FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
First Book to Honor the Skilled Trades as the True Builders of a Nation
The Hands That Built America by Richard E. Mortensen — Coming This September
For generations, the men and women of the skilled trades have built every road, bridge, building, power grid, and pipeline that makes modern life possible. They have never had a book written for them — until now.
The Hands That Built America, by Richard E. Mortensen, arrives on Amazon this September in Kindle, Softcover, and Hardcover editions. It is the first book of its kind: a full-throated tribute to tradespeople — electricians, welders, framers, plumbers, mechanics, and every worker whose hands turn blueprints into reality — written by an author who grew up in the industry and spent more than five decades inside it.
"Plans do not build bridges. Blueprints do not frame houses. Engineering drawings do not weld steel. Agricultural research does not harvest crops. Capital does not repair an electrical grid. Management meetings do not rebuild engines. And intentions do not create production capacity. People do."
— Richard E. Mortensen, The Hands That Built America
But The Hands That Built America goes further than tribute. It redefines what trade work actually is:
"The skilled trades are intellectual work expressed through physical creation. When the knowledge and experience of a craftsman are applied through capable hands, ideas become buildings, materials become machines, resources become infrastructure, and possibilities become productive physical assets. The finished asset is evidence of applied intelligence."
— Richard E. Mortensen, The Hands That Built America
And it demands a new understanding of who the tradesperson actually is:
"A master craftsman is not simply a unit of labor. That person is a repository of productive intelligence — years of knowledge, experience, judgment, problem-solving, and demonstrated competency applied through skilled hands to build, operate, maintain, repair, and preserve the physical assets upon which our nation depends."
— Richard E. Mortensen, The Hands That Built America
Drawing on more than five decades in construction operations management, business leadership, and workforce development, Mortensen writes with the authority of someone who has lived every word on the page. His book speaks to tradespeople who deserve to see their work honored, to parents and educators preparing the next generation for real careers, and to anyone who believes America's strength is built by its people — not its plans.
The Hands That Built America is available this September on Amazon in Kindle, Softcover, and Hardcover editions.
To be notified the moment the book goes live:
transitionspressbooks.com/books/the-hands-that-built-americaAbout the Author
Richard E. Mortensen has spent more than five decades in construction operations management, business leadership, and organizational development. He is also the author of Decisions Determine Destiny, Book One of the Alignment & Results Series. He writes and publishes through TransitionsPress Books.
About TransitionsPress Books
TransitionsPress Books publishes true stories grounded in lived experience — stories of character, resilience, purpose, and the choices that shape who we become.
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