Several Durham office employees were excited to partner with one of our subcontractors, Baker Roofing, to participate in a Triangle SHED competition. Sponsored by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), SHED stands for “Student Hands-on Experience Day,” but it actually does involve teams of high school drafting and carpentry students designing and building a shed. Local general contractors and subcontractors – who participate in ongoing partnerships with Wake County schools to educate students about the construction industry – mentor students for the competition.
The drafting competition consists of creating framing plans and exterior elevations for an 8’0″ x 11’6″ shed. A panel of local architects will judge the drafting competition and determine the design winner. The design winners will be awarded laptops capable of supporting their school’s drafting software.
The construction portion consisted of two parts: a pre-build and a day-of-build competition.
Pre-build As is typical, the LeChase/Baker team started its prebuild day with a tool box talk, covering safety of hand tools and a brief orientation of the tasks to be performed. The teams spent the rest of the day learning skills to properly install an asphalt shingle roof – including proper layout and installation of chalk lines and the importance of pre-planning work to ensure a quality job at the finish. Also looking to develop the students’ confidence and build their pride in learning a trade, mentors engaged in discussion of the students’ interests and professional development goals. The afternoon ended with clean-up by the students and some face-to-face time with Frank Baker, the owner of Baker Roofing.
Day of Build Thursday and Friday, the students oversaw all aspects of constructing their shed. LeChase and Baker Roofing volunteers were on hand to supervise and verbally support their team, but could not physically participate until Saturday, when they were allowed to help in completion of the shed. It was a very exciting event for the students, and on Saturday their parents were also invited to see their work.
Although – regardless of outcome – the event helped create awareness and interest in construction-related careers, we are pleased to announce that the team comprised of LeChase/Baker Roofing/Cary High School placed third in the competition.
Congratulations to the team, and thanks to the following volunteers, whose support and partnership made the event successful:
- Preparation of event and ABC Council Members: Brooke Hathaway and Duran Davis
- Day of Build volunteers from LeChase: Matt Kenne, Jack Goodrich, Chris Cooper, AJ Mullins
- Cary High School team members: Noah, Will, Brooklyn, Bryson, Rudy and Kevin (teacher)
- Baker Roofing Day volunteers: Wayne Stanfield and Alex McGee
