CONSTRUCTION READY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Training and Site Management
Job Titles:
- Director, Program Support
Job Titles:
- Director, Program Development
Courtney Moser has quickly settled into her new role as a full-time teacher at Thomson High School.
Job Titles:
- New South Construction Company / Construction Ready Supporters
Job Titles:
- Director, Program Support
Job Titles:
- JE Dunn Construction Board Chair
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Training and Site Management
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Training Development
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Statesboro High Instructor
Statesboro High instructor Josh Hall (far left), Evan (second from left), and the rest of the SHS team pose with the finished assembly that won them first place in the Teamworks contest at the 2023 SkillsUSA State Championships. Hall has been a mentor and key influence in Evan's life and career path.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Recruitment
Job Titles:
- Sovereign Construction & Development
Job Titles:
- Project Manager Joshua under With When He Was at Allison - Smith, Points to Willis' Career As a Great Example of the Opportunities SkillsUSA Can Open Up
"We always have someone [at SkillsUSA] judging to see what the students can do. We try to recruit from [those] students, and Joshua was one that we picked up," Mikko says. "Just being able to get to that level and compete shows a lot. You don't have to win to succeed in a career. If you can just get to this level [of competition], it puts you in front of a lot of people, and who knows what opportunity you'll come across."
It's certainly paid off for Joshua, and he's been intentional about paying it forward.
"I thank God that I've been able to not only achieve my goals, but also to be an example to others," he says. "It's awesome when you get young people coming in excited, wanting to learn something different, then when you show them the way to apply those technical skills, it's like the light bulb goes off and they say, ‘I got this.' That's really the best part about it.
Michael Mikko, a project manager Joshua under with when he was at Allison-Smith, points to Willis' career as a great example of the opportunities SkillsUSA can open up.
Job Titles:
- Director of Facilities for Bulloch County Schools, Recalls His Staff Being Initially Unsure about a High Schooler Tagging Along on Jobs. but Evan Quickly Won Them over
"He earned the respect of everybody he worked with," Macy says. "You realize right away there's something unique about this kid. He is exceptionally mature. He has a tremendous work ethic. He follows instructions well, he anticipates and goes the extra mile, he is completely trustworthy and reliable."
As Evan was finishing his senior year, he sought career advice from Hall, who recommended the highly regarded construction management program at Kennesaw State University. Evan applied and was accepted, and shortly thereafter he applied for and was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from SkillsUSA.
As a KSU freshman, Evan already is eyeing the future, both the short-term - he has plans for a summer internship - and a more distant time, when he anticipates a career in either commercial or residential construction management.
"I have a general idea of what I want to do," Evan says. "I want to be over multiple sites and I want to be the guy that's calling everybody trying to get the sites organized, scheduling, just basically over everything. I kfnow it will take a few years for me to get my name out there and get known enough for the subcontractors to be able to trust me and trust my judgment. I just want to be that guy."
That's the voice of a natural leader talking, like a quarterback who wants the ball when the game is on the line. Macy confirms Evan has that "it" quality.
Ryan Macy, director of facilities for Bulloch County Schools, recalls his staff being initially unsure about a high schooler tagging along on jobs. But Evan quickly won them over.
Scott has held many different jobs throughout his life, including paper boy on the icy roads of Washington D.C.; lifeguard on the sunny beaches of St. Augustine, Florida; sports writer under the bright lights of high school football in South Georgia; and communications manager for the Atlanta Paralympic Games.
But in 1996, Scott found his calling. That year, Scott was hired as Director of Education and Safety for the Georgia Branch, Associated General Contractors (AGC). There, he learned about the construction industry's need for motivated, trained, quality workers.
Scott joined CEFGA in 1998. Under his leadership, CEFGA has received national recognition for its annual CareerExpo and SkillsUSA State Championships, which draws more than 7,000 attendees annually; and its Construction Ready Program, which has trained and placed more than 500 residents in the construction industry since 2014.
A Florida native, Scott moved to Statesboro, Georgia in 1989 to attend Georgia Southern University, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. He also met his wife there. While working out at Gold's Gym, Scott spotted Kara Martin on a StairMaster. Scott and Kara celebrated their 28th anniversary in 2023. Today, they live in Decatur, Georgia and have two beautiful children, Martin (age 16) and Sophie (age 13).
Scott's favorite quote is one by Walt Disney: "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Operations
Job Titles:
- Director, Admissions & Community Impact
Job Titles:
- JE Dunn Construction Board Chair
In 2022, the Georgia Department of Education began implementing a new Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) career pathway in select high schools and career academies. In 2023, Metter College & Career Academy began offering the program, and it already has paid off for senior Zach Driggers.