Interviewed by the Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor at America's 250th on the National Mall.
Roger Wakefield spent 45 years in the trades. Now he’s the most-watched tradesman in America — and the speaker organizations call when they want audiences to understand where the real careers are.
AS SEEN ON: TODAY · DR. PHIL · NEWSNATION · FREEDOM 250 — AMERICA’S 250TH, NATIONAL MALL
45 YRS in the skilled trades · 1.7M followers across platforms · 156M+ video views
On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor put Roger on the Freedom Stage at America’s 250th celebration on the National Mall — interviewed live by Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling on the future of the American workforce.
“A licensed master plumber… and very impressively, 100 million views on YouTube. A real celebrity.”
— Keith Sonderling, Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor, introducing Roger on the Freedom Stage
When Washington wants to talk to the trades, they call Roger. When your audience needs to hear it straight, so should you.
Roger In Action
See why Roger stands out
Get a closer look at Roger’s experience, expertise, and speaking impact.
Signature Talks
The Trades Are Plan A (flagship)
For a generation, we told every kid that college was the only path — and the trades were the fallback. That lie built a 700,000-worker shortage, a trillion dollars in student debt, and a workforce crisis hiding in plain sight. Roger dismantles the myth with the numbers, the stories, and the paycheck math — including the states where a high-school graduate can walk into a $52,000 licensed career on Monday morning. Audiences leave with a new answer to “what should our kids do?”: the trades aren’t the backup plan. They’re Plan A. Best for: industry associations, workforce conferences, education summits, policy audiences.
AI-Proof: The Careers the Robots Can’t Take
AI is coming for the laptop class — the spreadsheets, the reports, the code. It is not coming for the person who can rough-in a bathroom, wire a panel, or keep a hospital’s water running. Roger makes the case that the safest, most future-proof careers in America are the ones we’ve spent 50 years telling kids to avoid — and shows what that means for parents, employers, and anyone rethinking their own career. Best for: technology conferences, corporate audiences, future-of-work events, SXSW-style big-idea stages.
From Pipe Wrench to 1.7 Million
At 54, Roger walked into a social media conference to learn Facebook — and walked out obsessed with YouTube. Eight years later he’s the most-watched tradesman on the planet, with 1.7 million followers, 156M+ views, and a media footprint that reaches the National Mall. This is the playbook: how a blue-collar business owner built a white-collar-sized brand, and how any expert, owner, or organization can do the same. Best for: corporate events, marketing conferences, entrepreneur audiences, franchise conventions.
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What Event Planners Get
- A speaker your audience has already seen — on Today, Dr. Phil, NewsNation, and the National Mall
- 45 years of real field credibility. No theory. Roger has done the work he talks about.
- A built-in promotion machine: 1.7M followers hear about your event
- Professional, buttoned-up, zero-drama delivery — white collar business, blue collar values
Your audience has heard from the economists. Let them hear from the guy who built the building.
Roger takes a limited number of keynotes each year. Tell us about your event and we’ll come back within two business days.
