Bridging the Talent Gap
ACE Day connects future workforce with college/career opportunities By Rhonda Crowder | Photos by Alaina Battle
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very December, for the last 13 years, the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland has hosted ACE Day – an opportunity to expose Cleveland-area students to the architecture, construction and engineering (ACE) professions. The event consists of an ACE project-based activity, college/career exhibition area and a hands-on trades exhibit with groups rotating between three stations. There is also always a raffle with lots of prizes, including items from the Cavaliers and Guardians. This year, ACE Day was held at Cleveland State University’s conference area inside the Wolstein Center with more than 145 teens, from 11 high schools, in attendance. Glen Shumate, ACE Cleveland executive director, welcomed the students before introducing Asha Brown, an ACE Cleveland alum who attended Max Hayes and Lincoln West. “ACE helped me confirm my passion for engineering,” says Brown, who went on to graduate from the University of Akron and now works as a project engineer at Whiting-Turner. “I gained a fuller understanding of the industry through ACE.” At Whiting-Turner, she reconnected with ACE and now serves as an ACE INVITING OPPORTUNITY The 2025 ACE Day was held at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Cleveland mentor at Warrensville Center with more than 145 teens in attendance. Heights High School. She finds being a my years as a mentor, I noticed students received change orders requiring them to mentor, helping students envision their future, rewarding. Brown also serves on are easily distracted with presentations reorder their sequence based on the new the ACE Cleveland Alumni Committee. so we want to encourage a different style problem – from a flooded basement to missed client payments. Professionally, she’s currently working of learning.” Acting as project teams for a new “The idea behind this activity is the on the Birthing Beautiful Communities community center, groups of ACE project will change while you are workproject on E. 65th and Chester. ing, just like in real life,” Myer says. “ACE helped set me on this path When the teams finalized their by giving me early exposure and sequence, they needed to be able to confidence,” she says. answer the following questions: what Richard Schoephoerster, dean of caused your biggest delay, which role Washkewitz College of Engineering was impacted the most, and what at Cleveland State University (CSU), was the hardest decision to make? also welcomed students to the “The activity allowed for teams campus. He talked about CSU’s new of students to debate the terms and Construction Management program order and learn about the design and how making sure the school Joe DiGeronimo process,” Myer adds. attracts talent keeps him up at night. In the hands-on trades exhibit area, During the ACE Mentor projectPrecision Environmental Company various activities were guided by local based activity, Sam Myer LEED construction companies and unions. ID+C, interior designer at AODK “I think this is very important,” says Architecture and co-lead mentor at Day participants were given a shuffled Garrett Morgan High School, facili- deck of phase cards. They had to work Mike Soltis, a 24-year tilelayer and busitated a base sequence/change order and together to determine the order, without ness representative for the Cleveland/ assistance from their advisors, from first Akron/Canton area of the Local 23 final lock-in activity. “In years past, the RFP presentation idea to opening day. Once they had International Union of Bricklayer and has been lecture-style,” Myer says. “In the process in order and approved, they Allied Craftworkers. “It gives young
“By giving them the opportunity to not only see, but to be able to actually operate equipment and tools of the trade, is an experience most [students] have not been able to have in their life.”
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