Careers in Construction: Developing Careers & Local Communities
October is Careers in Construction Month, which spotlights opportunities the field provides for experienced professionals and future prospects. The construction industry’s impact can be seen and felt everywhere you go.
However, with a 650,000 construction worker shortage looming over the industry, development delays on various projects, from homes to hospitals to highways, are becoming commonplace across communities of all sizes, according to LinkedIn News and CNBC.com.
From the suburbs to the city, you can find ongoing projects every day. However, many people may associate the construction industry with big projects such as new sports stadiums, amusement parks, and luxury hotels springing up in a ritzy metropolitan area.
But, the construction industry can make a big impact in your own backyard. According to holdrite.com, new local developments can bring about new jobs, increase local spending, improve neighborhoods, and more!
You can be a part of changing your local community for the better by working in a variety of roles in the construction industry. Electrical wholesaler City Electric Supply (CES) has collaborated with construction companies, vendors, and trade partners in various projects across the country.
Find out how construction projects can elevate your community!
A Big Impact on Small Businesses and Local Industries
One such project that made a big impact on an up-and-coming community took place in the waterfront district of Tempe Town Lake in Arizona.
“Being able to work on Pier 202 brings a lot of validation to our hard work over the years,” G4 Electric Co-Owner John Gosney Jr. said. “Soon, we’ll be looking back at the tallest towers in Tempe.”
G4 Electric, a family-owned construction business, worked on a groundbreaking, 24-story, billion-dollar facility, housing future businesses like retail stores, restaurants, and even high-end apartments.
The construction industry provides jobs, wages, and keeps income in the community. This, in turn, will improve the local economy, as the workers employed on the project will have wages to pass along to other local businesses, according to hoganhomestexas.com.
Local branch CES Chandler supplied electric materials, including PVC, junction boxes, MC cables, feeder cables, connectors and couplings, and more, to one of the biggest developments to ever hit the area, Pier 202.
As the owner of an independent construction company, you can build your resume by working on projects (small and large) in your community and teaming up with local suppliers like CES to bring you the material you need and support local industries.
Housing and Development
Another project that made an impact on a local community was the ongoing 1,900-home project led by construction company Signature Homes in Hoover, Alabama.
The billion-dollar project began developing six communities in the area in 2017. One community is Abingdon by the River at Lake Wilborn, a 55-plus community catering to an active adult community with resort-style amenities.
Based on a report by the National Association of Home Builders, building 100 homes in a single area means an additional $28.7 million in local income, as well as $3.6 million in revenue to the local government. This also means around 394 jobs added to the local community.
CES Alabaster helped supply material to local trade partner CJ Electric in order to install the electrical wiring in the new homes.
“They supplied all the wiring, plugs, switches, breakers, panels — pretty much anything we needed,” said CJ Electric Field Manager Jeremy Ingram.
Working as an electrical field manager and overseeing the electrical installation of construction sites is another vital role one could take in the construction industry.
The Corporate Side of the Construction Industry
Careers in construction aren’t just available on the industrial and residential side. There are also opportunities in corporate.
For CES Director of Corporate Solutions Group Nancy Ramdon-Connolly, her journey in the construction industry began as a part-time customer sales job that led to a bigger role in project management.
“Taking on additional challenges and responsibility just made sense to me,” said Nancy. “I didn’t start knowing that my job could be a career, but that’s exactly what it was.”
And corporate projects can also benefit local communities too!
The Corporate Solutions division of City Electric Supply collaborated with long-time partner NSI Industries to help construct a new NSI building in North Carolina.
Having a major headquarters built in your local community can open up opportunities for jobs for residents, it can also revitalize the area as a whole by bringing a new customer base to other local businesses like CES.
With help from local supplier CES Waxhaw, the project gave NSI a new headquarters to display company products and create a better experience for local employees.
A Career in Construction Could Be for You!
No matter if you own a construction business, work as an electrical field manager, or help plan construction projects on the corporate side, you can elevate your community by being a part of developments across the industrial, residential, and corporate sectors.
Whether you’re a current professional with decades of experience in the field or someone thinking about breaking into the construction industry, there are plenty of opportunities to grow.
The construction industry won’t just make an impact on your life, it can also impact the lives of others through innovative projects.
