| OIC of America President and CEO Louis J. King II with National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial at NUL’s Cleveland conference. |
News about “worker shortages” and “labor gaps” can sound wonky. But you know what’s not wonky? “Imagine having to wait four weeks for a plumber because there is none available.” A four-week wait for a plumber sounds—and smells—awful. The podcast 8 at the Table, where I heard that quote, came across my feed recently, and it summed up the employment challenges our country is facing as well as any think-tank report or industry bulletin could. You can watch the clip on YouTube, but the punchline is this: We need hundreds of thousands of electricians. Plumbers. Construction workers. Just to keep up with demand. Every year, as workers retire, and natural disasters create the need for more rebuilding, that demand grows. It’s not just one region. The need for more workers crisscrosses the country. It’s why we’re building the Sullivan Training Network, the only coordinated national skills training effort working to transform the labor force—and in turn, individuals, families and communities. With no-cost training, we address the systemic barriers that keep people—especially those in poverty and in the justice system—from fully participating in today’s economy. We’re sounding the alarms about the need. The other day I was on a panel at the National Urban League conference, discussing how urgent these solutions are. (More on that below.) We’ve been meeting with legislators in Washington, D.C., about the LEON Act, which would be a historic investment in national job training. (More on that in last month’s newsletter.) The people who get trained for those jobs? They’ll be able to set their price. They’ll be able to walk into their local union halls. They’ll be the ones to start their own contracting firms, where they’re working for themselves, and hiring other people. Doesn’t that smell sweet?  Louis J. King II President and CEO OIC of America, Inc. |
Louis J. King Talks Building Communities at National Urban League Conference
This month more than 100This month OIC of America President and CEO Louis J. King II was featured in “The Confidence of Self: How Communities Build and Strengthen From Within” at the 2025 National Urban League Conference in Cleveland. Alongside Dr. Andre M. Perry, senior fellow and director of the Center for Community Uplift at the Brookings Institution; Tawanna Black, founder and CEO of Living Truth Enterprises; and Jeff Johnson, CEO of JIJ Impact, King and the others spoke about how local leaders have worked together to pool resources and creative ideas in the wake of sharply reduced government support—exactly the kind of self-reliance that OIC of America was founded on 61 years ago by Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan.
“We were born out of struggle,” King said on the panel. “In Philadelphia, Black folks ate the Tastykakes but couldn’t work for the company. So our founder led a selective patronage campaign which brought them to their knees.
“Black folks do have value in this economy,” he added, “but they have to demand their place at the table.”
See more from the session here.
New Sullivan Training Network Data Highlights Accelerated Economic Mobility
This month OIC of America released new data projecting that the Sullivan Training Network (STN) can have a $129 million direct economic impact in fiscal year 2026—with ripple effects for families, communities and local economies.
The data found that, while nearly three-quarters of STN grads had no income before beginning with STN, after eight to 24 weeks of training at no out-of-pocket cost, graduates were placed in jobs with a median income of $46,080—nearly equal to the earnings of people with associate’s degrees.
And their income grows rapidly. In three to five years after placement, STN alumni in high-demand trades can earn over $76,600, which is higher than the U.S. median wage.
“These numbers show something real happening here,” said OICA President and CEO Louis J. King II. “When we do this work at a national scale, the Sullivan Training Network is positioned to have a population-level impact.”
Read more about the Sullivan Training Network’s impact here.
STEMFest Takes Over the Twin Cities
At thOIC of America’s fourth annual Twin Cities STEMFest brought hundreds of pre-K–12 students and families to the 3M Arena at Mariucci for a jam-packed day of hands-on STEM fun. From building DNA models and racing rubber band cars to flying flight simulators and exploring brain science, students dove headfirst into the world of science, tech, engineering and math.
Huge thanks to all the volunteers, partners like the University of Minnesota Institute for Engineering in Medicine and Target Tech Kids, and everyone who came out to make the day unforgettable.
Next stop: Philly! Don’t miss the next STEMFest coming August 14 to the City of Brotherly Love. Click here to register.
See more photos from Minneapolis here.
