Future Construction Industry Leaders Get Competitive in Novi

ABC Emerging Professionals Officially Kicked Off in Mid-September

Networking can be an intimidating part of growing as a professional, especially when society has shifted to an era of email and texts, and no phone calls. It’s hard to approach someone you don’t know and strike up a conversation out of nowhere. However, put 20 strangers in a room with a little competition and suddenly you’ve taken the fear out of networking.

The first networking event for the Emerging Professionals group had connections flying across the room as partnerships were made to dominate the Fowling alley at The HUB in Novi.

Joe Krajacic, an estimator at Robert Clancy Contracting, quickly teamed up with John Lizza from AssuredPartners to create a winning partnership during the night.

“I was not expecting us to be that good at this. Bowling and football are two mutually exclusive sports, so getting a handle on the way the pins fall when a football strikes them was challenging,” Krajacic said. “But man, once John and I got the hang of it, we just had a blast taking on the guys at AIS and John’s co-worker.”

“I was not expecting us to be that good at this. Bowling and football are two mutually exclusive sports, so getting a handle on the way the pins fall when a football strikes them was challenging,” Krajacic said. “But man, once John and I got the hang of it, we just had a blast taking on the guys at AIS and John’s co-worker.”

Krajacic joked saying by the end, their connections were limited due to John and his skill level at the game, but they left the competition on the alley.

“Even after two years, it’s nice to go to social events and I’m looking forward to the line-up of social events mixed with professional development to propel me further in my career at AIS,” said Mike Boulus, rental manager for AIS Construction Equipment Corp.

At the end of the night, attendees were informed about their next Emerging Professionals event, which will be in November. This event will turn to focus on professional development—particularly leadership development in the construction industry. Former executive VP for MITA, Mike Nystrom will impart his leadership experience acquired over 30 years in the industry and help guide young professionals from entry-level to leader.

The mission of the Emerging Professionals group is to continue building up the construction workforce by providing employees of ABC members opportunities to develop as a professional and take on higher responsibilities at their company. Emerging professionals can expect to learn about construction technology, business goals, financing, and more topics mixed in with the all-important networking opportunities.

“We really want to emphasize that leaders aren’t an older version of entry-level workers. They need opportunities to grow and connect in the industry with people in similar positions,” said Kelly Forrester, ABC communications manager and co-leader of Emerging Professionals. “We think that the more support they get from their managers, the more support these young professionals can give back to their companies.” 

This group is free for ABC members to take advantage of. Any ABC member employee under 40 interested in joining can reach out to Kaylee (kcohen@abcsemi.org) or Kelly (kforrester@abcsemi.org) for more information.

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