Build Your Future Day

BY: MACIE MORGAN, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER | OCTOBER 2022 Every year ABC celebrates Careers in Construction month with social media campaigns, industry success stories and of course, Build Your Future Day. If you do not know, Build Your Future is an initiative put together to bring awarness to the job opportunities the construction indsutry has to offer. Each year the ABC Pelican Chapter joins with ABC Bayou/New Orleans Chapter to invite over 1,000 high school students, from ninth to twelfth grade, to explore what a career in construction could mean to them. Companies from both chapters set up demonstrations and hands-on activities for the students. This gives the students the opportunity to really experience what a career in construction would be like. Students are given the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about some of the largest construction companies in the south through this event. ABC knows that the future of the construction industry is in the hands of the next generation. We want to begin informing students at the beginning of their search for “what’s next,” about the opportunity the industry has to offer and what a career in construction could mean to them.

Josh Rounds, current ABC Pelican Chairman and Vice President of Project Services and Controls at Performance Contractors, had no idea the impact the construction industry would have on his life when he joined it 30 years ago, “as an 18 year old high school graduate, I had no idea of the impact choosing a career in construction would have on my life.” He says each day he wakes up thankful for his career in the industry, the lessons it has taught him and the relationships he has made along the way. During Build Your Future Day, many of the students asked the question “how did you get here?” They wanted to know what that industry professional did to position themselves for the career they currently have. Donn Peterson of Turner Industries has spent over three decades in the construction industry. In that time, not only has he been able to establish lasting work relationships, but also to establish long lasting personal relationships, which shaped and influenced many aspects in his life. “Being coached and mentored from those in the previous generation has been a blessing in ways that are not easily measured,” said Donn. “Now that I am beginning the closing phase of my career, it will allow me to give back to those coming after me. Being able to teach, coach and mentor these young associates will be the honor of a lifetime.” Current ABC Pelican Young Professionals Chair and devoted ABC member, Adam Landry with PALA Group was exposed to the industry at a very young age. He officially entered the industry in 2011 and says his “career in construction has provided him with the opportunity to collaborate and serve a team of the best men and women in the country, to execute a common goal. The industry provides exceptional opportunities for growth, fulfillment and a safe working environment.” As the number of open construction positions in the United States continues to rise, ABC is committed to recruiting and training the next generation of workers through community outreach, personal stories from longterm industry professionals and continuing world-class training at both of our training centers.