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Down the road from Evergreen Roadworks™ stands Parkland College, a nationally recognized vocational-technical and academic institution.
Among the approximately 12,000 students enrolled annually, many are training for trade industries. Parkland offers Construction and Manufacturing certificates, Truck Driver Training, a Highway Construction Careers Training Program (HCCTP) and a Construction Management Degree. All serve to educate the next generation of road construction crews.
With a common passion for the importance of trade jobs, the people of Evergreen have embraced the opportunity to support their community by investing in the students at Parkland College.
One of Evergreen’s Safety Team leaders, Butch Cross, has been at the forefront of this connection. Butch has a background as a Cement Finisher and is an Apprentice Instructor for the Local 143 union for Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’. With this skillset, he was eager to donate his time by teaching Parkland’s quarterly HCCTP Concrete Training Class. Inspired by Butch, Evergreen also donated material for this hand-on training course.
Butch’s favorite part about this experience is the conversations he has with students. “I get to meet with these kids and answer questions about the different trades and how to start out in the unions. I like seeing how these kids are motivated. We need more people like them for these manual labor jobs.”
Butch teaches the Parkland College HCCTP Concrete Training Class
After volunteering to teach the cement class, Butch was asked to join the Heavy Highway Construction Advisory Board, alongside local engineers and business managers from the city. He also sits on the Construction Management Advisory Board with the President of Parkland College.
Jeff Kern, Evergreen’s Quality Control Manager, also sits on Parkland advisory boards. In these positions, Butch and Jeff are important contributors to conversations on construction education. They discuss how to best equip future construction workers for success in the trades.
Beyond teaching and advising, Jeff, Butch and the Evergreen team have been able to host students for tours at Evergreen’s quality control lab, asphalt plant and even on job sites. These experiences give the students valuable insight on their journey to join the field.
Jeff leads Parkland students on a tour of Evergreen Roadworks’ facilities
Evergreen is eager to continue building this relationship with Parkland College each year, supporting students so they can enter the workforce with greater preparation and confidence.
The Evergreen team is continually finding new ways to support these young adults on their journey, such as participating in the Woman of Impact scholarship celebration or sponsoring the graduation meals for the Highway Construction and Construction Managment classes. Evergreen is also proud to have hired multiple students from Parkland’s Construction Managment class.
Each of these touchpoints – teaching, donating, mentoring, hosting, sponsoring, hiring – is a chance to reinvest in this community. For as long as Evergreen builds roads, we will continue to bet on people, building long-term relationships that span generations.
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