St. Croix Valley Home Builders Association Nails Momentum West’s Top Talent Initiative Award

The idea behind Build My Future Wisconsin is to do just that; give high school students the opportunity to spend a day in the construction industry during a hands-on, interactive showcase held at the St. Croix County Fairgrounds in Glenwood City.

For around two and a half hours, participants experience everything from learning labs to equipment operations, getting a front row seat to the nuances of construction-related careers.

From window installation to plumbing and everything in between, students are given a little taste of what a job in the industry might look like.  

Spearheaded by the St Croix Valley Home Builders Association (SCVHBA), over 6,000 students have participated thus far, with more than 50 businesses and sponsors contributing to the success of the program.

“Our ideal targets are high schools to bring in their students, businesses who are passionate about workforce development, and colleges that have programs that are related to the construction industry,” said Amber Cushing, SCVHBA’s executive director.

Momentum West is honored to recognize St. Croix Valley Home Builders Association and the Build My Future program with its Top Talent Initiative Award. 

A Collective to Serve the Community 

SCVHBA operates as a membership base of roughly 140 home building professionals located in the Polk Pierce and St Croix Counties that are passionate about the industry and customers they serve.

In turn, the SCVHBA also offers its members a full calendar of events to participate in that range from networking, professional development, workforce development, and advocacy.

“When you are building or remodeling a home many different people and professional fields touch that house and we are a collective of them that serve our community,” said Cushing, who grew up with a front row seat to the construction industry.  

“My father is a general contractor. I grew up wiping down the table after dinner twice before he put back out his blueprints to continue working after supper,” she said. “I always knew about the construction world through dinner table conversations, but I experienced it first hand when I was laid off during covid from the restaurant I was managing. I went to work with my dad and my brother and fell in love with the process of building homes, and now I can be a part of that industry in this position as the executive officer of the SCVHBA.”

Community Collaboration Underscores Growth and Success of Build My Future Program

With an eye on building out its scholarship program, SCVHBA also hopes to expand its signature Build My Future event into more areas of housing and the building industry like interior design, programming, and spray foam insulation.

“In addition to our Build My Future event we host two tours of homes annually, one in the spring and one in the fall. The SCVHBA also offers our members a full calendar of events to participate in from networking, professional development, workforce development, and advocacy,” said Cushing.

Funding for the program comes from the businesses that support the event in sponsorship and exhibitor involvement. In the past, connections with Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association, Chippewa Valley Technical College, and Northwood Technical College have proved invaluable to Build My Future’s growth and success.

“Chris Wilcox of Creative Homes and Tami Kuchera of Lund Builders have also done immense work to help lift this event up to what it is today,” said Cushing.

The partnership shared with Momentum West has also been beneficial.

“It’s another strong voice for housing and development. It is important to have others that are aligned in an agenda with other stakeholders, and we are happy to have Momentum West as a partner in this,” she added.