Local KW Non-Profit Launches to Inspire Youth Into Construction – Legacy Builders Construction Careers Association

Beth plays a key role in shaping how the construction industry is seen and celebrated. As Marketing & Design Specialist at Hewson Brothers, she manages campaigns, digital platforms, and community engagement initiatives that highlight the work of contractors and suppliers across Ontario. Her background in branding and content creation allows her to tell powerful stories about people, products, and projects in the construction sector.

Stefani works as a Project Coordinator in EXP’s Building Sciences division, where she’s involved in all stages of building envelope projects. Her responsibilities include conducting field reviews, providing construction updates, performing leak investigations, window and door water testing, and roof inspections.

As a local organization dedicated to career exploration for youth, the Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region is proud to be a partner of Legacy Builders. In our rapidly changing world, youth face a greater challenge than ever determining how to translate their goals and skills into a satisfying career path.

Jason supports contractors across commercial, modular, residential, industrial, and agricultural projects by supplying the right building materials and ensuring strong client relationships. His work includes helping customers find product solutions, managing orders, and coordinating with builders to keep projects on track.

As a Project Coordinator at Jackman Construction, Emily supports the planning and execution of construction projects by coordinating between consultants, trades, and internal teams. Her role includes managing schedules, tracking budgets, reviewing contracts and change orders, and ensuring project documentation is accurate and up to date. Emily ensures clear communication across stakeholders, helping projects run smoothly and efficiently.

What started in 2022 as a grassroots initiative by the Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA) and its Leaders in Construction (LinC) Committee has blossomed into a high-impact, independently driven program: Legacy Builders, now proudly presented by Melloul-Blamey and Hewson Bros..

Across Canada, the demand for skilled tradespeople is growing faster than ever before. In Ontario alone, our industry will need more than 100,000 new trades professionals in the next decade to keep pace with the infrastructure and construction projects on the horizon. As someone who grew up in a construction family and now works in the industry, I’ve seen firsthand both the opportunities and the challenges we face in attracting the next generation of builders.

We’re proud to have Hewson Brothers Building Supply as our Digital Media Sponsor. For over 40 years and through four generations, Hewson Brothers has been a trusted name in the construction industry. They know what it means to show up, put in the work, and invest in the people who keep our industry moving forward. And now, they’re helping us take that same energy into classrooms across the region.

GVCA deConstructed Article

In this article we talk about the importance of the Legacy program and how the program came to be.

LinC committee chair Christina Rauchfleisz-Shantz says “Our initial goal for the program was to schedule one classroom session a month with 30 students per class, for a total of 300 students reached over a 10-month period. But with the incredible interest since its launch, Legacy Builders has reached a total of 1440 students by the end of June 2023, with an additional 300 students on the waitlist for the fall 2023-2024 school season.”

In this webinar, we explained what Legacy Builders is and why it is such an important program for our industry! Here is your chance to watch! Click the link below to watch our zoom webinar put on by Trades for Tomorrow