Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
QUINCY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The men and women working on the new MBTA bus maintenance facility in Quincy got a visit from an expert on grimy careers.
‘Dirty Jobs’ host Mike Rowe stopped by the facility on Thursday to speak with the workers on site, thanking and encouraging them for their hard work.
“It’s the enthusiasm for the work, the pride in it, and the eagerness of people to say, ‘Mike, come here man, let me show you what I'm doing, let me show you what I built today,’” said Rowe. “It’s just great to be around.”
Suffolk Construction General Manager Patrick Lucey was in attendance at the event and spoke about the exciting energy throughout the facility.
"Having the opportunity to interact with somebody with those different types of experiences, but also that's so down to earth and so real, the excitement was pretty positive," said Lucey.
Suffolk Construction Chairman and CEO John Fish was also at the event and gifted Rowe and his organization with a $100,000 donation.
"That will go right into our work ethics scholarship program at Mike Rowe Works. We award scholarships for men and women who want to pursue a career in the trades, and we've been doing that now for 17 years," said Rowe. "I don't think you'll find a bigger booster in this world who understands better than John Fish how important it is to close the skills gap."
Rowe took the time to speak about skilled trades and the confusion surrounding them, as he said they may be experiencing a decline in numbers.
“Part of the reason there’s such a skills gap is that there’s a lot of misperceptions and myths about the kind of living you can make doing this,” said Rowe. “I hope being here today, and I hope with all the cameras around, that the people doing the work will know that people do pay attention, people are impressed, and people are grateful, I certainly am.”
In addition to praising the workers for their labor, Rowe also stayed for pictures and signed some hard hats.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.