Ride, Repair, Rebuild

In this episode of Shake Hands, Take Names, host AJ sits down with Lee Weir, a Red Seal trades professional, entrepreneur, and founder of Crossroads in Pugwash, Nova Scotia. Lee shares how a lifelong passion for motorcycles evolved into a multi-division business spanning power sports and manufactured housing, now employing around 92 people. He talks candidly about the realities of starting and scaling a trades-based business, the severe shortage of skilled workers, and why passion and willingness to learn matter more than formal credentials. Lee also explains his views on direct-entry trades vs. formal schooling, the red tape around Red Seal certification, and how mentorship, networking, and simple door-knocking still open real opportunities in rural Nova Scotia. Throughout the conversation, he returns to a core philosophy written on his shop wall: “No obstacles, only opportunities.”