TradeCampus™ is revolutionizing how community colleges launch skilled trades programs—transforming opportunity into reality through comprehensive design, funding, construction, and operational support. From custom campus design through successful launch, we handle every detail so you can focus on your students.
Every successful skilled trades program rests on four foundational pillars. We manage all four, so you can stay focused on what matters most: your students and your mission.
TradeCampus™ creates a fully custom-designed campus built specifically around the trades your community needs most. From classroom layouts to shop floors, every square foot is engineered for hands-on learning and real-world workforce outcomes.
We do the heavy lifting to secure grants, public funding, and local investment so your campus is essentially gifted to your community. Our team navigates the complex funding landscape, so you don't have to, turning what feels financially impossible into a fully financed reality.
TradeCampus™ coordinates nationally recognized design-build firms to manage construction from groundbreaking to ribbon-cutting. Our partner network includes elite companies that have delivered millions of square feet of educational infrastructure. You get one point of contact—we coordinate all the experts.
When the doors open, your campus is ready for business — with the programs, partnerships, and credentialing pathways already in place. TradeCampus™ doesn't just hand you a building; we help you activate it, so students walk in on Day 1 and graduate with certificates that lead to real careers.
If you decide to move forward, here's what the journey typically looks like. But first, let's talk about whether this makes sense for your college.
We provide the comprehensive analysis and strategic roadmap needed for confident decision-making and stakeholder alignment. This phase establishes what programs make sense for your community and creates the blueprint for success.
This phase transforms opportunity into actionable strategy, providing board-ready documentation and financial confidence before any capital commitment.
This is where TradeCampus™ truly differentiates itself. We deploy our proprietary, nationwide funding system that leverages federal grants, state appropriations, local economic development incentives, corporate partnerships, and foundation support—targeting 95%+ funding coverage. Your campus is essentially gifted to your community.
Our proprietary multi-source funding system eliminates the financial barrier that stops most colleges from launching trades programs. We don't move to construction until funding is secured.
Once funding is secured, TradeCampus™ serves as your single point of accountability, coordinating elite design-build partners throughout the construction process. Our established relationships with nationally recognized firms—who have delivered millions of square feet of educational facilities—ensure your campus is built on time, on budget, and to exacting standards.
TradeCampus™ manages the entire partner network—top construction firms, specialized contractors, and equipment vendors—so you have one trusted point of contact throughout the build.
We don't just hand you a building—we ensure you launch with fully operational programs, qualified instructors, strong enrollment, and sustainable operations. Your campus opens ready for students on Day 1.
Students walk in on Day 1 to industry-standard facilities with qualified instructors and graduate with credentials that lead to real careers. This is where your community's workforce transformation begins.
TradeCampus™ was founded by Robert Bishop and David Herzog, lifelong business partners who began their journey together at age 17 when they launched their first carpentry company straight out of high school.
Over the four decades that followed, they built homes, developed large-scale real estate projects, and led businesses across multiple markets nationwide. Today, they bring that same entrepreneurial spirit to TradeCampus™—combining advanced business education, hands-on construction knowledge, and decades of executive leadership to help colleges confidently design, fund, build, and launch next-generation skilled-trades campuses.
Their uncommon blend of real-world trades experience and large-scale development expertise is the foundation of TradeCampus™ and the value it brings to every college partner.
Whether you're in early exploration or ready to move forward, we'd be excited to discuss how TradeCampus™ might support your goals. No pressure, no sales pitch—just a conversation about what's possible for your students and community.
Robert Bishop, CEO
Robert is currently completing his Executive MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and completed the Oxford Private Equity Programme. He brings nearly 40 years of national development experience spanning acquisition, entitlement, design, construction, operations, and asset stabilization. His background also includes direct involvement with Anne Arundel Community College's Clausen Center for Innovations and Skilled Trades, where he contributed from planning through opening.
David Herzog, CFO
David holds both an MBA and an MSF from Loyola and completed the Oxford Private Equity Programme. He brings nearly 40 years of experience in homebuilding, land development, and real estate investment, including the construction of more than 2,000 homes and residential lots and the development of master-planned communities across multiple states. He has also led investment activity through Herzog Capital, is a bestselling published author, and has earned national recognition for excellence, ethics, and leadership in the building industry.
No matter where you are in the process—just exploring the idea or ready to take next steps—we'd love to hear about your goals, challenges, and what success would look like for your community.