"Public Schools, The Trades, & Community Impact" - The GIPS Cast, Ep. 070

“Education at its core is the essence of upward mobility… So if you have a great foundation of exploring in life and trying new things, that life will never lose its luster.” 
 

As a proud Islander alum of the class of 1995, Brian Levander knew he wanted a future in the trades.  And that’s where his passion led him. 
 

Nearly 30 years later, Brian is the proud Owner & CEO of Levander’s Automotive.  Operating shops in numerous states and all across Nebraska, he was intentional in building his foundation in the community that raised him… Grand Island. 
 

Levander joins ‘The GIPS Cast’ to share his story of working hard and finding his passion, and how communities are only as strong as their public schools and vice versa. 
 

Because it’s not just about working hard; it’s about building something that you’re proud of. 
 

Listen to the latest episode above or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

(Transcript may be found below the episode player.)

#WeAreGIPS  

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: 

Podcast Intro  00:00

This is Grand Island Public Schools podcast, and these are our stories. We are learners. We are educators in teaching hearts as well as minds. We are 10,000 diverse voices, and we're changing the world together, one classroom at a time. These are our stories. We are GIPS. We are GIPS. Somos, que y PE ese. We are GIPS. Somos, GIPS. We are GIPS, and this is 'The GIPS Cast'!

 

Mitchell Roush  00:31

Welcome back to the GIPS cast, a conversation based podcast exploring the voices of Grand Island Public Schools in Nebraska. I'm your host. Mitchell Roush, the Communications Director here at GIPS, and as always, I'm grateful to bring to you new stories from all corners of our district, because here we're driven by our mission of every student every day a success. Brian lavander is a builder. Sit down with him for 10 minutes, and you'll hear his story, from going through school at Star and wasmer elementary schools to being a proud bar Bulldog to working a full time job, alongside being a full time student at Grand Island Senior High, to venturing to SCC And Milford and to literally building his own business. He's a proud Islander alum from the class of 1995 and even then, Brian knew that he wanted a future in the trades, and that's where his passion led him. So nearly 30 years later, Brian is the proud owner and CEO of lavanders automotive, lavanders operates shops in numerous states and all across Nebraska, and he was intentional in building his foundation in the community that raised him right here in Grand Island. Now alongside leading lavanders automotive, he serves on the Crossroads mission Avenue board as their president, and he also serves on the board of the Grand Island area Economic Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce. And he always welcomes opportunities to share his story with the youth of Grand Island like I said, Brian is a builder, and he knows that a community is only as strong as its public schools and vice versa. So as a proud alum, he joined our podcast recently to share his alumni story, and to no one's surprise, he shared a lot of great insight. Here's his story.

 

Mitchell Roush  02:41

Wonderful. So Brian, thank you so much for being here today. We're excited to have you on the podcast.

 

Brian Levander  02:46

Good morning. I'm glad to be here. Awesome.

 

Mitchell Roush  02:49

So we're hanging out in your office right now, which is a good time. You said, come on down. Let's chat. So here we are. I'm hanging out at the lavander's office, which is really great. And we're here because you're a proud Grand Island Senior High alum, and you're you're here doing everything in your hometown community, which I think is really cool. So think back to your student days. Tell me what was it like being a student in GIPS? What sticks out about your experience?

 

Brian Levander  03:16

So I started out, obviously in from the beginning at Starr Elementary, and then went on to wasmer after we had moved and I attended Barr Junior High. Go Bulldogs. Yeah, go Bulldogs. Go Wildcat wasmer, and then went on to Gish. And I went to Gish and graduated from Gish in 1995.

 

Mitchell Roush  03:41

That's awesome. You're, you're you're here in Grand Island. Still, you're, so tell me you're the owner and CEO of levander's automotive and what's it mean for you to be doing this work here in your home community?

 

Brian Levander  03:54

Well, it's, I think, when you're younger, you always dream of leaving and going to greener fields or right, there's, there's always that in the youth. And I would say that I that that appealed to me, you know, but I really didn't have the means to propel myself elsewhere. Or a four year, I tell most people, a four year college path for me, was really not even on the radar or obtainable, I felt. And so once I graduated from Grand Island Senior High, I went on to Milford, and SCC went on there for two years. And after that, I moved back to Grand Island, or I was always mainly living here. And that's when I started my business, in 1997.

 

Mitchell Roush  04:43

So cool, and I love that that's that's your story, because this is something that you know, we're trying to tell a lot of our students at senior high right now, right like we want you to be career ready. And maybe that means a four year school. Maybe that means a two. Year, maybe it means employment, right? Ever whatever it is, we just want you to feel ready to pursue what you want to pursue, which is really cool, and that's obviously something that's near and dear to your heart.

 

Brian Levander  05:10

Yeah, I speak to a lot of youth, and I'm involved with community college in Hastings. We just did a big fundraiser for the automotive careers technology building. That's going to be a beautiful facility. Yeah, really nationwide, world class facility. And I always tell the students, or any of the youth I speak to is that a lot of them don't know what they want to do, but if you can find your passion and then mix that with your God given talent. So your passion might be basketball, but you're four foot 10. You might not play in the NBA, right, but there's so many things around that that you could figure out, and the last piece of that is monetizing it. So I'm four foot 10, but I got a great radio voice like yourself. And so you you just have to find what you're passionate about, and then just figure out where in the career field that fits for your ability. And if you follow your passion, then you'll always want to stay engaged throughout your whole career. And I think that is the key part of that. And so if just exploring mentors, mentor programs, or we bring in a lot of kids in the college level that works summers at our facilities, yeah, and some of them find that they they thought that they wanted to be in the automotive career, and then they find it's not for them. But that's part of life that that is the you know, checking the boxes of what doesn't work or what doesn't click with you is the key part.

 

Mitchell Roush  06:48

It's such a good word. And I think just something that's kind of, what I say is evergreen, that concept of find your passion, and if you can find a way to stay connected to that and what you want to do for your career, I agree with you. I think it's going to be easier to stay engaged and you're going to want to keep working and getting after it,

 

Brian Levander  07:07

Yeah, and it doesn't mean that it has to be a dead end. Maybe your passion is food service. Yeah? You think working at, say, a fast food restaurant that might seem to some people being maybe a dead end job or not, not a lot of mobility, but I guarantee you that in any industry there The sky's the limit. Yeah. And if you can continue beyond, beyond the base, and continue to learn, read and educate yourself, and that doesn't always mean that you have to go to formal education, although I do believe in a good base. My two year degree was an excellent education. I learned a lot of the the basics of my industry, yeah, but then even after that, learning about finance, business structure, there's the possibilities are endless, but I was always passionate about what I did. I just had to add the skill sets. And that's that's the key part, and that's what high school is about. If we talk about elementary, junior high, Senior High, we're not really you kind of learn everything, yeah, and that's important. And people go, Well, what am I going to learn about history? Well, there's so much I could go on and on about my my career, and how some of the things that I kind of turned my nose up in, you know, Junior Senior High, that now I'm reengaged and I'm like, Man, I wish I would have learned more about right? It even applies to what I do.

 

Mitchell Roush  08:42

And that critical thinking, the problem solving, the the well roundedness, all of that contributes. You're, you're, you're a successful business owner, and you're, you're, you've got a lot of people that work with you, and you're making an impact in your hometown community, which is really cool, thinking back to your school experience, whether that was elementary school, middle school or at Senior High, what? What was an experience you had that helped you get on this path?

 

Brian Levander  09:09

I think that I just had a lot of teachers that cared about me and my future, and even today, I have teachers or staff that are customers of mine. That's so cool. I kind of laughed Doug Jensen, who he was at Senior High. He wasn't the principal. I think he was vice principal, yep. And I kind of laugh. And I say, you know, did you think that that's kind of funny that now I'm working on your car. You probably thought that, you know, what's this kid gonna come do after school. So that's enjoyable. Yeah, and, and I never would have dreamed the opportunities that were right here in Grand Island. Yeah. Yeah, you know, going back to the scenario of thinking that I needed to go somewhere to make an impact, to build a life, have a family, and it's it's where you're at. So if you can engage and give back, this community will do that, and that starts with the school system. I'm a firm believer in public schools. I'm a firm believer in the public school system and their kids today, even when I was going, there broken families, just so many dynamics that teachers are dealing with today. And I I just they do make a difference, and they have made a difference, and they made a difference in my life. And I take that. I don't take that lightly, and that's why I try to give back and stay engaged in not only our community. Levanders is across four states, yep, 180 employees, and now we're not only impacting Grand Island, but that impact from my education and my start here is now impacting communities across the Midwest.

 

Mitchell Roush  11:04

Be where you're at and make an impact. And if you're doing what you're passionate about, the opportunities to grow are going to come.

 

GIPS COMMERCIAL  11:17

Public Schools and news flash, registration for the 2026 27 school year is now open at GIPS. That's right. Registration for Grand Island Public Schools is now open for preschool, elementary, middle and high school. March 31 is the deadline to request placement in your neighborhood school. Go to gips.org/registration for more information and to register your scholar. Today, we're ready to make the next school year a great one. Join us. Go to gips.org/registration, to learn more and to register your scholar for Grand Island Public Schools.

 

Mitchell Roush  11:53

I really love hearing what you're saying about just this Grand Island community that's been my experience, right? I had the opportunity to join the school district five years ago, I did not I'm not from here, but I moved my family here, and my daughters are in school here, and it's been everything you've highlighted has been that experience for my family as well too. It's become a great place to be, and schools are such a big part of that, and I see how well they're taking care of my kids, and it's just like, yeah, we can be here. We can make, make something happen here, which is really cool.

 

Brian Levander  12:24

Yeah, I think the real limitation in anyone's life is, is themselves and what they can apply, and that that community is given to you and your family. If you can give back to that community and be engaged, which you are engaged, you're doing great work here. It'll get the community will give back. And I've seen it.

 

Mitchell Roush  12:47

Coming back to your nine to five, your levander's industry, and everything that you're doing here. I know that you're again, you talked about going to CCC and Milford for two years. You're working in automotive. You're managing people in four different states, but that means you're a big believer in the trades and in education. We call that career technical education these days, you know. But I guess I think this is one of the reasons why I wanted to talk to you. Why do you think it's important to keep, you know, CTE, or trades opportunities in front of students?

 

Brian Levander  13:18

Well, I think it's even more relevant today than people realize with AI and how quickly technology is changing. It's changing quickly in our business. I mean, the cars that I started repairing, even in 1997 have transformed, and they're even it takes hands, and it takes people, yeah, and the trade, that's why I'm so trades bullish, and it's also a real economic engine for rural Nebraska, yes, and the communities that we're in, because these are things that aren't shipped out. They're not ordered through the mill. And by, I really feel by repairing a vehicle in Nebraska, those wages, those dollars, are rolling right here. There is a need for new you know, yeah, obviously, every everything, and every vehicle has a service life in it, but the more, the more we can keep that on the road, and that cascades into parts, that cascades into so many jobs. And I just feel strongly that that that is what will make the difference is the trades. I have friends in construction, plumbing, machining, welding, all those are great careers. And again, you can take it as far as you'd like.

 

Mitchell Roush  14:47

These are incredible career opportunities. And building trust in the community, like, it's a big deal when you're like, Yeah, I trust my mechanic. So many great opportunities, not just to make good money, but to do. Do exciting work in the trades.

 

Brian Levander  15:03

Yeah, and I think you touched on that, and we talked about it earlier, is about being passionate about it, because I've seen a lot of people that have followed what they were told they should, rather than finding that purpose and that that passion for themselves, that's a good point, and I think that the schools and the teachers are doing a really good job, but just kind of like we talked earlier, throw it on the wall, see what sticks. Yeah, and I've had a lot of younger men and women that have come into our industry, and some of them have left and, and, but there's a lot of them that maybe have left, and I encourage it, I tell them. I said, Well, if this isn't for you, go, go, try, go, try, what you think. And I've had some come back. I've had some of them move out of state employees that started out when I was young, and then moved to the bigger cities, and they've come back. Yeah, and that, and that, that, to me, is a testament to this community. It's exciting.

 

Mitchell Roush  16:10

It is exciting to see. So you're, you're a product of public schools. You said you're proud of your public school experience. And so one thing I like to do with everybody that guests on this podcast is, I like to ask them the same question, because I'm always fascinated to hear the answers, especially with alum like like yourself, who don't work in the schools every day. So I want to ask you, Brian, you know, what's one thing about public education that you want people to know?

 

Brian Levander  16:39

You know, I I don't know. Maybe I'm not the best person to speak to this. I don't know what I don't know, but I would say that education at its core is the essence of upward mobility. Yeah, without an education and adding skills, it's all about adding skills, and that's that lifelong stack of skill building is what it's about. So if you have a if you have a great foundation of exploring in life and trying new things, that life will never lose its luster. And I, I, I come to work every day, I kind of laugh because I'm doing the same I'm doing. I've been working at the same job, doing the same thing for almost 30 years. It's incredible, yeah? And I think about that, like, yeah, how many people can say that? Like they they're working at their first job after graduation. And that's that's the fun part. And I think maybe what most people need to realize is the heavy lift that the educators are doing they've always done, but what they're doing today, and sometimes there isn't support at home? Yeah, you're absolutely right. I don't think that some people realize what some students are going through, and the things and that the educators are doing beyond just education in public schools.

 

Mitchell Roush  18:16

Yes, that that is a that is a salient word, and I'm I see that every day. I see the way our educators, and when I say educators, I mean all 1600 people that work for us, but like, I see the way our educators care for students, and it's incredible to see.

 

Brian Levander  18:31

Yeah, I used to work, actually, I had the opportunity to speak at the GIPS fundraiser here recently, yeah, and I got to share my story, and how many kids that I, for instance, work during high school a graveyard shift. So I was working a full time job and a part time job. And there's a lot of times that school was just, I was going, Yeah, you know, getting through it, but I had a whole other life that I was that I was working on and struggling, and that's I think that the educators, the ones that I talked to, they see it and they know it, and they they need that story out there that they're providing more than education. They're raising our some of our kids.

 

Mitchell Roush  19:16

You're absolutely right, because it's, it's that hierarchy of needs, like a student isn't going to be able to get excited about learning if also their social emotional needs aren't met, or they don't have a good meal, or these sorts of things, and they get all of that at school, and that makes a difference.

 

Brian Levander  19:34

Well, and that's unfortunate that that's the place or the void that public schools have filled and again, the educators would attest to it that they they are doing work that probably the original education system was not designed for, and without that, the whole fabric of our communities starts to unravel. Really. Right? And so, yeah, my hat's off to the educators and education system, because they are doing, you know, they might be being a quasi parent, you know what? Whatever that looks like. I don't know, but I have an idea. Yeah, I have an idea.

 

Mitchell Roush  20:18

Well, that's a good word, Brian, I appreciate the time today. Is there anything else you would like to share?

 

Brian Levander  20:24

No, no, I just thank you, and thanks to all the staff at Gish and what they do every day, and really appreciate their efforts and what they're doing for our communities.

 

Mitchell Roush  20:35

Well, thank you for sharing your time and your voice, Brian, and also thank you for everything you do for the community, because it is it is making an impact.

 

Mitchell Roush  20:48

Thank you once again, a huge thank you to Brian lavander for not only being generous with his time and sharing his story with us, but for all the ways that he is making a positive impact in our Grand Island community. And thank you, listeners, as always, for joining us here on the GIPS cast. We wouldn't be here without you. So friendly reminder to all of our families in the community, registration is still open for Grand Island Public Schools for the 26-27 school year. So go to gips.org/registration to get all your info there to get enrolled for the upcoming school year. And listeners, if you enjoyed this episode or you enjoy this podcast, be sure to give us a rating or a review on your favorite podcast platform. Whether you listen to us on Apple, Apple podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Weber, if you give us a rating or a review, it'll help other people discover us along the way. Thank you for joining us here on the GIPS cast, and we will be coming back at you soon with some more great stories from our district. 

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