HOUSTON – On February 8, Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston (ABC), an association representing the interests of merit shop contractors and their employees, and its educational affiliate Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation, collaborated with NextOp, Lone Star Veterans Association, and East Harris County Manufacturers Association for the Warrior for Life Luncheon. The luncheon, hosted at Greater Houston Partnership, allowed veterans and employers to meet and discuss possible career opportunities. The veterans who attended were pre-screened, qualified candidates eager to jump-start their career.
“We had an incredible turnout of both employers and veterans seeking careers in construction,” said John Boerstler, Executive Director of NextOp. “At NextOp, our goal is to recruit, train, and place high-performing middle-enlisted military leaders into industry careers. This luncheon allowed us to connect over fifty veterans with local employers and hopefully help them land a career in the construction industry.”
Some of the companies who attended the luncheon include MEMCO, JACOBS, SpawGlass, Turner Industries Group, Kauffman Company, and Austin Industrial. The companies seeking employees value attitude, determination, and passion, which are some of the characteristics found in veteran individuals.
“A veteran is accustomed to being mission-driven, committed to team efforts, and is used to a challenging work environment and continuous training,” said Jamie Van Voorhis, Workforce Development at JACOBS. “We want to take all of those talents that they bring intuitively and we want to build skill because we have to build the next generation workforce to do the projects that are already on the horizon.”
To learn more about NextOp and the career networking functions they provide, visit their website here.
To learn more about ABC/CMEF, please visit our website.
ABOUT ABC/CMEF
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association representing more than 21,000 members nationwide. Locally, ABC Greater Houston was founded in 1969, and today serves several hundred commercial and industrial contractors, suppliers and construction associates in the Greater Houston area. Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston represents the interests of merit shop contractors and its employees in the policy-making process of the government, protects and enhances the free enterprise system within the construction industry, and provides educational, marketing, and informational programs for the benefit of members and their employees.
Construction & Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF) is the vehicle through which industry and craft professionals in the Houston area receive formal training. Our goal is to recruit new entrants and retain existing workers through a variety of programs focused on assessment, training, and continuing education. We believe that a community approach to training is fundamental to developing a skilled and educated craft workforce within the entire industry.
