JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Joel Donovan started learning the trades at age 12, tagging along with his father on service calls. Decades later, the family business his family built now employs 200 people.
Donovan Air, Electric and Plumbing is based in Jacksonville Beach and represents a growing trend across the country: skilled trades businesses thriving as America faces a shortage of trained workers.
“It’s really been amazing to watch and be a part of,” Donovan said.
From the backseat to the boardroom
Donovan, now in his 50s, said his father started bringing him and his two brothers on service calls in the 1980s. As a teenager, he admits he wasn’t always thrilled about it.
“There were times when you had friends that were lifeguards and hanging out on the beach and some friends that were waiting tables and having the restaurant life,” he said. “There was definitely a little bit of jealousy at the time.”
But those late nights and weekend calls paid off. After college, Donovan committed fully to the family business. His parents started with six employees. The company now has 200.
“No, we did not,” Donovan said when asked if the family ever imagined that level of success. “It’s really been amazing to watch and be a part of.”
Three ways to grow your money, regardless of your career
Success in the trades — or any field — also comes down to smart financial habits. Darby Brower, a financial advisor with Brower Financial Group who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years, says there are three things everyone should be doing now to build wealth later.
1. Know your budget.
“A lot of people say, ‘I don’t have money to save,’” Brower said. “Well, look at your budget. And if you’re spending $200 a month on cable and $150 on cell phone, and you figure out where can you tighten up your budget to free up some money to put away for savings — then that’s a smart thing to do.”
Brower’s first step is simple: match your living expenses to the income you actually earn.
2. Invest in your employer’s 401(k) — especially if there’s a match.
“For younger people, or people that just don’t have as much, the most basic thing they can do is set money aside in their employer’s 401(k) plan,” Brower said. “Because most employers match. ‘You put in a dollar, I’ll put in a dollar.’”
3. Save systematically — even if it’s a small amount.
“Don’t worry about it being a big chunk,” Brower said. “It can be $100 a month that you just slowly start to save and put away. Make it part of your budget.”
Trades offer a fast path to six figures
Donovan echoes those financial principles with his own employees — and says the trades offer a uniquely fast path to financial stability.
“If you can get into the trades at a young age, learn the skills — you can go anywhere once you learn plumbing, electrical or air conditioning, and you’ll always be needed somewhere,” he said. “You can come into the trades and within four years be making somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000 a year.”
That financial literacy starts inside his own company. Donovan said eight of his employees recently bought homes — something he counts as a point of pride.