900 workers will share a $75 million pot after KKR sale — with some getting $325,000 windfalls

Tech Insider
GeoStabilization workers
GeoStabilization workers will share a $75 million pot.

Business Wire

I make $140,000 working in plumbing. The trades allow me to support my family in an expensive city.

Tech Insider
headshot of a man in a red shirt outside
Joseph Ahrens is a plumbing superintendent.

Courtesy of Joseph Ahrens

Blue-collar entrepreneurs say it's harder to turn a profit with startups like cleaning or pest control as competition heats up

Tech Insider : Economy
A man in a suit holding a plunger
Business owners of sweaty startups like cleaning and pest control told BI that they love the work, but it's getting harder to grow.

iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI

I skipped college and became a boatbuilder. My friends who aren't in trade jobs envy me.

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Clémentine Mollier, wearing a hard hat and fluorescent vest, standing in front of metal construction beams.
Clémentine Mollier works at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in England.

National Museum of the Royal Navy.

I floundered in white-collar jobs until I found my calling as an electrician in my 40s

Tech Insider
The rear view of a woman construction worker in a white hard hat with a hi-vis orange jacket on and a plaid shirt facing solar panels.
Rachel Hoobing (not pictured) said she didn't realize that blue-collar work was a viable career choice when she was growing up.

Credit: Getty Images/serts

Dating a carpenter taught me my career is not my identity. He doesn't worry about getting laid off and just focuses on the next job.

Tech Insider
Nia Springer-Norris and her partner, Tom, standing in front of bookshelves. She is wearing a yellow printed dress and he is in a red t-shirt and jeans.
Nia Springer-Norris and her partner work in different industries and learn from each other.

Courtesy Nia Springer-Norris

I skipped grad school and became a mechanic instead. I ended up getting a dream job at Tesla.

Tech Insider
Diana Welsch working on a Tesla car
Diana Welsch worked as a mobile technician for Tesla in Los Angeles, which she called a 'dream job.'

Courtesy of Diana Welsch

My parents struggled in blue-collar jobs. Paying off their mortgage and retiring them is my proudest achievement.

Tech Insider
Simmy Dhillon with his parents and brother.
Dhillon (far right) started his own business as a college student.

Courtesy of Simmy Dhillon

She's a 27-year-old electrician — and she makes $200,000 a year off social media posts about her job

Tech Insider
Lexis Czumak-Abreu is an electrician and social media influencer.
Lexis Czumak-Abreu is an electrician and social media influencer.

Lexis Czumak-Abreu

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