Preserving Tribal Knowledge in Construction for the Next Generation

How much knowledge is walking out your door every year?

In this Titans of the Trades episode, Ryan Englin sits down with Manja Horner, Founder and CEO of Boost, to tackle one of the most urgent problems in construction: capturing tribal knowledge before it disappears.

Manja explains how decades of tips, tricks, and hard‑earned craft insights often vanish when veteran workers retire. She shares a framework to capture, organize, and pass on that knowledge, so your company’s “secret sauce” lives on for the next generation.

If you’re a construction leader worried about losing key people or struggling to train new hires, this conversation is packed with actionable steps and inspiring ideas.

Key Takeaways

• [02:03] Why 30–40% of the skilled trades workforce is retiring soon.
• [03:26] A true story of a master craftsperson walking out the door and everything lost.
• [05:50] The mindset shift leaders need to take ownership of training.
• [08:50] What counts as tribal knowledge (and it’s more than you think).
• [10:01] Why training is a skill and not everyone knows how to do it.
• [17:24] How to capture insights from field crews who don’t sit at desks.
• [22:33] Turning hours of interviews into a usable, searchable library.
• [30:51] A sneak peek into Boost’s AI-powered internal knowledge search.

Connect With Manja:

Website: https://www.boostld.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manja-horner/

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