FRONT PORCH

Neal Communities, Southwest Florida’s largest private homebuilder, recently hosted a field trip and bus tour for students from the Riverview High School Construction Academy, as part of Neal Communities ongoing support of the Construction Academy.

Students from the Riverview Construction Academy had an opportunity to visit Grand Park, a resort style community in Sarasota. Students were hosted by Katie Alderman, community affairs coordinator, and project managers Bill Baptiste and Greg McSwain who discussed land development and construction.

From there, the bus tour allowed the students to observe various construction sites with projects in progress, including land development, slab pouring, framing, electrical and plumbing rough-ins, siding, drywall, stucco completion and roofing, with expert commentary from the project managers. Students finished the day with an opportunity to meet with the sales team to discuss the process of selling homes.

“The students we hosted are going to be great additions to the construction industry,” says Alderman.  “They were fully engaged in the tour and asked great questions as they learned more about the construction process as well as home selling.”

Neal Communities has supported the Construction Academy since Day One, donating more than $60,000 to the Academy, including a recent $11,300 donation that went toward purchasing supplies needed to give students the kind of real-world training necessary.

The Neal Communities donation was spearheaded by Charlene Neal, president of Charlene Neal PureStyle, a partner company of Neal Communities, and who is an alumnus of Riverview High School. In addition, Neal Communities is providing staff resources to assist with the program, from guest speakers and field trip opportunities to internships. The Construction Academy incorporates a curriculum from the National Center of Construction Education and Research, along with providing hands-on experience for students.