GROWING EMERGING LEADERS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

At this month’s STA Annual Awards Gala, eight young construction professionals were recognized as emerging leaders in our local New York City construction industry.  These individuals are part of a larger effort by the STA to “grow” young leaders for our rapidly aging industry.  Our Young Professionals program initiated by the STA in 2017 through the efforts of Senior Vice President Samantha Sweeney Annarumma, have been successful in bringing these individuals together to share best practices, network, and participate in educational programs.  However, there are far more young professionals to engage with in the hopes of “growing” them as the next generation of leaders in the New York City construction industry.  While they represent the future, these young emerging leaders appear to represent the exception rather than the rule where leadership trends in construction are concerned.

We are part of an industry that is dangerously growing older.  In a recent article published by Construction Dive, it was stated that according to an analysis by the National Association of Home Builders, the median age of workers involved in construction across the country is 43.  By occupation, first line supervisors of construction trades, extraction workers, and construction managers had the oldest median age at 46.

The high median age of construction workers is just one of the contributing factors to workforce, talent, and leadership shortages in the industry.  We are lying to ourselves if we deny that we are experiencing a similar “aging out” crisis here in New York City.

I urge the member firms of the STA to look inside their organizations and push their younger staff to join our Young Professionals group.  Membership in this group can only broaden the experience and perspective of these young staff members and turn them into the emerging leaders of your companies and in turn our association.  For more information on the STA’s Young Professionals program, please contact Samantha Sweeney-Annarumma at ssweeney@stanyc.com.

Take the gamble and urge your young professionals to get involved in our STA programs!