Family Air Experts was proud to return to TCBA Careers in Construction Week and spend time talking with local young adults about what a career in HVAC can actually look like.
Nathan, Dalton, Mario, and Matthew represented our team for a short 10 to 15 minute conversation with participants. While the talk itself was brief, one part of it made the visit especially meaningful: Matthew was standing in their shoes not long ago.
Before joining Family Air Experts, Matthew participated in Careers in Construction Week himself. This time, he came back as a member of the HVAC industry to share what happened after the program, what the job search was really like, and how the people he met through the program helped him keep moving toward a career in the trades.
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What Is TCBA Careers in Construction Week?
TCBA Careers in Construction Week is a workforce development program presented by the Treasure Coast Builders Association Charitable Foundation through Blue Collar Big Dollar.
The free, week-long program introduces young adults ages 18 to 30 to multiple skilled trades through hands-on experiences and life-skills training. Participants explore fields such as HVAC, electrical, surveying, carpentry, and other construction-related careers before finishing the week with a career fair where employers are actively looking for new talent.
The 2026 St. Lucie County program was held July 20 through July 24 at Indian River State College’s Eastman Advanced Workforce Training Complex in Fort Pierce.
For young adults who may know they want to work with their hands but have not figured out exactly where they fit, that exposure can make a major difference.
From Careers in Construction Week to Family Air Experts
Matthew’s story gave our conversation a perspective that Nathan, Dalton, and Mario simply could not provide in the same way.
Less than a year ago, he was one of the young people trying to figure out what came next.
He talked with this year’s participants about his own experience going through Careers in Construction Week, beginning the job search, and eventually finding an opportunity with Family Air Experts.
Just as importantly, he talked about the period in between.
Finding the right first job does not always happen immediately. Matthew shared how the program gave him useful direction and how Jen Williams and Deb Frazier, who he knew as Miss Jen and Miss Deb, continued to be valuable resources as he searched for the right opportunity.
Jen serves as TCBA’s Director of Workforce Development, while Deb serves as Executive Officer of the Treasure Coast Builders Association Charitable Foundation. Their roles include helping connect emerging workers with training, employers, and opportunities in the trades.
For a room full of young adults deciding what they want to do next, hearing that from someone who recently went through the same process can carry a little more weight than hearing it only from established professionals.
Showing Students What an HVAC Career Can Become
Nathan, Dalton, and Mario were able to give participants another side of the picture.
HVAC is not a single job. Someone entering the industry can develop into a service technician, installer, maintenance technician, controls specialist, commercial HVAC technician, field supervisor, estimator, manager, or eventually a business owner.
There are also different ways to get started.
Some people enter through formal trade education or apprenticeship programs. Others begin as helpers and develop their skills while working alongside experienced technicians. What matters most at the beginning is often showing up ready to learn, listening, asking questions, and taking pride in improving.
That was one of the messages we wanted participants to leave with. You do not need to have your entire career mapped out before you begin.
You need a place to start and people willing to help you keep moving.
Why Programs Like Blue Collar Big Dollar Matter
The Treasure Coast Builders Association Charitable Foundation originally began in 1988 with a focus on scholarships for students pursuing construction careers. Its workforce efforts have since expanded into hands-on career exploration and programs that connect young people directly with local construction professionals.
The results show why that connection matters.
In 2025, 27 young adults graduated from Careers in Construction Week, and nine participants secured employment in the trades or entered a trade program shortly afterward.
Matthew puts a face to that kind of outcome.
A career event is valuable when students learn something new. It becomes even more meaningful when those introductions eventually lead to someone finding a place in the industry.
That is why seeing Matthew return as an employee rather than a participant felt like such a positive part of this year’s visit.
Continuing Our TCBA Workforce Development Involvement
This was not our first opportunity to work with TCBA on introducing young people to skilled trades.
Earlier this year, Nathan, Dalton, and Mario volunteered during a Careers in Construction Day event at Performance Based Preparatory Academy in Fort Pierce. That event gave students a shorter introduction to construction careers and the people working in those industries.
Careers in Construction Week takes that idea further by giving participants several days of hands-on exposure followed by direct contact with employers.
Readers can follow our TCBA Workforce Development community updates to see more of Family Air Experts’ involvement with Careers in Construction, Blue Collar Big Dollar, and other workforce development efforts.
For us, those visits are becoming an important part of how we support the next generation of local tradespeople.
Investing in Local Young People
Family Air Experts supports several programs focused on young people throughout the Treasure Coast.
That includes school partnerships such as our support for Fairlawn Elementary and Fort Pierce Central, youth athletics through organizations such as Mako Soccer Club and Vero Beach Little League, and workforce development through the Treasure Coast Builders Association.
Each program serves young people differently.
Careers in Construction Week is particularly exciting because the connection between participation and employment can be incredibly direct.
Someone can walk into the program unsure whether construction is right for them, spend a week seeing different trades up close, meet employers, and leave with a clearer direction.
Sometimes that direction eventually leads them back into the same room, wearing a company shirt and explaining to the next group how they got there.
Proud to Be Asked Back
We are grateful that Family Air Experts was invited to spend time with the participants this year.
Ten or fifteen minutes is not enough time to teach someone everything about HVAC, and that was never the goal.
The goal was to make the career feel real.
Nathan, Dalton, and Mario could talk about what the industry has offered them. Matthew could tell participants what it felt like to be sitting where they were sitting, go through the uncertainty of looking for work, receive guidance from the people behind the program, and eventually find a place with a local HVAC company.
We hope that seeing someone who recently took that same path gave at least a few participants a little more confidence about taking their own first step.
Thank you to TCBA, Blue Collar Big Dollar, Jen, Deb, and everyone involved in Careers in Construction Week for continuing to invest in the Treasure Coast’s future workforce.
We had a great time meeting this year’s participants, and we are proud to play a small part in helping local young adults discover what a career in the skilled trades can offer.
This was our second time working with the program this year. Our team also volunteered at the TCBA Careers in Construction Day back in March, where Nathan built an HVAC demo board with thermostats, wiring, breakers, and relays so students could get hands on with the trade.
We were back with the TCBA in September, that time on the homeowner side of things at the 2026 Builders Showcase during the Parade of Homes, where Janelle and Bo ran our booth.
You can follow our Treasure Coast Builders Association updates and the rest of our community involvement across the Treasure Coast.
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