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Lowe’s Takes the Lead at Builders’ Show
 Continuing a partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement that began in 2004 with the creation of the HBI/Lowe’s Building Careers Scholarship Fund, Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB, will be conducting a range of activities at the upcoming International Builders’ Show in Orlando with support from Lowe’s.
The Lowe’s booth (W-1543) is always one of the major attractions on the show exhibit floor with ongoing contests and product demonstrations and giveaways. This year Lowe’s has donated exhibit space and manpower throughout the week to promote its joint ventures with HBI.
Demonstrations of HBI’s English as a Second Language (ESL) training tool, Sed de Saber-Construction Edition, will occur continuously at the Lowe’s booth. Lowe’s sponsored the development of this product to join in the housing industry’s commitment to improve job-site communication and safety among Spanish speaking workers.
Skills Competitions
On Wednesday, Feb. 13 and Thursday, Feb. 14, NAHB Student Chapter and SkillsUSA members will go head to head in craft skills competition sponsored by Lowe’s. Two high school students from each program will be required to read and interpret blueprints and work as a team to install an exterior door and trim and a window and trim and complete detailed carpentry trim work for an interior wall. Awards and prizes will be presented to the winners on Friday, Feb. 15 at 1:00 pm.
Throughout the week, HBI Job Corps students will occupy the Skills and Employment booth (W 5389), demonstrating their trade skills and competing against all challengers in a nail driving contest. On Wednesday, Feb. 13, students will stow their tools to go head-to-head in the third annual "Job Corps Jeopardy! Championships" starting at 2:00 p.m. Lowe’s has provided a $100 gift card for the winner
Recognition of Landmark Accomplishments
On Thursday, Feb. 14 at 1:00 p,m., two Job Corps graduates now working in the building industry will be honored for their outstanding accomplishments:
- Ebony Ferguson, a graduate of John Gaddis’ electrical class at the Golconda Job Corps Center (JCC) in Illinois will receive the Shirley McVay Wiseman Lach Award for Exceptional Promise, which is presented annually to an outstanding woman graduate.
- Eric Marion from Robert Collin’s electrical class at the Brunswick JCC in the Atlanta region will receive the NAHB President’s Award.
The awards will be presented at the Lowe’s booth by NAHB Past President McVay Wiseman and NAHB President Brian Catalde, respectively.
Quarter Million Dollar Mark Reached
Following the awards presentation, HBI Oversight Officer and NAHB President-elect Sandy Dunn will be joined by incoming HBI Chairman John Moffitt and Job Corps student ambassadors to receive another $50,000 contribution from Lowe’s to the HBI/Lowe’s Job Corps Building Careers Scholarship Fund. This year’s donation will bring the total Lowe’s contribution to the scholarship to $250,000.
“Lowe’s has been a wonderful partner to HBI over the past few years and we are thrilled that they continue to expand their support of our programs,” said HBI Chairman Bill Paul. “Lowe’s has proved time and time again that they are committed to invigorating the residential construction workforce while helping some of HBI’s brightest students enter jobs in our industry.”
For more information on any of these activities or for a complete roster of HBI events at IBS, e-mail Maria McIntyre at HBI, or call her at 800-795-7955 x8912.
Home Builders Institute Offers New Program to Teach Hispanic Adults English
 Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition is an easy-to-use, take-home learning tool created exclusively for the construction industry by the Home Builders Institute to improve communication, quality and safety on the job site.
The product, now available at www.seddesaberconstruction.com, uses proven LeapFrog technology to allow workers to listen, record and play back their pronunciation of more than 500 vocabulary words and 340 phrases. Participants who practice 30 minutes each day will complete the program in just four months. Learning at home, on their own time, also eliminates scheduling conflicts.
 Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition was developed by a team of subject matter experts assembled through HBI — including superintendents, craft skills experts, remodelers and builders — to ensure that the information is relevant to today’s home building workforce. To address worker safety issues related to the language barrier, HBI created a seventh book based entirely on the NAHB-OSHA Job Site Safety Handbook.
NAHB members can purchase the learning system, all seven books and a skills assessment to chart employee progress for $395 per kit. The non-member price is $495. Order today and empower your workers to learn English at www.seddesaberconstruction.com.
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