families. How did you find your way into the trade and what made you decide not just to join, but like to serve in almost every single capacity? I I mean, you dove in deep when you dove in.

RYAN SCHUETT (02:34)

So it sounds complex, but it’s really not all that complex. First of all, a lot of the folks that are in the elevator trade, you know someone, right? Or you are fascinated by the subject matter. So I had my best friend growing up, his family was involved in the elevator trade. And I can remember I was working as a pipe fitter and I was working out of town a lot and I had just started a family.

And with family comes large changes. And one of those is I wanted to be home a little bit more because I had been traveling, doing pipeline work and working as a pipe fitter. And I can remember sitting down with my best friend’s cousin and he showed me his union card and it broke down all the wages and benefits. can remember thinking this was not real. Right. Someone doesn’t actually pay this or what’s the catch the old bait and switch and

He told me about a recruitment that was going to be upcoming and to make sure that I was there. That process has changed a lot over the years, but you used to show up and then there was one day and they would take applications for one day at different periods of time. And so I showed up and I just started as an elevator constructor. Part of that is the curiosity and I found a home and stuck with it. Now I also believe in the preservation of an opportunity.

So that’s my story, but I want to protect that opportunity for whom comes next. Because I don’t view myself as any different than anyone else, not special in any way. I’m just really stubborn, right? So that just means I’m not great at taking no for an answer. Maybe I can deal with, but no, I have a problem with. And just constantly staying through that process and preserving that opportunity for the next generation of folks that come in.

maybe their recruitment process changes, but they come in and I see the same person that I was 17 years ago and change. Just looking for an opportunity.

MATT ALLRED (04:37)

So is that kind of what motivated you to volunteer and to show up to meetings? I I mean, I don’t imagine every person shows up to every meeting, right? So you obviously displayed a little bit extra, either curiosity or just purpose in, I want to make this work.

RYAN SCHUETT (04:56)

So it depends on the individual. So not everyone makes every meeting. However, if this is something that you ‘re passionate about and something that you want to leave for future generations, I think one of the most beautiful things about the elevator trade or about the IUEC is that it is a generational trade. So you will have second, third and fourth generation elevator constructors come through, not just our recruitment process, but become those folks in the field that you really rely on.

That come from what we call elevator stock, very strong elevator stock. And they carry that trade forward. So for me, not coming from one of those families, I looked at it like, hey, this is an opportunity I want my son to have. Or someone that was in the same situation as I was that had a young family that was looking for an opportunity and a way to make their way in the world. And there’s so much opportunity and success that comes.

within being an elevator constructor. So I feel like you have to leave something better than how you found it. I was born and raised that way. It was some of the best advice from my grandfather was save your money. And if you borrow something from someone, when you give it back, it needs to be in as good of, if not better shape than when you found it. And so I’ve let that be a driving force in a lot of the things that I’ve done up until this point.

Because it is really just that it’s an opportunity. It’s going to be what the individual makes of it. And so for me personally, I just wanted to make sure that at all times I never lost sight of that vision and said, is it better today than it was yesterday? If somebody needs to step up, doesn’t I mean that it has to be me or that it needs to be me. But it does I mean that the work has to get done. So it’s just that work ethic, just like you would use on the job site. Somebody needs to sweep up the floor.

At no point in time do you rise to a point where that work stops needing to be done.

MATT ALLRED (06:58)

That’s a good point. That’s a good point. And hearing you say that, like, leave it better than you found it, right, was something my old scout master used to drive home with me, right, rather than tear up this campsite or this forest here. Leave it so somebody else can enjoy it. And like you say, if you leave it better or grow it bigger, right, there’s more to go around. And so, you know, whether it’s your son or somebody else’s son or daughter, right, they can choose to take advantage of that. Awesome.

You know, a lot of people picture union elevator mechanics with tools in their hands, not sitting in an office. And so I’m, you know, as a business manager and financial secretary for, I think you said 600 plus member local, what does your job look like day to day and what do members often not realize that you ‘re handling behind the scenes?

RYAN SCHUETT (07:46)

So some of that is administrative. But when it comes to finances or running the local on day to day business, there’s a labor relations piece of it. There’s contract enforcement piece of it. There’s a disciplinary piece of it. There’s putting members to work and a lot of that’s a team you build as well. So any organization is only as good as the team that you build. And we have an amazing team here. So there’s a lot of

work that goes around for everyone from myself, our business representative and our office manager as well. But if it affects 650 members, chances are it crosses this desk at some point in time or another. And portion of that is job site visits as well. There’s safety enforcement and there are a lot of individual pieces that all get put together and it just keeps us working and it keeps us moving.

moving forward and some of it is also political. Good pattern, different politics are in the business of unions and elevator constructors. Specifically in Texas, we have licensing that we’re working on in Texas because

We don’t have it yet. It’s something that we are pushing towards because if you go to a salon in Texas, that person has a cosmetology license. You are an elevator constructor in Texas and you ‘re moving, you ‘re working on elevators, escalators, moving walks, conveyance systems of all types. There’s not a certification that is recognized through TDLR, which is a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to be an elevator constructor. So.

MATT ALLRED (09:13)

RYAN SCHUETT (09:31)

It’s, there’s always something new that happens every day, but you definitely miss it. There’s a part of you that will always be in the field and turns out working with your hands and working on an inanimate object is sometimes a little bit easier.

MATT ALLRED (09:47)

in.

RYAN SCHUETT (09:49)

than personalities, right? Right. I can fix an elevator. That’s what I know.

MATT ALLRED (09:54)

That’s awesome. Thank you . So, you know, I want to talk about this a little bit too. You know, if someone’s listening and saying, hey, I want to be an IUEC elevator constructor, what’s the kind of the real step-by-step path that, you know, the decision to actually starting as an apprentice? Can you walk us through some of that? You know, the NEIEP some of the testing, interview some of that?

RYAN SCHUETT (10:15)

So, NEIEP is a National Elevator Industry Education Program. You can visit them at NEIEP.org. And so any recruitment that is going on throughout the nation, and this is not unique to Houston, if you scroll on that website, there will be a map of the United States, and you can hover over each individual local, and it will tell you when there is a recruitment that’s going to be happening in that area. You can sign up for updates there.

And what that does is that’s going to update you as that recruitment that you ‘re signing up for is going to be open. So the Department of Labor says that a maximum of every 24 months that we have to hold a recruitment for each individual local. So you will apply there, go through all of your application process. The next step is you will come in and you will take an assessment, take a test.

And then the next portion of that is there’s a panel interview. Then finally, you will be a ranked applicant. And as available, companies will call needing help. And if we don’t have anyone to refer out, then we will go to that list. And then we just start from number one and go all the way down from there.

MATT ALLRED (11:28)

So what happens if, we talked about this last time, right? Hurricane comes through, tears up a bunch of work and you need people quickly. Do you still advertise it, but you have to give a certain amount of time? What does that look like?

RYAN SCHUETT (11:43)

So there is a timeframe that’s attached to it, but because we are an international union, that also means that we do have folks all over. So there are different locals in Texas, from Dallas, Fort Worth, to Austin, Texas, El Paso, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, San Antonio, and in Houston. So if we need help, we can always pick up the phone and we can call our brothers and sisters in Dallas and see if anyone is.

looking to make a move or temporarily transfer down here as a transient. And then that will help us kind of make ends meet as far as labor is concerned, temporarily while we work on permanent solutions. So one of the things that comes along with growth and one of the challenges that comes along with growth is because we have a limited amount of time to get you a qualified elevator mechanic. Because our apprenticeship program

is closer to five years than it is four years, you have eight unique semesters and then you have a cumulative exam that is called mechanics exam. That means that at least four and a half to five years, it’s going to take us to be able to give you a mechanic. If you need one today and we don’t have any available, the easiest way is to have someone transfer in from another place. But there are provisions as well for us to have some temporary solutions, but long-term growth is always a challenge.

That’s when the cream rises to the top.

MATT ALLRED (13:10)

For sure, for sure. So regardless, without any kind of hurricane or massive, I’m sure you ‘ve seen economic growth and all kinds of reasons why you may need to do recruitments more frequently. You’re gonna do one at least every 24 months, but it’s probably more frequent. I’m assuming it’s six months, a year. I I mean, I don’t know. How does that trend for you ?

RYAN SCHUETT (13:31)

It can be

just is based on as the work prescribes. So if we’re building buildings, if you ‘re driving around your city and you see tower cranes, that means elevator constructors are working. So if there’s a hurricane or a flood or something happens, specifically city center, think of elevators of where growth is. Okay, a lot of growth is in downtown Houston. For us, the medical center, the Galleria, the energy corridor.

The airport’s infrastructure is very big for elevator constructors as well. So as all of those projects are kicking off, that means that we’re going to have a lot of folks starting to go to work. So if we go through, let’s say, a hundred new applicants in the course of a year, and that means we’re going to need to do another recruitment sooner than that 24 months, now the opposite can also be true if it’s very slow. So when I got in, it was in 2008.

And so in Houston, we still had a work boom because of Hurricane Ike. But then later as the Great Recession started to affect Houston, there were a lot of folks that were looking for work. So we had a boom and bust within my first five years of the business, which is always challenging.

MATT ALLRED (14:46)

Gotcha.

Absolutely, yeah, because then got people that can’t work and, you know, they obviously, maybe they’re transferring to different cities or may have to leave the trade, I guess, if there’s not enough work long enough and they can’t cover their bills. You mentioned hundreds of applicants a minute ago, and you had said in a previous conversation that sometimes, even with hundreds of applications, you may only get like 10 % who actually make it through. So I’m curious, where do

the big drop-offs come.

RYAN SCHUETT (15:20)

Well, that comes from the very beginning. So someone might speak for an application, but not fill out that application. Or not complete uploading all of their documentation. So you ‘re going to lose some then. Some won’t make it past the assessment. And then later on, let’s say someone is referred out to a company and goes to work. They may find out that this is not really what they thought it was going to be. We do have of all the building and construction trades, have the

strongest market share in addition to a total package that is second to none. So some will come here attracted to those wages and benefits, but not always the reality of the day to day being an elevator constructor on the job or a modernization project, a new installation project where it’s really hot, it’s loud, it’s dirty, and you ‘re expected to learn very quickly. So there are certain challenges that come along with that as well.

And it’s not necessarily for everyone. Now that top 10 % is usually someone that’s going to be passionate about the industry. So one of the beautiful things about the elevator trade in and of itself is because we do have people that are a lot more passionate about what they do because they have truly earned that opportunity by going through that entire process. And it’s not something typically that people A, take for granted, but

Also, because they have taken so long to become an elevator constructor, you hold onto it a little bit tighter.

MATT ALLRED (16:54)

Yeah, no, I think so. I mean, certainly going through the process and again, if you ‘ve got the passion, you ‘re gonna stick with it. And I know a lot of people have moved to different locations or, and I know that, you know, even during COVID, cause you know, I was still recruiting elevator people and I was amazed even though there wasn’t maybe a lot of construction, there were a lot of mods going on. It’s like, hey, this building’s empty. Let’s spend some money and modernize these elevators and obviously service, right? You gotta

have the elevators in the hospital going up and down, you know, especially during those times. And so it seemed like it actually was a really good time for a lot of elevator companies because a of, a lot of mod work, lot of service work’s not slowing down and had an opportunity to just keep going.

RYAN SCHUETT (17:40)

One of the challenges for sure and modernization especially is you have an occupied building and it’s noisy inherently. Once you ‘re modernizing something or if you ‘re tearing machines out and you ‘re doing extensive work, rarely is it quiet. In a Class A building, if somebody is paying the type of money that it takes to have a business in a Class A building,

MATT ALLRED (17:54)

Yeah.

RYAN SCHUETT (18:03)

Chances are not only are you proud of that, but there’s an expectation for it to be as quiet as you need it to be when you ‘re in board room meetings or you ‘re doing your day-to-day business. So it is the perfect storm in a certain way, but it’s also very positive. If somebody was going to do a mod, next thing you know, you have a relatively empty building and noise is less of a concern at that point.

MATT ALLRED (18:29)

Right, right. Yeah, either that or you ‘re working over the weekends or you ‘re working at night. And I mean, guess it depends on how important it is for them to have that work done and to keep the place quiet, right? Yeah. And you ‘ve talked a little bit about some of the booms, the busts, the hurricanes, a lot of recruitment. How do those situations, and you ‘ve kind of spoken to this play out for the local, mean,

RYAN SCHUETT (18:41)

Absolutely.

MATT ALLRED (18:58)

Do you have a story where you felt like you kind of doing what you had to to survive I’m just curious, like what was one of the most difficult times you ‘ve been through and what did that look like?

RYAN SCHUETT (19:11)

So one of the things that happened when I was young in the trade was after Hurricane Ike, the bottom fell out in Houston and there was not a lot of work throughout the country. So at that point we had over 150 on our open employment list and you had folks choosing early retirement rather than being laid off for a long period of time. And at that point it seemed like there was not a lot of hope about when things may turn around.

A lot of folks ended up leaving the trade, but what it did was it brought a lot of people together as well. So in the face of adversity, you got to recognize our strength and how we take care of one another. And that’s not always within the elevator trade for the folks that left and went on for another opportunity. Sometimes if they saw somebody else falling and in the same situation that they were, they said, Hey,

Here’s some other opportunities that are out there. And so we still have that tendency to take care of one another. And that’s one of the beautiful things. So in the face of adversity, I really think that that makes us stronger as a whole. And similar things happened during COVID-19. There were a lot of folks that were on furlough and I believe that we’re stronger today because of it.

MATT ALLRED (20:33)

Yeah, that’s a good point. And honestly, I see that playing out. I’m talking to elevator people every single day of the week and just hearing kind of the brotherhood, the camaraderie, and it doesn’t have to be a COVID and it doesn’t have to be some major crisis, but sometimes it’s just like, hey, I don’t know how to troubleshoot this machine, but I know somebody who does and we worked together 20 years ago and I still got his phone number. And so just having that collaboration that has always amazed me, it’s always just been, wow, that’s…

That’s really special that that brotherhood, sisterhood, know, community exists.

RYAN SCHUETT (21:10)

Yeah, absolutely. ⁓ what’s interesting is I have now traveled and seen folks throughout the nation and it feels like we’re all the same. Once you choose this path, career path, and you become an elevator constructor, you find like-minded folks. And although we’re from Houston and we have a certain swagger from Houston, but you go other places and you realize that although some of the smaller issues may change,

that we’re all actually very similar and we’re connected by this thing that is larger than us. So on a local level, November 1st, we actually just celebrated 115 years. So November 1st of 1910 is when IUEC Local 31 was founded. And so you go around the country and you say, this belongs to us only for a short period of time. It’s gonna be here long after we’re gone. So we’re just stewards of it for a short period.

MATT ALLRED (21:49)

Wow.

RYAN SCHUETT (22:09)

It’s great to find like-minded folks anywhere that believe in that same mission.

MATT ALLRED (22:13)

Yeah, that’s funny you mentioned that just because like we were talking before, you know, it’s like gets in your blood, right? And when you get elevator people, you know, they may be on vacation together, right? But they’re still talking shop.

RYAN SCHUETT (22:25)

Yeah. So for, for the member, for the individual that’s in the elevator trade, that sounds good, but ⁓ sometimes the folks around them, especially on vacation, is there ever a time where you can take a break and step away from it? To your point, it does feel like it gets in your blood and it’s not just what we do becomes who we are. And so there’s a, this is just a great trade filled with so many.

amazing people that we all have that thing in common. you actually find over time that this is what your friends do. This is what your family does. And maybe that’s a form of insanity, right?

MATT ALLRED (23:08)

Yeah, and maybe from the spouse’s perspective, it’s like, my gosh, can we take a break?

RYAN SCHUETT (23:15)

But ⁓ most things that folks are passionate about, you find that your life slowly begins to look a lot more like that thing that you ‘re passionate about. True.

MATT ALLRED (23:27)

Yeah, very true, very true. Well, and speaking of that passion and how your life looks around it, we talked about a brain drain as it were, where you ‘re losing people to retirement or obviously a lot of baby boomers with 40, 50, I’ve met folks with even more than 50 years of experience. And how is that changing the trade in Houston? And what kind of opportunities does that create for the next generation?

RYAN SCHUETT (23:52)

So what’s interesting is we can always look at the downside of that. We can say, you ‘re not just losing an individual, you ‘re losing a rolodex of knowledge.

someone with that type of experience, you can’t replace. Now, to your point, what’s beautiful about the elevator trade is that more elevators are fixed in a parking lot than they’re ever fixed in a machine room. So you have those guiding voices and those mentors that will teach you everything that they know to be able to pass it down, which is the beauty of an apprenticeship program as well, because not only are you out there, you ‘re…

It’s not like the Wild West. have somebody that you work with on a daily basis that’s going to guide you through, not just fixing elevators or modernization or escalators. They’re going to teach you how to become a good elevator constructor and also a good person because that at the end of the day, being an elevator constructor, that’s what we do. But who we are is someone that is trying to pass on knowledge to the next generation.

And so those mentors, still stay mentors even after they’re gone. So they still will pick up the phone. However, usually when we call them, we try to be respectful and say, Hey, we just appreciate your time that you held onto the trade. And hopefully you ‘ve gotten enough of that mentorship from them to be able to gain some of that knowledge. then the second part of that is there’s no time like the present for elevator constructors because of that. So in Houston, we had a big boom.

That was in the early 80s. And so a lot of those folks are enjoying the well-deserved retirement. And so now we have all of these opportunities that individuals are going to move our trade forward and our local forward. Some of that with the knowledge that’s passed down to them, but it’s also going to revolutionize the way that we do business. So it’s a very exciting time to be an elevator constructor because there are opportunities that abound.

MATT ALLRED (26:01)

Yeah, I would think so. I mean, and I don’t know how it compares per se, the big boom to, you you get a massive retirement. It’s almost like the same thing. We have a bunch of needs. We need to fill them with people and we need to ramp those people up as fast as possible. And I think that’s what the, you , kind like you’ve said, the apprenticeship program is really designed to allow you to drink out of the fire hose and learn as quickly as possible and have every opportunity to learn not just in.

because you ‘re getting books and classwork, but you ‘re also getting all the hands on, right? So it’s like, if you can learn it faster, we’re gonna find a way to ⁓ get it in there.

RYAN SCHUETT (26:40)

And one of the challenges that comes with that speed is you can do 10 tasks at 10 % each or one at 100. So the more distracted you are by all of the other things that you have going on, the less focus you have on the task at hand. so because of safety, that’s one of the most dangerous times for an elevator constructors. Once you start to

want to take a shortcut, not even that you do take a shortcut, but there’s a temptation there because you want to speed the process along. Well, some of those other things can fall by the wayside. So there’s an inherent risk that comes with rapid growth.

MATT ALLRED (27:20)

Yeah, thank you for mentioning that because I’m, know, obviously safety has to be number one and you ‘ve talked about that before just that, you know, we want to make sure everybody arrives home safely and, you know, the same shape at which they came to work in the morning. We want to make sure they can get home.

RYAN SCHUETT (27:37)

Right, we’re here for a better life, not a shorter one. Absolutely.

MATT ALLRED (27:40)

Love that. Yeah, yeah, thank you . Well, let’s talk a little bit more about recruiting for just a minute. ⁓ Let’s say we’ve got two candidates with some basic qualifications. as of today, what really makes one stand out to you , both in terms of hard skills like welding or OSHA and the soft skills like communication, customer service?

RYAN SCHUETT (28:00)

So to be successful in the elevator trade, there’s not a perfect formula. However, some things that would be helpful. One is how you present yourself because you are going to be challenged. Everyone that goes through a recruitment and becomes an elevator constructor or works as an apprentice for any period of time is going to be tested on the job. Some of that is patience. I would say curiosity goes a very long way.

So if someone who is intellectually curious will never stop learning, you want someone that is going to consistently and constantly better themselves. If you are passionate about something, how passionate are you ? Are you going to be the person that takes wiring diagrams home? Are you going to be studious? There’s other things, OSHA 10, like how dedicated to an industry are you ? It doesn’t have to be the elevator trade.

We have candidates that come from all walks of life that come through our doors. And usually the ones that are successful have that positive mental attitude, but also those that know what they’re signing up for, at least to some extent. And there are some great resources that are out there. Elevator info is a great resource to find out about the elevator trade. But if you come through the doors and someone asks you , why do you want to do this? And you don’t have a great response.

That can be telling because then it’s like, okay, are we just here for wages and benefits, which is why we’re all here. We’re all here for a better life. However, it’s those that know a little bit about it that have done enough research to really truly grasp the totality of the situation that are usually a little bit more successful. But it’s that positive mental attitude that really drives you forward. And you say,

MATT ALLRED (29:30)

Yeah.

RYAN SCHUETT (29:58)

that one individual comes in, takes this opportunity very, very seriously, they’re probably going to be more successful because there are going to be times where not only are you gonna be tested, there are gonna be times where you might wanna give up. When that happens, what do you do? Are you the person that’s going to throw their hands up and say, this is just too difficult? Or are you going to accept that challenge and say, you know what, I’m going to work harder. I’m going to…

celebrate the adversity and not be overcome by it.

MATT ALLRED (30:32)

Yeah, yeah, and grow through it, right? And part of what I’m hearing you say is just, you know, having the hunger, right? Having the passion because I guess the idea that’s rolling through my mind is, you know, if somebody, know, two candidates show up and maybe one has some welding or have some OSHA or has some, you know, even mechanical, if they don’t seem interested or eager or hungry to take it on, somebody with less experience, maybe could, in my mind at least,

shine a little brighter just because, hey, neither one of them know everything they need to know. They’re going have a lot of learning. And if somebody is hungry to learn and shows that eagerness, they’re going to learn faster. And people are more inclined to teach and coach and mentor somebody who’s willing to receive it.

RYAN SCHUETT (31:20)

And that’s

not to say that on the job experience, doesn’t matter because it absolutely does. Someone that comes in and let’s say has been an electrician for a number of years, there are certain skills that are gonna correlate over to the IUEC, to the apprenticeship program. You do have some soft skills and there are some safety skills. As you mentioned, OSHA 10 and OSHA 30, there’s a base level of education that can come along with some general work knowledge.

Those skills can transfer, however, even if you have some of those skills coming in, we’re still gonna start at square one. That way we move forward and we all know that we’ve all gained at least a minimum level of knowledge and on the job experience, because even if someone, let’s say, is great at bending pipe or running

electrical wiring, maybe they’re not solid on troubleshooting. And so what we find, especially in a classroom setting or on a job setting is that those that do have certain skill sets will bring those skill sets with them and they will become a mentor on the job because they have a lot more knowledge and experience and one facet of what we do. So it’s very rare that you find a candidate that knows all of the things that we do because we encompass a lot of different work. And it’s not just

electrical wiring because an elevator or an escalator moving walk is going to be electrical and mechanical. So you may have.

MATT ALLRED (32:54)

hydraulic at times, right?

RYAN SCHUETT (32:56)

Absolutely. So, you know, there’s no such thing as a perfect candidate, but there are some that prepare themselves for success a little bit better than others. And usually it’s just a relentless mentality that you ‘re going to do whatever it takes to be successful.

MATT ALLRED (33:11)

So what specific advice would you give to, let’s say three different people who come in, you know, want to get into the trade. Maybe one’s a high school grad, one’s a mid-career electrician or plumber, and maybe a military veteran that’s just getting out. What’d you say to them?

RYAN SCHUETT (33:30)

So part of it for the high school graduate is what do you want to do with your life? If this is what you would like to do with your life, start learning some skills that may be transferable. Welding is something that we not only offer here, but it’s encouraged. Do you understand structures? So like similar to what an iron worker does. If you want to be an elevator constructor,

many times that process can be years long. Are you someone that has finished high school and you just give up right then? You say, I want to be an elevator constructor. I called up there and they said they’re not going to do a recruitment for 24 months or 18 months.

MATT ALLRED (34:14)

Sure. What are you doing in the meantime, right? Are you twiddling your thumbs?

RYAN SCHUETT (34:19)

Now, ⁓ the type of individual that would be usually successful in the trade is someone that says, that’s still what I want to do, but in the meantime, I’m going to develop some of the other skills that may be able to transfer over ⁓ from ironworking or welding or inside wiremen, outside wiremen. There are a lot of different skill sets that will transfer over. So if you just wait until we have another open recruitment,

Now those same two candidates, you have two high school graduates. One is not gonna take no for an answer and knows that this is what they wanna do with the rest of their life. They’re gonna start gaining some skills that may be able to transfer over later versus the person that does not do any of that and then comes in that 18 months later, now those two candidates came in the same way but look drastically different. For someone that already does have some experience, so.

MATT ALLRED (35:11)

Yeah.

RYAN SCHUETT (35:15)

Typically that process is a little bit easier because you do have some skills and you have general work knowledge of what it takes to be successful in your current trade. If that is an electrician, if that is a plumber, iron worker, welder, like I said before this, I was a pipe fitter. Some of those skills can transfer over, but definitely not all of them because we’re gonna start at day one and at square one and then we’re gonna build off of that basis of knowledge regardless of your background.

And then finally for veterans, we do a lot of positive work with Helmets to Hard Hats. And Helmets to Hard Hats is not unique just to the IUEC. The building and trades all together are all represented there. Great way for veterans to be able to have an opportunity in all of the different building and trades, which we are only one.

MATT ALLRED (36:04)

So you talked earlier and I just want to dig into this a little bit more. You talked about more elevators getting fixed in the parking lot than in the machine room. And we were talking about just the collaboration, the conversations, and even the apprenticeship. But paint for me a picture of the culture, the community inside the IUEC and what it feels like to be part of that brotherhood or sisterhood for over 10 or 20 years.

RYAN SCHUETT (36:29)

So everybody’s path is going to be a little bit different because being a union member is like having a gym membership. If you see the folks that are walking around and they’re really strong and you can see them from across the room, you ‘re like, man, that person’s working out a lot. Being a union member is very similar. although all of our union cards may look exactly the same, some members are a little bit stronger than others because they practice, because they come and they get involved.

a part of what they do. So work is what we do during the day and then all of the other things we try to give back. So a strong member is going to be somebody that practices that ⁓ day in and day out.

MATT ALLRED (37:15)

I like that analogy. just kind of, yeah, I’ve been in the gym and, know, obviously you look at the Arnold Schwarzenegger across the room and you ‘re like, yeah, I don’t even know how to get there.

RYAN SCHUETT (37:27)

Sure,

sure. But it’s also beautiful because I’ve seen, especially in times of tragedy, where we’re still together, you know, in the best of times and the worst of times. It’s something that is larger than all of us. so celebrating something like we did a month ago, 115 years, you know, can’t help but wonder what those original folks were sitting in a room, their conversations or throughout the years. What did that look like?

Currently I can tell you if I have something going on in my personal life or professional life, I’m surrounded by that same union family. We do everything together.

MATT ALLRED (38:09)

I was gonna ask you that, how has the union fellowship, if you will, of mentors and friends, the network really helped you personally over the years?

RYAN SCHUETT (38:21)

So for me personally, the mentorship is a huge portion of not just what I do on a daily basis, because there are a lot of folks that I have always relied on and continue to rely on that teach me the intangibles. That I can ask for anything in the world and they’ll be able to provide at a minimum an answer, but always a helping hand. And so we’ve had members that have passed away and

We have a local benefit and on, sometimes it’s the exact same day that someone has passed and to be able to do something for the family and their moment of grief is one of the most beautiful things that we do because you ‘re a member while you ‘re here and you ‘re still a member when you ‘re no longer here. And that family, just never stops. We’ve also donated our time, effort and energy to

MATT ALLRED (39:10)

Cool.

RYAN SCHUETT (39:20)

different causes for members. We had a former business manager when he passed away, he started a blood drive in his name. There’s a lot of positive work that the IUEC and then also locally we do with veterans. We had our Veterans Day golf tournament recently. We have one every year and we raised $24,500 for PTSD Foundation of America and Camp Hope here locally.

MATT ALLRED (39:28)

Cool.

Thank

RYAN SCHUETT (39:49)

It never stops. There’s always something and someone that is ⁓ pushing all of us forward. And to see it in all facets of our life is really inspirational because we’re also a family trade. So that means when we do have events, we bring our families because they may be curious about what we do at work, but we also put that work aside. And that’s really our purpose is to be able to take care of our loved ones.

MATT ALLRED (40:18)

So true, so true, yeah, thank you . So last question. When you think 10 or 20 years ahead, what kind of people do you hope are filling the shoes of today’s retiring mechanics and even business manager?

RYAN SCHUETT (40:32)

My hope is that ⁓ you can always hand this to someone, the next person that’s coming up. You’d love for them to be passionate, but the world has changed a lot and continues to change. And one of those ways in which it changes is based solely on technology. You can be a victim to change or a product of it. And so as our circumstances change, we need to grow.

Collectively, we have to grow. And some of that is listen to some of those younger voices as they come through the trade and inspire them to say, what can I do for the we not for the me? And preserve this opportunity for the next generation. So there’s always going to be opportunities, not just in the field, but also the next business manager is out there. Maybe they’re listening today. And what does it look like when you have a chance to…

share your vision with everybody and don’t wait until you have the opportunity, start doing it now. Start doing the work now because the trade as a whole, but specific to the IUEC is going to be a reflection on the members. What’s next? Good, bad or indifferent, we get to decide.

MATT ALLRED (41:51)

Absolutely. Ryan, thank you . It’s been a pleasure talking with you today and I appreciate you being here with me.

RYAN SCHUETT (41:57)

Thank you , I appreciate your time.

MATT ALLRED (42:00)

Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast sponsored by the Allred Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting. Please visit our YouTube channel at Elevator Careers or check us out online at elevatorcareers.net. Please like and subscribe and until next time, stay safe.

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What Does it Take to be an Elevator Constructor? | Ryan Schuett

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