Kevin O'Connor

How to hire and keep employees at your small business in one of the toughestlabor markets in history.

Kevin O’Connor, host of This Old House, has worked with small business owners for over 20 years – contractors, fabricators, designers, architects and more – and he’s seen what makes some companies successful and flourish while others shrink and fade away. Kevin will take a
deep dive into the current state of the labor market and the skills gap, he’ll dig into the structural challenges unique to the contracting and home services industries, and he’ll share stories of success and failure that will help small business owners better understand how to recruit and retain employees so their companies can compete and grow.

People are fascinated with future trends and the most exciting ones often end up in our homes, whether it’s the electric car in your garage or the video conference taking place in your home office. Our homes reflect the changes coursing through society, and they directly mirror demographic, economic, and industrial changes in the US.  Our greatest inventions always end up in our homes whether it’s the modern marvel of cheap and clear glass, air conditioning, spun-glass insulation, or fireproof materials from NASA’s space program that led to the largest migration in U.S. history. If you want to see what might be around the corner and ready to transform our lives, look no further than our homes.

Hosting a TV show is the ultimate team building exercise. Kevin is  required to pull together a collection of disparate people with various skills and personalities and get them to work together, convey information clearly and inspire the audience. And while doing it must fade into the background while putting others forward and into the spotlight.
A great manager, team leader or CEO is like a great host. It’s their job to understand individual strengths and weaknesses and to turn the spotlight onto others and set them up for success. Learn about all the techniques and skills Kevin has developed over his 20-year career to ensure that his colleagues, and the show remains the longest running, most trusted and most successful home improvement shows on TV.