Construction Ready

CHAMPIONS’ AWARDS SPOTLIGHT: While many companies would be worthy of our K12 Employer of the Year Award due to their impactful engagement in the K12 space, Holder Construction stands out this year for its sheer level of involvement across multiple key initiatives: ·      Sending 21 team members to lead a high school construction class for a week after the program’s instructor unexpectedly left at the start of the 2023-24 schoolyear ·      Providing longstanding leadership in executing the SkillsUSA state Team Works competition ·      Leading the way in key K12 workforce priorities, most notably through youth internships and jobs. Holder Construction’s consistency in doing the right thing, even when difficult, is an inspiration to our team and a demonstration of what is necessary to secure our future as an industry! Pictured: Holder Senior Vice President Greer Gallagher #constructionready #constructionindustry #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #constructioneducation

CHAMPIONS’ AWARDS SPOTLIGHT: Our Pre-Apprenticeship Employer of the Year is Hogan Construction Group, a company that has served as a model partner with our adult training program. Hogan representatives have attended more than 30 hiring fairs in the last two-and-a-half years, hiring and mentoring many men and women from our Pre-Apprenticeship program. This partnership echoes the company’s belief in prioritizing client relationships, strengthening communities, and doing so with a culture of caring. Hogan Construction also has supported Construction Ready by attending our employer consortiums and giving valuable feedback on what the program should look like. Additionally, in our K12 space, the company has hired graduating seniors and been involved with local Metro Atlanta school advisory boards, helping construction teachers provide the best learning outcomes for students who desire to go directly to work after graduation. Thank you to Hogan Construction Group for your invaluable support in helping us close the skilled labor gap in Georgia! Pictured are Hogan’s Amy Sue Mann and Paul Hogan Jr. (with Construction Ready CEO Scott Shelar, first photo). #constructionready #constructionindustry #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #constructioneducation

Congrats to our Luke Fletcher on a well-deserved promotion to Vice President of Recruitment, Placement & Retention! Luke will lead our adult training programs in Georgia and Florida, as well as support K12 learning and work-based programs throughout the two states. “In his four years with Construction Ready, Luke has shown a great passion for recruiting men and women into the skilled trades,” said Construction Ready President and CEO Scott Shelar. “Luke Fletcher is a valuable addition to our management team.” Luke is a former high school construction teacher and SkillsUSA Club Advisor in Houston County. He also served in the United States Air Force for 20 years, and in the electrical power production career field. He earned a BS in Business Administration from Touro University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration from Trident University International. #constructionready #constructionindustry #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #constructioneducation

CHAMPIONS’ AWARDS SPOTLIGHT: Meet Bo Dooley, our 2024 Leadership in Education Award winner in the High School category. As a CTAE teacher at Sonoraville High School, Bo is a tireless supporter of SkillsUSA and a developer of students in masonry, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, blueprint reading, and team collaboration. Bo’s students have won seven SkillsUSA state championships, and he has sent more than 100 graduates into industry careers in his seven years as an educator, including the first six at Gordon Central High School. This year he moved across the county to Sonoraville School, where he leads his industry-certified construction program and serves as leader for the Northwest Cohort, a group of construction teachers who support one another through regular meetings, discussions and encouragement. Bo is a great example of a skilled-trades educator who is fully committed to helping build tomorrow’s workforce through his leadership in the classroom, the construction lab, and the competition floor. Please join us in congratulating Bo Dooley on this award, and for his impactful work with the students of Gordon County! #constructionready #constructionindustry #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #constructioneducation Georgia Department of Education SkillsUSA Georgia

CHAMPIONS’ AWARDS SPOTLIGHT: Meet Donny Holmes, one of two winners of our 2024 Leadership in Education Award. As Program Director and Instructor of Construction Management at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Donny Holmes is a long-time Construction Ready partner and an advocate for technical education and careers in the skilled trades. Prior to joining the GNTC faculty in 2005, Donny had a successful career in industry, including as a Project Manager for MECO Builders in Chatsworth, an Estimator at Dalton Paving and Construction, and a Project Manager and Estimator at Downey Metal Products in Calhoun. In 2014 he was named Instructor of the Year at GNTC, where his duties also include serving as Program Director of Residential Energy Efficiency Technology. He has participated in and led numerous teacher training workshops in partnership with Construction Ready’s K12 division, and several graduates of his program have gone on to become construction teachers themselves. “I chose to teach in a technical college,” Donny says, “because I love to communicate my knowledge and experiences of construction to those wanting to learn, so that they, in turn, can experience pride and accomplishment by building Georgia. It is always rewarding to see a student learn to build, trim, estimate, and schedule a construction project, all while receiving an affordable education that will greatly impact the community they are in.” We are extremely grateful for Donny’s commitment to the work of Construction Ready, and for the immeasurable impact he continues to have on the construction workforce in Georgia! #constructionready #constructionindustry #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #constructioneducation

Today we honored 17 craft professionals, educators, companies and industry leaders at our 2024 Champions’ Awards Breakfast at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Stay tuned as we share details about each winner in the coming weeks, and in the meantime, please join us in congratulating these worthy recipients: * Leadership in Education: Donny Holmes, Georgia Northwestern Technical College; Bo Dooley, Sonoraville High School * Pre-Apprenticeship Graduates of the Year: Dontavious Greene, IUOE Local 926; Kimberly Binns, Hogan Construction Group; Tra’Quann Williams, Atlanta Gas Light * K12 Graduates of the Year: Melany Rodriguez; Titan Electric; Avi Sanchez, RW Allen Construction; Ryan Gilbert, Phoenix International * Pre-Apprenticeship Employer of the Year: Hogan Construction Group * K12 Employer of the Year: Holder Construction * Employer of the Year: Allison-Smith Company * Metals Teacher of the Year: Matt Hayden, Cedartown High School * Drafting Teacher of the Year: Amanda McClure, Union Grove High School * Teacher of the Year: Jeff Johnson, West Laurens High School * Impact Award Winner: Horace Kilgore, East Hall High School  * Administrator of the Year: Dr. Joseph Depenhart, Golden Isles College & Career Academy * Lifetime Achievement Award: Mike Dunham, AGC Georgia #constructionready #constructionindustry #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #constructioneducation  

THURSDAY THRIVERS: Meet Brayen Jones, an East Laurens High School senior who’s been welding since he was in middle school and is building valuable on-the-job experience with one of the largest steel fabricating companies in the U.S. “Now that I’m doing it every night, I’ve gotten a lot better and I’m confident I can fab anything that comes through,” says Brayen, who also competes in SkillsUSA contests and has qualified for the 2025 State Championships next February. Read more about this talented young man at https://lnkd.in/e7w5tNQP! #constructionready #constructioneducation #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #successstories #thursdaythrivers

“Saying hello doesn’t have an ROI. It’s about building relationships.” – Gary Vaynerchuck, Entrepreneur The construction industry needs more young men and women, and relationships form the bridge that will get them there. That’s why we take every opportunity to engage with students at a grassroots level, showing and telling them about the many rewarding career paths a career in the construction industry offers. It’s an extended process, but we’re getting there! #constructionready #constructionindustry #constructioncareers #rewardingcareers #skilledtrades #constructioneducation

Congratulations to the winners and others placing in the inaugural Georgia HEO State Championship at Toombs County High School! “Out of 24 years in education, this is the single greatest thing I’ve ever been involved with,” TCHS Instructor Tom Broadnax told Savannah’s WTOC Channel 11 (see video link in first comment below). “When I first started teaching, I came in to get kids to go to college. Now, yes I still support that, but I’m seeing kids get out of this program going straight into industry jobs,” Broadnax added. “This thing is taking off.” #constructionready #constructioneducation #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #handsonlearning #heavyequipment Georgia Department of Education

THURSDAY THRIVERS: Today we step outside our usual series of in-house success stories to share this remarkable one from The City Menus featuring Auburn University student Jocelyn Lorena Hernandez. It illustrates the powerful impact that can result from a strong high school construction program and an industry partner willing to mentor aspiring young professionals. In Jocelyn’s case, that mentor was Chris Stone, who served as RaLin Construction’s director of Field Operations when a partnership between Carrollton High School and RaLin was developed in 2018. Stone, she says, “didn’t let me stick to my corner. I think he saw potential in me that I wasn’t even aware existed.” Read the rest of Jocelyn’s story below, and join us in wishing her the best in her studies and future career in the construction industry! #constructionready #constructioneducation #constructioncareers #skilledtrades #successstories #thursdaythrivers