Recently, we were given the opportunity to speak in front of IUOE (International Union of Operating Engineers) on using creative media like podcasts, photos, and video in modern social media to impact today’s world. I reached out to friend/wizard Josh Lucas (Work Hard PGH) to present, and the talented Ryan Haggerty (Haggerty Media) to help capture the moment. We arrived during lunch time to get acquainted and had the chance to tour the beautiful building before the our talk. Here’s a look at our tour via Ryan’s perspective.
IUOE & Pittsburgh’s Energy Innovation Center.
Before the tour, conversation while waiting for the crew to get back after lunch.
IUOE & Pittsburgh’s Energy Innovation Center.
New School & Old School
A few floors up, we started our tour. Open, exposed, and colorful, everything making the building tick is in plain sight. State of the art LED technology lines the ceilings, while critical building systems are color coded to for training efficiency. Skills taught to the students passing mark a return to buildings roots as a multi trade training center.
operating engineers union, epicast, green, podcast, education
Representing Work Hard
Me, under-dressed as usual…
Representing Work Hard Pittsburgh
The Solution Center
My favorite room in the building. The floor, original, with oil stains to prove it. This space once housed a machine shop, and steel foundry. The dark spots on the floor indicate where machines once used train students used to sit.
The Solution Center
Engineers Taking in the View
Operating Engineers reflect on the current Pittsburgh skyline as they stand in a room that will be used to shape the future of green technology.
Engineers taking in the view.
Packed House
Local 95 training coordinator, Carl Luisi Jr. speaks about how this space will be turned into a state of the art interactive classroom.
Packed House
Worker & Representation
The center of the building houses a diverse spread of classrooms for, startups, non-profits, and university spaces. Notice the worker welding in the window.
Worker and Representation
Engineered Energy Flow
Downstairs, rainbows of water, gas, and air lines cover the ceiling. The boilers in this room used to be the size of school buses, now they’re about the size of a filing cabinet.
Engineered Energy Flow
Close Inspection
Business agents taking a closer look at the critical systems of the building.
Close Inspection
Eyes Forward
As Training Coordinator Carl Luisi Jr is in charge of building a curriculum for future workforce development.
Eyes Forward
Converted Pool
The building’s intelligent automation systems will control the use of ice storage for energy conservation needs. This system is efficient for cost and minimizes environmental impact.
Converted Pool
Ice Tanks
Sitting in the building’s old swimming pool, these tanks provide lower cost cooling when electric demands are highest.
Ice Tanks
The Deep End
Another look at what used to be the swimming pool’s deep end.
The Deep End
The Auditorium
We snuck away with a few people to take a look at the soon-to-be renovated auditorium.
The Auditorium
The Case for Social Media Outreach
Josh talked in depth on how to make impact with your narrative using social media as a catalyst.
The Case For Social Media Outreach
Local Outreach Adds Up
Businesses, politicians, and academics alike have all looked to social media as a revolutionary change in the way people, organizations, and governments interact with each other. Modern tools reshape how we think about both our world and ourselves.
Local Outreach Adds Up
Empowering Entrepreneurship
I nervously rambled a bunch of things about Epicast, and how we create impact by providing creatives a platform to express their voice. I gave focus to the fact that Epicast, ran by two people, has reached the ears of 1.5 million people in a little over a year.
It’s relevant to compare the efficiency of modern social media practice in sending a message, to the efficient, green infrastructure helping this building educate and train others for the future.We had an awesome time and are grateful for the opportunity to learn and share.
Josh Lucas is the brain child behind Work Hard PGH, a coworking space with a focus on digital media & entrepreneurism , and Academy – a coding bootcamp focused on a single goal: Give more and different kinds of people the skills they need to better serve Pittsburgh’s region.
Work Hard PGH | www.workhardpgh.com
@workhardpgh
Ryan Haggerty is a freelance photographer/videographer/film maker that we get to work with and learn from often. He also is producer and director of photography for Blood On The Leaves, a feature film shot in Pennsylvania.
Haggerty Media | www.haggertymedia.com
@haggertymedia
