Ingenuity Winter 2018

Pond Ingenuity Winter 2018 15 E v e r y year, Pond's Jacksonville office and its Financial Manager, Donna McQuade, plan, fundraise and work to ensure the success of the local Jacksonville Construction Career Days, which will take place February 13 th - 15 th . Construction Career Days was started in 1999 by transportation industry officials to increase the number of workers in the construction industry. This national educational outreach program was designed to introduce high school students to various career opportunities in a hands-on environment where they can operate machinery and speak with industry veterans. Local events are held in almost all 50 states and are organized by transportation industry partners from the public and private sectors. The first Jacksonville event was held in February 2015, and McQuade has been there since the very beginning. McQuade worked with the co- cha i r s t o o r gan i ze t he corporation, open bank accounts, and consulted with an outside CPA to establish the non-profit (501(c)3) status from the IRS. “This event is the only one of its kind that exposes juniors and seniors in high school to cons t r uc t i on - r e l a t ed industry jobs,” said McQuade. “It’s i mpo r t an t f o r students who are not college-bound to know there are good jobs available to t h e m u p o n graduation and it is just as important to show college-bound students different types of disciplines in engineering if they are i nc l i ned t o cons i de r those areas.” Planning for the event each year begins at the close of the previous event. There are twelve committees, each composed of Florida Department of Transportation members (FDOT) and consultant staff. McQuade holds the position as Treasurer and her counterpart in the FDOT District 2 Financial Office, Donna Higgs, coordinates the grant work while McQuade handles expenses for the main event and record keeping, as well as coordinating private sponsorships, donations and the disbursement of funds for the annual golf tournament. “We work diligently all year to obtain sponsors, and we have been very fortunate that so many contractors, engineers, surveyors, and others have been so generous in their sponsorships,” said McQuade. The project averages about $110,000 in expenses, and since they receive only $45,000 in grants from the FDOT, it becomes critical that the private sector raise enough funds to cover the remaining expenses. McQuade said it has been rewarding to be part of the event team and noted that working directly with FDOT staff, as well as colleagues in the industry, has given everyone a chance to work on a common goal without project interference or consultant/FDOT bias. “Many of us were heavily involved with creating the first event and each of us has taken pride in its evolution,” said McQuade. “We have watched it grow into a well- respected educational presentation where we have students traveling three hours one way to attend.” Katherine Frye | Staff Writer Construction Career Days Jacksonville participates in hands-on leaning opportunity for high school students. ity