The Baltimore Blueprint with Brendan McCluskey

Baltimore faces a set of deeply interconnected challenges: aging and unsafe housing, high energy costs for families with limited means, and a generation of underemployed youth struggling to access meaningful work. These overlapping issues reveal a systemic gap highlighting an opportunity to rethink how housing, workforce development, clean energy, and economic mobility can be addressed together.We invited Brendan McCluskey, President at Trident Builders, to share how his team is tackling these challenges through a bold and collaborative model. Brendan explains how Trident Builders is transforming vacant homes into energy-efficient housing using modular construction and solar technology while creating training and job pathways for underemployed youth. He also shares how partnerships across business, nonprofits, and community leaders are helping scale solutions.This discussion offers a compelling look at how one company is rethinking the role of business in solving complex social problems and how leaders across sectors can identify opportunities within their own work to build solutions that strengthen communities.Listen for insights on: Supporting small, community-based developers to keep wealth local Collaborating across sectors in addressing systemic community challenges Connecting environmental sustainability with economic mobility Watch this conversation on YouTube! (    • The Baltimore Blueprint with Brendan McClu...   )Resources + Links: Brendan McCluskey’s LinkedIn (   / brendan-mccluskey-9a855419   ) Trident Builders ( https://tridentbuilds.com/ ) The Bmore Co-Op ( https://bmorecoop.com/ ) 00:00 - Welcome to Purpose 360 00:13 - Meet Brendan McCluskey, Trident Builders 02:45 - About Brendan 04:52 - Lessons from Parents 06:15 - Baltimore 07:21 - Revenue vs. Sustainable Systems 09:47 - 10,000 Small Businesses 11:33 - BMore Co-op 15:56 - Parts and Problems 18:26 - Equity 20:29 - Helping the Youth 22:31 - Modular Manufacturer 23:34 - Selecting the Right Partners 24:58 - Using Solar 27:50 - Example Project 29:47 - Advice for Young People 30:30 - Integrating AI 31:11 - Quick Takes 33:06 - Last Word 33:35 - Wrap Up Purpose 360 with Carol Cone Episode 222 April 7, 2026 ★ Episode details: https://share.transistor.fm/s/e6628e52 ★ Additional episodes: https://purpose360podcast.com