Forum Launches Construction Forum Education Foundation
Date Posted: April 1, 2015
Posted In: Ideas, News, Organizations,
At the Construction Forum STL quarterly networking event Wednesday (April 1), Forum President Joe Blanner presented an update on Forum activities, including the formation of the Construction Forum Education Foundation.
“We are collectively part of an industry that has literally built this city,” he said. “The Forum seeks to help build a sense of community and connectedness with that industry. It seeks to bring people from diverse sections of the industry together so that constructive communication can take place and the industry as a whole can grow and prosper. Of course the Forum is in its infancy, but it is growing and maturing.
“You already know that we send out a weekly e-newsletter to over 11,000 construction professionals and that our website is an aggregator of construction news and information getting 17,000 page views last month. What you may not know is that we uploaded nearly 100 news items to the website last month alone. What you also may not have known is that the Forum added employment listings to the site in Mid-February. Since we added this feature to the website, we have had over 72 employment listings and now send out an employment and events newsletter.
“As incredibly exciting as all this is, there are much more exciting things on the horizon for the Forum. Today, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Construction Forum Educational Foundation. The Foundation will have two primary purposes:
“First, it will conduct original research in partnership with St. Louis area universities, educational institutions, industry trade organizations and companies on topics relating to construction in St. Louis. WUSTL, SIUE, SLU, Missouri S&T and SLCC have all expressed an interest in becoming actively involved in helping to oversee the efforts of the Foundation and in participating in the research.
“Second, the Foundation will seek to promote STEM Education among area public and private primary and secondary schools with the purpose of encouraging and preparing area youth for a career in the St. Louis construction industry.
“You will hear more about these initiatives in the coming months.”