The Master Builders Career Connection, (MBCC) a philanthropic arm of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties will participate in the second annual MAGIC (Mentoring a Girl in Construction) Summer Camp presented by the Puget Sound Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).  The camp is designed to give high school girls an introduction and hands-on experience to potential careers in the building industry. 

The event will be held June 27 through June 29, 2011 at Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC training facility in Everett.  Journey level tradeswomen will team teach with instructors in safety, carpentry, electrical, tiling and welding skills during this  free, three-day program.  For the final camp project, students will build Charlie’s House, a sustainable house complete with electricity.  Charlie’s House is an award-winning program of the Master Builders Career Connection, who is also a sponsor of MAGIC Summer Camp. 

Master Builders Career Connection Executive Director Cathy Feole notes, “We are very excited not only to sponsor this great NAWIC event, but also to provide a true building experience for young women who rarely have the opportunity to learn carpentry or to actually build a structure.  NAWIC does a wonderful job of providing these kinds of experiences for young women and the Master Builders Career Connection is proud to be participating.”

The event is also sponsored by The Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC and the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

Master Builders Career Connection (MBCC) continues to provide scholarships to students who are pursuing construction related degrees at the University of Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University and local community colleges. After considering many worthy candidates, the selection committee has awarded scholarships to the following recipients for 2011: Nathan Pozzesi from Washington State University; Ryan Hunter and Christopher Murdoch from University of Washington; Rafe Samonte from Edmonds Community College; and Kari Sypher, Morgan Holtz and Wendy Borgatti from Seattle Central Community College.

By Brad Brickman, Constellation HomeBuilder Systems.

In today’s socially networked markets builders and remodelers cannot afford to have buyers that are not fully satisfied with their purchase.  I recently hosted a webinar by Rob Bowman, President of Charter Homes and Neighborhoods, who presented the 7 customer-centric practices that helped them, earn the 2011 National Housing Quality Award.  

I have provided some excerpt of the article published in last October’s Professional Builder Magazine (website link here). The article describes how customer satisfaction is more than great service and warranty — it’s about making the home-buying experience something truly special.   

If you are interested in viewing the webinar please contact me for details.  You can also visit our blog www.customerdiscussion.wordpress.com to view other great webinar presentations by Charlie Scott, Woodland O’Brien & Scott, Brooks Powell, Powell Homes, Chip Pennington of Shea Homes and many others.

Here is a snapshot of the 7 practices Rob presented that have the potential to make the biggest impact on your organization.

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By Dede Henley, CEO of The Dede Henley Group.

“We have not even to risk the adventure alone.  For the heroes of all time have gone before us.  The labyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path.  And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a God.  And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves.  And where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our existence.  And where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.”

Joseph Campbell

We have a way of thinking about challenges that happen to us in our lives as a hero’s journey.  Joseph Campbell, who was an American cultural anthropologist, had a lifelong passion for myth.  He studied and mapped the cohesive threads in mythology that existed among even disparate human cultures.

Every great adventure movie has the hero’s journey as its backbone.  In “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Dr. Indiana Jones, is hired by the U.S. Government to find the Ark of the Covenant, which is believed to still hold the ten commandments. Unfortunately, agents of Hitler are also after the Ark. Indy, and his ex-flame Marion escape from various close scrapes in a quest that takes them from Nepal to Cairo. 

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Have you or someone you know been thinking about pursuing a new or different career path in the residential construction industry?  Are you considering a university, community or technical college program, but concerned about the cost?  If so, then Master Builders Career Connection (MBCC) may be able to help.

MBCC will be accepting applications for scholarships through April 1, 2010 for individuals seeking training from colleges in King and Snohomish Counties, as well as the University of Washington, Washington State University and Central Washington University.  To be considered, scholarship applicants must be enrolling in a certificate or degree program related to construction or its supporting services.  Examples of qualifying education programs include but are not limited to: construction project management, carpentry, construction technical training, design, architecture, and drafting.

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