Representatives from more than fifty different businesses/agencies attended the “Worlds of Work” (WOW) Career Expo event at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, October 15th.  WOW’s unique, hands-on event is exclusive to seventh graders, many of whom are just beginning to seriously consider what they’ll be when they grow up.

On hand from Lantz were Specialty & Industrial Projects Coordinator Pete Harman, Senior Superintendent Kyle Cash, and HR Manager Susan Grossman.  The three helped open the eyes of thousands of local seventh graders to the wonderful world of construction.

The 12 and 13 year-olds used a laptop to view the completed projects photo gallery at www.lantzcc.com, tried on a hardhat, and learned about several different tools that are commonly used in the construction field.  Pete and Kyle demonstrated the use of a power screwdriver and supervised as the young students (and even Susan!) took turns at driving a screw into a pressure-treated wooden beam.

As HR Manager, Susan explained about the various career opportunities within our industry, which include not only field personnel, superintendents, engineers, and project managers, but also estimators, preconstruction personnel, and multiple support office/admin staff.

Career categories represented in addition to Architecture & Construction included Law, Public Safety & Corrections, Education & Training, Finance, Health Science, Manufacturing, and Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics, among others.

An estimated 2,400 students participated in the event according to Velma Bryant, Dean of Student Services at Blue Ridge Community College who coordinated the career expo.  She added, “This doesn’t include about 150 chaperones and 300 other business representatives who walked around to explore and network.”

Pete, Kyle, and Susan were all “WOWed” by the experience of interacting with the enthusiastic students and all expressed an interest in participating again next year.  For more photos, visit our Facebook page.

Pictured: Kyle Cash, Susan Grossman, and Pete Harman