A Time of Thanksgiving [1]
The mission at Construction Citizen [9] is straightforward but it is not simple at all: “the advancement of a socially responsible, sustainable and value added construction industry” cannot happen without our industry sponsors, community organizations, and others working diligently on a daily basis.
The Construction Citizen team has made great strides in recent years by bringing to light the scourge of worker misclassification [10], putting in focus the workforce challenges [11] of the Gulf Coast, championing solutions like the Construction Career Collaborative [12], and featuring the great work of community colleges [13] and service organizations like Community Family Centers [14] and Neighborhood Centers [15].
Our sponsors [16] make all this possible and we cannot thank them enough.
We also need to say a special thank you to the working men and women in the industry who build America every day. These craft professionals are blue collar heroes [17] who leave for work before the crack of dawn and often do not get home until after the sun has set.
One of the most rewarding aspects of doing our work is being able to put faces with the landmarks in our communities. The historic courthouse, the schools, shops, banks and other businesses all around you were built by craft professionals like carpenters, masons, roofers, waterproofers, electricians, crane operators and others. They’re all dynamic people with stories of their own [17].
The industrial construction boom now taking shape along the Gulf Coast can only be fully realized if men and women are willing to step up to the challenge of welding, pipefitting, electrical work, and more.
Visiting jobsites all over Texas, we’ve met so many people willing to roll up their sleeves and toil in the hot summer sun or the cold of winter to build that school, that courthouse, and that beautiful new home for a couple just starting out in life.
More recently, we’ve been inspired by the stories of community college students who had been working in other professions and are now retooling and retraining to compete in the workforce. Many of our nation’s veterans are retraining in the same way so that they’re ready to tackle the projects necessary to keep this nation moving forward.
When sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast this year, we’ll include in our prayer thanks for the hard work of men and women in construction and other industries who form the backbone of the American economy.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from all of us at Construction Citizen.