get started

Doer
Leader

Rounded Blue Corner

mission statement

At Leaders by Trade, we are dedicated to transforming doers into leaders by providing tools that empower teams and individuals to lead with purpose, elevating their craft and shaping the industry's future—one leader at a time.

A Hard Blue Edge

Jerry

Organizational Leadership

Employee Growth

Project Management

Change Management

Finance + Operations

Strategic Planning

Jerry Allen will make you want to jump out of an airplane. Wait, that didn’t come out right. His journey has taken him from a welding shop in Amarillo, TX to the 82nd Airborne, designing fire sprinkler systems to long Saturdays with field crews. He worked his way up over 30+ years in fire protection, with titles that include designer, estimator, salesman, project manager, department manager, branch manager, and president/CEO. These experiences taught him a wide range of tools, a Multi-Tool you could say.

read more

Andrea

Organizational Leadership

Assessments + Workshops

Course Development

Culture Building

Andrea Swartzendruber will help you learn who you are. No BS. She is an expert at merging personal behaviors and professional realities. While her training operates in a work setting, she loves how these tools can impact human interactions across work and personal life. Think whole person—to lead teams, family, friends, and community. 10+ years of consulting experience in construction and adjacent industries have distilled her passion and vision for helping others discover their potential.

read more

Chris

Vendor Negotiations

Service and Maintenance

Art of Positive Attitude

Customer Relations

Chris Meyer will inspire you to lead through service. Starting out in the warehouse operating a forklift in 1996, he worked his way up through every level of the construction industry—from sales to regional manager to successful business owner. His hands-on experience and robust financial acumen have enabled him to build lasting partnerships while navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship. As former owner of Turner Roofing and Sheet Metal for 17 years, Chris combines servant leadership with industry expertise, dedicated to maximizing employee retention and driving organizational success.

read more
Animated Icon

So what’s with the logo?

From hard-edged, to well-rounded. Get it? We train individuals to look past their skill and experience, ditch the hard-ass mentality, and pursue well-rounded leadership. He or she will understand personal strengths and how to apply them to nurture connected teams, project efficiency, and financial growth.

our model

We teach a holistic model of leadership developed over decades of learning.

Holistic Leadership Model

CORE COMPETENCIES

leading people

Project Management

leading business

leading self

Business Sense

business sense

Leadership Development

investing in others

words from our friends at

AI Fire

As a fast-growing fire protection organization, we struggled in a tight competitive labor market coming out of COVID in retaining our key essential employees.  Based on extensive research and analysis of our turnover reasons and evaluating exit surveys, we identified a gap in our development of front-line supervisors, mid-level managers and our senior operational leaders.  The data showed a disconnect between our employee and manager expectations.  After engaging Jerry Allen, Andrea Swartzendruber, and the team at Leaders by Trade approximately two years ago, we developed a core immersive curriculum that provided impactful tools and resources for our leaders on emotional intelligence, engagement, communication, conflict resolution, culture, interviewing techniques and retention.  

Jerry’s industry experience resonated with our teams, and we are now approaching our third year of offering a progressive leadership track and the results thus far have had a strong positive impact on both operational and financial performance as well as reducing our turnover at all points in the employment lifecycle.   New hire and employee pulse surveys show that employee satisfaction is at an all-time high and retention of our key field technicians has significantly improved.  We are excited for our next phase of growth and development.   Leaders by Trade has been a great strategic partner in this journey, and we highly recommend reaching out if you our looking for impactful development of your leaders and high potential employees. 

–Scott A. Pustizzi, Executive Vice President, HR
–George Brown, Chief Operating Officer 

Certifications

Expertise you can trust.

Everything DiSC Logo

Everything DiSC®

5 Behaviors Logos

The Five Behaviors®

Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI®)

SLII® Qualified Facilitator

partnerships + affiliations

Making connections matters.

Wiley Authorized Partner

Blanchard Gold Authorized Partner

Association of Talent Development (ATD)

National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA)

FSCATX Logo

Fire Sprinkler Contractor Association of Texas (FSCATX)

ASA Logo

American Subcontractors Association

Now that you know us, let’s get to know you.

let's talk

more about

Jerry

As a self-described recovering a-hole, Jerry has learned the path forward to success is far greater than one skill or craft. His approachable training methods, honest storytelling, and rise through the ranks make teams listen. And that’s the biggest hurdle for igniting change at an organizational level. 

As a combat veteran, Jerry proudly served in the U.S. Army as a light infantry NCO with the 82nd Airborne Division. He participated in the 1989-1990 invasion of Panama “Operation Just Cause” where he earned the Combat Infantry Badge and Combat Jump Wings.

He is a man of purpose, with a goal to leave a long-lasting legacy through serving and investing in others with passion and grace, while continuing to develop and challenge himself. He also paints historical and fantasy miniatures. And has a wiener dog. So clearly he has some issues. But his wife and five kids are not one of them.

  • 33 years in the trades
  • 17-year history of increased revenues, gross margin, and EBITA
    • 2018 ($58M @ 11% EBITA) to 2022 ($85M @ 15% EBITA)
    • 2016 ($33M at 9% EBITA) to 2019 ($40M at 13% EBITA)
    • 2004 ($2.9M at -16% EBITA) to 2015 ($12.5M at 14% EBITA)
  • 4 years active military – U.S. Army
  • NICET Level IV Water-based Systems Layout
  • UA STAR Fire Sprinkler Mastery
  • DiSC® Certified
  • TKI Conflict Assessment Certified
  • SLII Certified Facilitator (Blanchard)
  • Certification in Mergers & Acquisition Integration (Pritchett)

more about

Andrea

She wants to inspire people to take a look in the mirror and find a better version of the self (cue the Michael Jackson). But most of all, she wants to see these trainings build accountability, better use of tools, and collaborative action—because behavioral change is a conscious decision long after training.

When Andrea isn’t diving deep into new theory and certifications, she can be found with her husband, two kids, and golden retriever on the patio of her local brewery… or with a bourbon cocktail. Her favorite words are collaboration, systems-thinking, leadership, self-awareness, workshop, and biergarten.

  • Master of Art’s in Organizational Leadership (Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota)
  • Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Development (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
  • Master Instructional Designer Certificate (Association of Talent Development)
  • Designing eLearning Certificate (Association of Talent Development)
  • Servant Leadership Certified (Cornell University)
  • SLII® Training Certified Facilitator (Blanchard)
  • Everything DiSC® and The Five Behaviors® Assessment Certified (Wiley)
  • Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI®) Certified
  • Association for Talent Development Member (2014-Present)

more about

Chris

With a passion for empowering organizations to maximize employee retention through servant leadership, Chris Meyer has built a career in fostering collaboration and delivering exceptional results. His interpersonal skills and ability to build strong relationships with key team members ensure that teams consistently achieve the best possible outcomes together.

Chris began his journey in the construction industry in 1996, starting out in the warehouse operating a forklift and steadily advancing through roles such as inside sales, outside sales, assistant manager, branch manager, district manager, and regional manager. This hands-on experience across all levels of operations has given him a comprehensive understanding of the industry from the ground up.

He brings robust financial acumen, with a deep understanding of profit and loss statements and their impact on business strategy and growth. His extensive background in roofing industry negotiation and relationship management has enabled him to establish and nurture long-lasting partnerships with vendors, suppliers, and customers alike.

As the owner of a commercial and residential roofing company—acquired in 2008 with a 7A government-backed loan—Chris has navigated the complexities of entrepreneurship and business leadership with determination and vision. His commitment to personal and professional growth is unwavering, as demonstrated by his ongoing participation in training seminars, reading, and one-on-one leadership coaching.

Board Service

Chris is honored to have served on several boards, where he has contributed his leadership and industry insight to organizations that make a positive impact in the community and beyond:

  • Make-A-Wish Oklahoma Board President
  • James Mission Foster Care
  • Oklahoma Construction Industry Board
  • Tulsa Police Foundation
  • YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) Board President

Accomplishments & Credentials

  • Commercial Pilot’s License
  •  ABC Supply Branch Manager Training
  • Stagen Group Leadership Training Graduate
  • Brian Tracy Sales & Negotiation Classes
  • Gallup Strength finders program
  • Leadership Development as a Member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization)
  • Owner of Turner Roofing and Sheet Metal for 17 years with a successful exit

Through a blend of servant leadership, industry expertise, and continuous learning, Chris Meyer is dedicated to driving organizational success and cultivating lasting, meaningful relationships at every level.