Mike Rowe has been a very busy man, signing several endorsement and partnership deals over the last year. Mike already has a working relationship with the folks at Cat (Caterpillar) and now their footwear division is the latest company to work with Mike.

CAT® FOOTWEAR PARTNERS WITH MIKE ROWE

The ‘Dirty Jobs’ television host will collaborate with brand to launch a signature series, ‘Mike Rowe Works by Cat Footwear’

ROCKFORD, MI (May 25, 2011) – Cat® Footwear announced today that they are partnering with Mike Rowe, creator, executive producer and host of Discovery Channel’s popular television show ‘Dirty Jobs,’ to produce a signature series of work boots and shoes to be introduced at retail later this year, under the name ‘Mike Rowe Works by Cat Footwear.’

“As a champion for the American worker, Mike Rowe is the perfect partner. From his show, Mike has extensive experience with the challenges that the everyday worker faces. We want to help minimize those challenges by making the best gear possible – tough, durable and comfortable for the long haul, which is what the Cat Footwear brand is all about,” said Kelly Ballou, Marketing Manager for Cat Footwear.

“Cat saw me on TV and took pity,” said Rowe. “Actually, they took pity on my boots, and called to ask if I’d like to wear something a bit more in keeping with my line of work. I said sure, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that, while tough, the boots that will bear my name are NOT constructed of yellow iron.”

“We’ve always felt that Mike Rowe is a great representative of the same qualities that the Cat brand stands for,” says Rob Koenen, Vice President and General Manager for Cat Footwear. “Mike has had the good fortune to work with a lot of men and women who know the meaning of hard work. Mike’s website – www.mikeroweWORKS.com – speaks to this and we are proud to partner with him.”

Initially the ‘Mike Rowe Works by Cat Footwear’ series will include a small assortment of work boots and a few rugged casual shoes, inspired by Rowe’s firsthand experiences from more than 300 jobsites. “The series that we are developing with Mike will be built with his unique perspective on addressing some of the challenges that he’s experienced doing the ‘Dirty Jobs’ show. Mike has an amazing legion of followers that he can tap into for product feedback. That’s going to be a valuable part of the development process for us, as we continue to build and test the product offering,” said Ballou.

Retail prices will range from $100 to $130. Retailers will get a first look at the series beginning in early June.

About Cat Footwear

Cat Footwear produces shoes and boots that represent the long-standing values of the Cat® and Caterpillar® brands. Known globally for manufacturing high quality work and rugged casual footwear, the company is committed to developing innovative comfort, durability and technology features. Cat Footwear is a division of Wolverine Worldwide, a global licensee of Caterpillar Inc. Brand and product information is available online at www.catfootwear.com.

About mikeroweWORKS

mikeroweWORKS is Mike Rowe’s website and “PR campaign for hard work and skilled labor.” Its purpose is to call attention to the growing skills gap in the trades, provide comprehensive resources for anyone looking to explore those vocations, as well as focus the country on the very real issues facing our trade workers, miners and farmers. In addition to the trade resource center, Mike has established The mikeroweWORKS Foundation to help fund scholarship programs and other initiatives that reinvigorate trade school enrollments and industrial arts programs around the country. The website also includes Mike’s blog, videos and photos. www.mikeroweWORKS.com

About Wolverine Worldwide

With a commitment to service and product excellence, Wolverine Worldwide is one of the world’s leading marketers of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport and uniform footwear and apparel. The Company’s portfolio of highly recognized brands includes: Bates®, Chaco®, Cushe™, Hush Puppies®, HYTEST®, Merrell®, Sebago® Soft Style® and Wolverine®. The Company also is the exclusive footwear licensee of the well-known brands Cat®, Harley-Davidson® and Patagonia®. The Company’s products are carried by leading retailers in the U.S. and globally in 190 countries and territories. For additional information, please visit our website, www.wolverineworldwide.com

The mikeroweWORKS Foundation, in partnership with SkillsUSA, is proud to announce a new scholarship opportunity for SkillsUSA members who have competed and placed first in their state association competition.

The scholarship is to provide support for SkillsUSA state contest winners who have insufficient chapter, school or community resources to participate at the 2011 National SkillsUSA Championships. A total of twenty $1,000 scholarships will be given away to help offset the costs of travel and to participate in the National SkillsUSA Championships. The winners will also have the opportunity to attend a luncheon with a member of The mikeroweWORKS Foundation staff at the Downtown Marriott Hotel in Kansas City on Tuesday, June 21st.

Acceptance is based on a narrative of one-page, or less that identifies the student’s need for the scholarship and lack of school or community resources. A student may be nominated with a letter of recommendation written by their advisor, or state director. Applications are to be sent to the national office of SkillsUSA for review and postmarked by Friday, June 3. The national office will notify the winners the following week.

To learn more about the scholarship, please click here to visit SkillsUSA.

As I mentioned yesterday, Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe would be profiled by CNN and the CNN website has an excellent interview up for your reading. Here’s a snippet.

CNN: Yet the American Dream has always been about wanting better for your kids — and that usually meant going to college.

ROWE: Mathematically, that scenario just doesn’t work. I mean, it works for a few generations, but in a society that’s moving forward — that’s no longer driven by manufacturing, but by financial services and technology — we’re now defined by our ability to be efficient — to work less. … I just know that in the end, there’s a list of jobs that are non-negotiable, absolutely essential. Who’s keeping the lights on? Who’s making indoor plumbing a reality? Who’s keeping the roads smooth? Who’s keeping the runways well-paved? Those jobs are no less important today than they were 50 years ago. They’re just not celebrated in the same way. We’ve just shifted our focus a little bit and looked at a new type of career and said, ‘Ok, that’s aspirational. These other things — let somebody else do it.’

Click here to read the entire interview w/ CNN.

Later this week Mike Rowe will be profiled on CNN’s morning news program, American Morning. His mission to promote skilled labor in America is what specifically is getting CNN’s attention. I recommend tuning in Wednesday morning from 6-9am EST. There’s no precise time available for when his segment(s) will air.

Since Dirty Jobs has been off the air for the summer, Mike Rowe has been a busy, busy man. Not only is he promoting products, but he’s trying to improve the skills gap in the workforce and he’s encouraging Americans to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

In support of American Hiking Society’s 19th annual National Trails Day®, Mike Rowe is encouraging all Americans to hit the trail! National Trails Day is the largest trails celebration in the country, and this year, hundreds of thousands of people across the country will take part in more than 2,000 events in all 50 states, including trail maintenance projects, hiking, paddling, biking, horseback riding, bird watching, running, trail celebrations, concerts and so much more!

“I’m supporting National Trails Day because trails are a lot more interesting than highways,” says Mike Rowe, the well- known host of Dirty Jobs. “You can’t go as fast, but the scenery is a lot more interesting, the air smells much better, and there aren’t any tolls. Walking around outdoors has kept me sane for years, (sort of) and I can’t recommend it enough.”

The theme for National Trails Day 2011, Made With All Natural Ingredients, encourages Americans to get outside and get healthy. Connect with local outdoor clubs, scout troops, youth organizations, businesses, community groups, and parks departments as well as federal land managing agencies to experience and appreciate the land and natural places where we can find a spread of scenery, a plateful of peace, and a heap of happiness and health. National Trails Day is also an opportunity to thank the millions of volunteers who get covered in dirt in order to give back to the trails. Without them, we wouldn’t have the amazing trails we do today.

“There are so many reasons,” says Mike, “to get off the concrete for a while. The fact that millions of people have never really experienced the woods or the mountains is borderline tragic.”

When asked to elaborate on his affection for the outdoors, Mike recalled his time hiking a considerable piece of the Appalachian Trail. “Those were some of the best times I’ve ever had. Hiking with friends, cooking outdoors, sleeping under the stars…those experiences stick with you for years. They’re worth doing, and they’re available to everyone.”

American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day is a time to enjoy our natural spaces and get healthy outdoors and on America’s expansive network of trails. Hit the trail for hike, bike, or a run. Go natural by soaking in your surroundings. Get down with the brown and get your hands dirty on a trail maintenance project. There’s nothing artificial about getting outside and giving back to trails.

Our earth is made up of natural ingredients like rivers, mountains, lakes, deserts, and plains and National Trails Day is a time to get outside and celebrate those natural surroundings. Find an event in your area at www.AmericanHiking.org. If you want to get happy, healthy, active, fit, and have some fun, National Trails Day is your recipe to success. The only ingredient missing is YOU.

Join American Hiking Society and our sponsors, Backpacker Magazine, Columbia, Eastern Mountain Sports, Fetzer, Merrell, The North Face and partners REI and American Park Network for a National Trails Day event near you. Learn more at AmericanHiking.org and mikeroweWORKS.com.

If your community organization would like to host an event or to find out more about NTD 2011, contact Heather Sable, hsable@AmericanHiking.org.

Founded in 1976, American Hiking Society is the only national, recreation-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas and the hiking experience. To learn more about American Hiking Society and its mission and programs, visit www.AmericanHiking.org or call (301) 565-6704.

Credit: http://www.pitchengine.com/pitch/145927/

Last week, we told you all about Mike Rowe heading back to Washington to offer testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee in hopes of inspiring the government to work a little harder at improving the skills gap in the labor force. Yesterday was Mike’s big day and we have his oral testimony.

Here’s Mike’s oral testimony:

Chairman Rockefeller, Ranking Member Hutchison and members of this committee, my name is Mike Rowe, and I want to thank you all very much for the opportunity to share a few thoughts about our country’s relationship with manufacturing, hard work, and skilled labor.

I’m here today because of my Grandfather.

His name was Carl Knobel, and he made his living in Baltimore as a Master Electrician. He was also a plumber, a mechanic, a mason, and a carpenter. Everyone knew him as a jack-of-all-trades. I knew him as a magician.

For most of his life, my grandfather woke up clean and came home dirty. In between, he accomplished things that were nothing short of miraculous. Some days he might re-shingle a roof. Or rebuild a motor. Or maybe run electricity out to our barn. He helped build the church I went to as a kid, and the farmhouse my brothers and I grew up in. He could fix or build anything, but to my knowledge he never once read the directions. He just knew how stuff worked.

I remember one Saturday morning when I was twelve. I flushed the toilet in the same way I always had. The toilet however, responded in a way that was completely out of character. There was a rumbling sound, followed by a distant gurgle. Then, everything that had gone down reappeared in a rather violent and spectacular fashion.

Naturally, my grandfather was called in to investigate, and within the hour I was invited to join he and my Dad in the front yard with picks and shovels.

By lunch, the lawn was littered with fragments of old pipe and mounds of dirt. There was welding and pipe-fitting, blisters and laughter, and maybe some questionable language. By sunset we were completely filthy. But a new pipe was installed, the dirt was back in the hole, and our toilet was back on its best behavior. It was one of my favorite days ever.

Thirty years later in San Francisco when my toilet blew up again. This time, I didn’t participate in the repair process. I just called my landlord, left a check on the kitchen counter, and went to work. When I got home, the mess was cleaned up and the problem was solved. As for the actual plumber who did the work, I never even met him.

It occurred to me that I had become disconnected from a lot of things that used to fascinate me. I no longer thought about where my food came from, or how my electricity worked, or who fixed my pipes, or who made my clothes. There was no reason to. I had become less interested in how things got made, and more interested in how things got bought.

At this point my grandfather was well into his eighties, and after a long visit with him one weekend, I decided to do a TV show in his honor. Today, Dirty Jobs is still on the air, and I am here before this committee, hoping to say something useful. So, here it is.

I believe we need a national PR Campaign for Skilled Labor. A big one. Something that addresses the widening Skills Gap head on, and reconnects the country with the most important part of our workforce.

Right now, American manufacturing is struggling to fill 200,000 vacant positions. There are 450,000 openings in trades, transportation and utilities. The Skills Gap is real, and it’s getting wider. In Alabama, a third of all skilled tradesmen are over 55. They’re retiring fast, and no one is there to replace them.

Alabama’s not alone. A few months ago in Atlanta I ran into Tom Vilsack, our Secretary of Agriculture. Tom told me about a governor who was unable to move forward on the construction of a power plant. The reason was telling. It wasn’t a lack of funds. It wasn’t a lack of support. It was a lack of qualified welders.

In general, we’re surprised that high unemployment can exist at the same time as a skilled labor shortage. We shouldn’t be. We’ve pretty much guaranteed it.

In high schools, the vocational arts have all but vanished. We’ve elevated the importance of “higher education” to such a lofty perch, that all other forms of knowledge are now labeled “alternative.” Millions of parents and kids see apprenticeships and on-the-job-training opportunities as “vocational consolation prizes,” best suited for those not cut out for a four-year degree. And still, we talk about millions of “shovel ready” jobs for a society that doesn’t encourage people to pick up a shovel.

In a hundred different ways, we have slowly marginalized an entire category of critical professions, reshaping our expectations of a “good job” into something that no longer looks like work. A few years from now, an hour with a good plumber – if you can find one – is going to cost more than an hour with a good psychiatrist. At which point we’ll all be in need of both.

I came here today because guys like my grandfather are no less important to civilized life than they were 50 years ago. Maybe they’re in short supply because we don’t acknowledge them they way we used to. We leave our check on the kitchen counter, and hope the work gets done. That needs to change.

My written testimony includes the details of several initiatives designed to close The Skills Gap, all of which I’ve had the privilege to participate in. Go Build Alabama, I Make America, and my own modest efforts through Dirty Jobs and mikeroweWORKS. I’m especially proud to announce “Discover Your Skills,” a broad-based initiative from Discovery Communications that I believe can change perceptions in a meaningful way.

I encourage you to support these efforts, because closing The Skills Gap doesn’t just benefit future tradesmen and the companies desperate to hire them. It benefits people like me, and anyone else who shares my addiction to paved roads, reliable bridges, heating, air conditioning, and indoor plumbing.

The Skills Gap is a reflection of what we value. To close the gap, we need to change the way the country feels about work.

Credit: MikeRoweWorks.com

In a new opinion piece for Politico.com, Mike Rowe talks about his upcoming trip to Washington D.C. and what inspired him to create Dirty Jobs: his grandfather.

Here’s a snippet:

To my knowledge, he never once read the directions to anything. He just knew how stuff worked.

I remember one Saturday morning, when I was 12, our toilet exploded in my face. Naturally, my grandfather was called in to investigate. Within the hour we were tearing up the front yard with picks and shovels. There was welding and pipe-fitting, banging and laughing. By sunset we were filthy. A new pipe, however, had been was installed, the dirt was back in the hole — and our toilet was back on its best behavior.

Thirty years later, my toilet blew up again. This time, I called Roto-Rooter; left a check on the kitchen counter, and went away for a few days. When I got home, the problem was solved. But, of course, I never met the guy who did the work. I never even thought to.

Somewhere, during those 30 years I had become less interested in how things were made, and more interested in how things were purchased. So, after a long visit one weekend with my grandfather, I decided to do a TV show in his honor — and “Dirty Jobs” was born.

Click here to read the article in full.

Discovery Communications and Mike Rowe Announce “Discover Your Skills” — A Multimedia Initiative to Highlight and Promote Job Skills

– Creator, Executive Producer and Host of Discovery Channel’s DIRTY JOBS WITH MIKE ROWE to Testify Before US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Critical Need to Address Growing Skills Gap Among US Workforce –

May 11, 2011

(Silver Spring, Md.) Discovery Communications and Mike Rowe, creator, executive producer and host of Discovery Channel’s DIRTY JOBS WITH MIKE ROWE, today announced “Discover Your Skills,” a new multimedia public affairs campaign designed to address the growing decline in US skilled labor expertise. The goal of “Discover Your Skills” is to provide unemployed and underemployed Americans with access to critical resources for obtaining marketable job skills and expertise, and to raise awareness of career opportunities.

Announcing the initiative, Rowe will testify at the invitation of Senator Rockefeller, Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, at a hearing titled “Manufacturing Our Way to a Stronger Economy.” He will relate his experiences over the past seven years on DIRTY JOBS, apprenticing alongside more than 300 skilled labor workers in nearly every industry and every state, and witnessing the critical role these workers and their occupations play in supporting the US economy. “Discover Your Skills” is a partnership with mikeroweWORKS, Rowe’s own campaign to help close the skills gap, launched on Labor Day 2008.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to speak in front of the Senate on such an important issue as our country’s widening skills gap,” said Rowe. “I’m no expert, and the issues are complicated, but DIRTY JOBS has offered me a unique opportunity to reconnect with the kind of people that make civilized life possible for the rest of us. With Discovery firmly behind this issue, we can reach an enormous audience. That’s key, because the skills gap in our country impacts every industry, including manufacturing. It’s personally important to me and critical to anyone else addicted to paved roads and indoor plumbing.”

“No one is more passionate or articulate than Mike on the looming risks associated with our country’s growing skills gap and the urgent need to change the misperception that skilled labor jobs are not ‘good jobs,’” said David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications. “As the #1 nonfiction media company with 14 US networks that reach more than 780 million cumulative subscribers, Discovery is uniquely positioned to deliver this message to a mass audience and provide meaningful support on a national level. Like Mike, the people you see on Discovery’s networks are real people, many of whom are not only television personalities, but also successful professionals working in critical areas of the economy, and we look forward to working with them to help develop and empower the next generation of skilled workers and reframe the way skilled trade jobs are perceived.”

As part of “Discover Your Skills,” Rowe, along with other Discovery networks’ personalities, will participate in on- and off-air programs and events to raise awareness of career opportunities and highlight the importance of training workers to fill these critical jobs. Participating on-air talent have distinctive skills that are particularly valuable and needed in today’s marketplace, and are credible to viewers interested in similar professions.

The initiative also will leverage Discovery Education’s position as the leading provider of broadband education content and services to US schools to spotlight information on career opportunities in skilled trades and how to obtain the training and experience necessary to pursue them. This includes tools that support the development of digital literacy, math and critical thinking skills required for individuals to obtain gainful employment.

“Discover Your Skills” is part of Discovery’s Impact programs, which leverage the power of Discovery’s brands, businesses and employees to give back and make a direct impact on the communities in which we live and work.

The US Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s “Manufacturing Our Way to a Stronger Economy” hearing is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 11. A live webcast will be available on the committee’s website at http://commerce.senate.gov/public/.

Additionally, a full transcript of Rowe’s testimony will be available on the Discovery Impact website at http://impact.discovery.com.

About Mike Rowe
In addition to being known around the world as the “Dirty Jobs Guy” and the voice of shows like “Deadliest Catch,” Mike stays busy with speaking engagements around the country and working with partners like Ford, Caterpillar, Kimberly-Clark, Master Lock and Lee Jeans. He is proud to be this year’s ambassador for Lee’s National Denim Day to raise awareness for breast cancer research. Mike also has his own website, mikeroweworks.com, which was created as a “PR Campaign for Hard Work” and advocates regularly a number of farming and skilled trades issues.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About Discovery Impact
Through its Discovery Impact programs, Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCAB, DISCK) leverages the power of its brands, businesses and employees to give back to the world. From programming that inspires and educates to annual events that make a direct impact on the communities in which we live and work, Discovery strives to celebrate, support and sustain the majesty of the earth’s people, animals and natural beauty. For more information about how Discovery is making an impact, please visit: http://impact.discovery.com.

About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 130-plus worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

Mike Rowe’s agent and publicist have been busy lately. Mike can be seen just about everywhere. Mike’s selling jeans, cars and trucks, paper towels, etc. Now he’s formed a new partnership with Master Lock.

Here’s the full press release:

OAK CREEK, Wis., May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Master Lock is proud to announce that it has formed a partnership with Mike Rowe, creator and host of Discovery Channel’s popular program, Dirty Jobs, and founder of mikeroweWORKS. Through Mike’s mission of raising respect and appreciation for skilled labor, coupled with Master Lock’s commitment to providing innovative security solutions, the partnership will help raise awareness for both. To launch the partnership, Master Lock also announced that it is making a substantial donation to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation. The donation will support technical education scholarships and assistance to schools and institutes providing a technical curriculum.

Mike Rowe

Rowe, who calls himself a perpetual apprentice, has performed more than 300 of the dirtiest jobs throughout the country during the first five seasons of his hit show, Dirty Jobs. “Getting involved with the hard working men and women who make civilized existence possible has been an incredible experience, and provided the inspiration for my mission at mikeroweWORKS,” said Rowe. “This partnership with Master Lock will allow us to raise the level of awareness for the growing skills gap in America.”

In May 2011, Master Lock will launch a new line of security products designed to protect tools and equipment in the cargo area of pickup trucks and vans, especially those that are used for work. Rowe will act as the spokesman for this new product line. “With his strong connection to men and women working in the trades, we are excited to have Mike’s support and participation in this important new security category,” said Sherri Beachey, Master Lock Product Manager. “In addition, we are very proud to support Mike’s mission and vision at mikeroweWORKS,” she added. For more information on the Master Lock and Mike Rowe partnership, go to www.Masterlocktruck.com.

About Master Lock

Master Lock is the world’s largest manufacturer of padlocks and related security products providing innovative security solutions for home, automotive, campus, power sports, bike and storage security needs for consumers and contractors alike. Master Lock Company L.L.C. is an operating unit of Fortune Brands, Inc., a leading consumer brands company. Headquartered in Deerfield, IL, Fortune Brands (NYSE:FO – News) is included in the S&P 500 Index.

www.masterlock.com.

About mikeroweWORKS.com

Founded on Labor Day, 2008, mikeroweWORKS is a mission to call attention to the growing skills gap in the U.S., while providing a comprehensive resource for those in the trades or for anyone interested in learning more about them. In addition to the trade resource center and forum, Mike has established the mikeroweWORKS foundation to help fund scholarship programs and other initiatives to reinvigorate Trade School enrollments and industrial arts programs throughout the country. www.mikeroweWORKS.com.

Mike Rowe has been making numerous trips to Washington D.C. to encourage members of Congress to put more effort in creating jobs here in the U.S., particularly trade jobs. Mike has received a warm invitation from Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to return to Washington to talk about the matter.

According to a press release put out by the senator’s office, this will be the “second in a series of Commerce Committee hearings focusing on manufacturing in America and the ways in which the government and industry can strengthen the sector and promote job growth.”

The full committee meeting is set for Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 2:30pm EST.

I’m not certain if this meeting will be televised, but if it is, your best bet would be to watch one of the CSPAN channels.