July 9

Shaping the Industry: James Drury on Training Tomorrow’s Craftsmen

In this episode of Verify Infield, host Jacob Edmond sits down with James Drury, Director of Training and Development at Master Millwork, to talk about the mindset, methods, and mission behind developing new talent in the millwork industry.

From humble beginnings building concierge desks during hotel off-seasons to leading Microvellum training at the national level, James shares his journey through the trades—and how it’s shaped his approach to mentoring, process-building, and problem-solving in today’s millwork shops.

Whether you’re trying to grow your team, modernize your onboarding, or attract younger talent, this episode is full of firsthand insights and actionable takeaways.

About Our Guest

James Drury is a seasoned millwork engineer, former Microvellum service provider, and current Director of Training & Development at Master Millwork. He’s built everything from restaurant bars to technical onboarding programs and has helped dozens of shops adopt Microvellum, improve training processes, and cultivate new talent. Today, James leads training initiatives that scale knowledge, promote mentorship, and align teams with the high standards required in custom commercial millwork.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  1. The Power of Mentorship in Millwork: James shares how holding onto knowledge doesn’t make you irreplaceable but passing it on might. Teaching others strengthens teams, scales growth, and raises the floor for your entire operation.
  2. From Shop Floor to Leadership: Learn how James made the leap from sweating in a Texas shop to running a drafting department and eventually becoming a Microvellum power user. His path is proof that careers in millwork aren’t linear but they’re full of potential.
  3. Training That Actually Works: From building Microvellum products to designing training programs, James explains how to teach in a way people actually learn: by seeing the big picture first, then diving into the details.
  4. Creating a Learning Culture: Hear how Master Millwork’s approach to team collaboration, remote training, and mistake-tolerant culture encourages ownership and long-term skill development.
  5. How to Make Millwork Visible—and Sexy: James argues that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel—we just need to show the world how cool our work already is. And social media is the key to attracting new talent and building pride in the industry.
  6. Recruiting the Next Generation: Young people don’t know this industry exists—and when they do, they think it’s outdated. James shares how showing off your tech, your team, and your story can radically improve your recruiting strategy.
  7. Solving the Talent Crisis Starts With Us: Gatekeeping and knowledge hoarding don’t grow companies—or industries. This episode explores how a mindset shift around mentorship, visibility, and patience can address millwork’s deepest pain point: skilled labor.
  8. The Future of Training is Remote, Real-Time, and Collaborative: James previews a new initiative at Master Millwork that gives engineers live camera feeds into the shop for immediate feedback and problem-solving. This is what tight remote collaboration looks like.

Where to Learn More

Final Thoughts

We can’t complain about the talent gap while holding our cards close. As James says, “If we learn to embrace our replacements, it just makes us irreplaceable.”

This episode is a must-listen for trainers, managers, engineers, and shop leaders who want to future-proof their teams and foster a culture that people want to be part of.