Conversations with Keith Dorton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith Dorton.

Hi Keith, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The story of Trades Education Center begins with two business owners frustrated with the lack of quality candidates applying for roles in their companies. Chris Griffin, owner of MasterCraft Plumbing, and Tim Davis, owner of Gainesville Winnelson, came to the conclusion that they would fix the problem themselves instead of continuing to complain about it. Chris developed an outline for a hands-on training program for entry-level plumbing helpers, but wasn’t sure where to go from there. Tim started work on gaining support for the idea in the local plumbing industry as well as the materials and supply side of the industry. They weren’t sure what to do next until Chris reconnected with a buddy of his, a recovering middle school teacher, who was attempting his own business venture. A couple of months later, it dawned on Chris that Keith Dorton, his recovering teaching buddy, might be just the person they were missing. One business lunch later, and the seed was planted for Trades Education Center. Over the next 8 months, Keith worked on building a curriculum from the outline Chris had created while Chris and Tim looked at how and where to start the school. In the Fall of 2023, with Tim and Chris’s own employees, Trades Education Center held its first classes at Tim’s warehouse and Chris’s plumbing shop. Those 6 weeks proved beneficial for both the warehouse employees and the plumbing service employees and Chris, Tim, and Keith knew they were on to something. In December, they put a hold on the program because they reached an agreement with Southside Church to use part of their facility to house the trade school. The three guys spent the next 8 months reworking the space to fit the needs of the trade school and fleshing out the rest of the plumbing program they had started the previous Fall. Trades Education Center started its first enrolled, paid for session with 5 brave apprentices the second week of September 2025. Since that time, the school has seen 25 graduates, almost 20 of whom are employed full-time in plumbing, gained an exemption from the state of Georgia to operate, added OSHA 10 certification, First Aid certification and most recently Work Ethic certification to the curriculum. The school has also enlisted instructional support from four master plumbers, and the CEO, Keith, worked for and gained his journeyman plumbing license. Through Tim’s industry insights, the trade school has gained significant support from major plumbing industry manufacturers and local plumbing contractors. As a member of the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce, Keith has been able to forge strong relationships with local schools both in and outside of Jackson County. As icing on the cake, all three – Chris, Tim, and Keith – sit on the board of Little Red Acorn, a nonprofit that raises scholarship funds for individuals enrolled in trade or technical school.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Chris, Tim and I like to joke that there is no blueprint for building a trade school. So, no, it’s not been a smooth road, but it’s been a road that now has markers where we can look back and see how key relationships, key decisions, and key conversations kept us going. The biggest struggle has been gaining support from plumbing businesses (i.e. the very people we are trying most to help). However, now that we have working graduates and even our first licensed graduate, we are starting to get more attention and support. The other significant struggle is finances. It takes a lot of materials and instructional time to run a trade school. Especially when we are trying to keep it affordable and accessible. Thankfully, our manufacturer partners have grown in their support, and for that we could not be more grateful. After a bad experience with a lending institution for our apprentices, we made the tough decision to offer payment plans through us. So, it has taken time to build up monthly income to cover ALL costs, especially instructional support and our only staff member, the CEO.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Another key ingredient that has allowed us to create this school is my, Keith’s, background in graphic design. Everything from the logo to our website, social media, podcast, printed materials, etc. all comes from the knowledge and experience I bring to the table. Not without input and critique from Chris and Tim. We believe that the strengths that we each bring to the table make us very unique in the trade school space and has allowed us to build something that is proving to be very effective not only for the plumbing industry and our graduates, but for the community.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
The Bible is my daily guide. If I’m not reading and praying each day, everything in my life suffers for it. I have been a fan of Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs fame) for almost two decades. I listen to his podcast and he’s been a great influence on what we’re doing. Our online portal for the school is through poliARC, a company that developed an SRM and LMS specifically tailored to trade schools. I don’t know what I would do with them! I’m working my way through Traction by Gino Wickman.

Pricing:

• $5,000 tuition
• $400 enrollment fee

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.trades-ed.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tradesedcenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TradesEdCenter
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trades-education-center/?viewAsMember=true
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Trades-Ed
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tradesed?lang=en