The Trades Are Plan A
Roger Wakefield is a skilled trades keynote speaker, blue-collar keynote speaker and licensed Texas Master Plumber with 45 years in the trades. He built the largest plumbing education channel on YouTube, with 765K+ subscribers, 1.7M+ followers across platforms and 160M+ views, and he brings that reach and real field experience to trade, workforce and education stages.
Your audience has heard from the economists. Let them hear from the guy who built the building. Roger has spent 45 years in the field, grew his own plumbing company, and built an audience of 1.7M+ followers by teaching the trades on camera. He has appeared on TODAY, Dr. Phil and NewsNation, and on June 30, 2026 he was interviewed live by Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling at America's 250th on the National Mall.
Plumbing, HVAC, electrical and mechanical associations that want a keynote their members already watch.
Owners and field teams who want growth, recruiting and marketing ideas from someone who has run a trades business.
Companies and distributors facing the skilled labor shortage who need a message that makes the work worth choosing.
Educators, counselors and students who need to hear that the trades are Plan A, not a backup plan.
Apprentice competitions, graduations and training programs, including the PHCC CONNECT Apprentice Competition Dinner in October 2026.
Workforce and economic development events that want a skilled trades voice with national reach.
Dismantles the college-only narrative with real wage data and stories from 45 years in the field.
Why hands-on trades survive the AI wave that is coming for office work.
The exact social media playbook that took a working plumber to 1.7M followers and 160M+ YouTube views.
See the full schedule on the Events page.
Roger Wakefield is a licensed Texas Master Plumber with 45 years in the trades and the creator of the largest plumbing education channel on YouTube, with 160M+ views. He speaks to trade associations, contractor and franchise conventions, CTE and workforce conferences, and corporate stages.
Roger delivers three signature keynotes: The Trades Are Plan A, which dismantles the college-only narrative with real wage data and stories from 45 years in the field; AI-Proof: The Careers the Robots Can't Take, on why hands-on trades survive the AI wave; and From Pipe Wrench to 1.7 Million, the social media playbook that took a working plumber to 1.7M followers and 160M+ YouTube views.
Yes. His keynotes are built for blue-collar and workforce audiences, including CTE and workforce boards, and he speaks at the PHCC CONNECT Apprentice Competition Dinner in Milwaukee on October 21, 2026.
Roger has appeared on TODAY, Dr. Phil and NewsNation, and was interviewed live by Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling at America's 250th on the National Mall.
Fill out the form on the Book Roger page and you will hear back within two business days. Every request gets researched before the first call.
Give your audience a speaker who has done the work, built the audience and still believes the trades are Plan A.
Check Roger's Availability