Filling the Gap in America’s Workforce Shortage with Wyatt Smith, Founder and CEO of UpSmith

Wyatt discusses the shortage of skilled labor, the role technology plays in tackling this issue, and its broader impact on the economy. Wyatt and Sid address ongoing challenges in the skilled trades industry, and what innovative solutions lie on the horizon.Welcome to Elevating Brick and Mortar. A podcast about how operations and facilities drive brand performance.On today’s episode, we talk with Wyatt Smith, founder and CEO of UpSmith. UpSmith builds technology to address skilled worker shortages, starting with gamification software to help skilled trades companies and technicians win.Guest Bio:Prior to UpSmith, Wyatt led business development for Uber Elevate, Uber’s aerial ridesharing business unit. At Uber, Wyatt led a team responsible for 25+ commercial partnerships across the air mobility value chain, generating more than $5B in private sector investment. Prior to Uber, Wyatt served as a consultant at McKinsey. He began his career as a corps member with Teach for America, receiving the 2013 Sue Lehmann Award as a national teacher of the year. Wyatt holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in Human & Organizational Development and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, where he served as student body president and as a young alumni trustee on the Board of Trust. Wyatt grew up on a family-owned cattle ranch in rural Alabama. He and his family live in Dallas.Timestamps:00:48 - About UpSmith01:29 - Wyatt’s journey04:36 - What is UpSmith solving for?10:21 - UpSmith’s North Star16:14 - How did we get into a trade deficit?26:25 - Today’s uses for AI35:10 - Future thinking39:41 - Where to find Wyatt40:16 - Sid’s takeawaysSPONSOR:ServiceChannel brings you peace of mind through peak facilities performance.Rest easy knowing your locations are:Offering the best possible guest experienceLiving up to brand standardsOperating with minimal downtimeServiceChannel partners with more than 500 leading brands globally to provide visibility across operations, the flexibility to grow and adapt to consumer expectations, and accelerated performance from their asset fleet and service providers.Links:Connect with Wyatt on LinkedInConnect with Sid Shetty on LinkedinCheck out the ServiceChannel Website Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.