Three years ago, Sr. Project Manager Manny Goitia learned about Webcor’s partnership with the ACE (Architecture, Construction & Engineering) Mentor Program, a free after-school program for high school students that’s centered on workforce development within architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC).

• Throughout the U.S. and Canada, ACE’s local chapters connect high school students with design and construction professionals (ACE mentor volunteers) who inspire them to pursue AEC-related careers through mentorship and education.

As a proud industry veteran, Manny was intrigued by the idea of using his lifelong passion for design and construction to champion the next generation of AEC leaders. Eager to do his part for his beloved industry and LA community, Manny decided to step in and spearhead the LA office’s involvement with ACE.

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• The rest is history. “Volunteering as an ACE mentor is a surprisingly small time commitment that yields huge benefits,” Manny says. “Aside from exposing students to AEC careers, it’s remarkably rewarding to encourage these kids to come out of their shell, then see how quickly and deeply they understand and enjoy designing and constructing buildings.”
• Click here to join YOUR local ACE chapter as a mentor.

Supporting ACE’s 13th Annual Golf Classic

For the second consecutive year, Webcor sponsored ACE Mentor LA/OC’s annual Golf Classic. Fundraisers such as the Golf Classic are critical to sustaining ACE’s resources and activities for students, including:

• ACE's scholarship program
• ACE's summer externship program
• ACE's hands-on learning events such as All Schools Day (students compete for who can build the bridge that holds the most weight) and Build Day (students build 25-SF playhouses that are later donated to a charity for families in need)
• Costs associated with ACE's college tours (transportation, lunches, and supplies for students)
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At the Golf Classic, Webcor volunteers divided themselves into two groups:

• Group 1: Golfers drove, chipped, and putted to promote Webcor (Sr. Project Manager Henry Rivas, Vice President Cecilia Kucharski, Project Director Robert Hackl, and Project Manager Adi Shah)
• Group 2: Webcorians hosted our sponsor booth at the 17th tee box, where they challenged golfers to fun games and distributed refreshments and Webcor-branded swag (Manny, Sr. Vice President Allison McCue, Sr. Executive Assistant Agueda Zarate, Estimating/Outreach Dept. Manager Rosa Arevalo, and Sr. Dept. Support Manager Diane Oliver)

“Last year was our first time sponsoring the event, so we started with just sponsoring a group of four golfers,” Manny says. “We had such a great time connecting with other ACE mentors and AEC companies at their sponsor booths that I suggested to Allison that we do more to support this year! We ended up adding the sponsor booth, which Rosa and I coordinated. We arranged all the swag, tent, snacks, and drinks for the day.”

• Thanks to event sponsors such as Webcor, the Golf Classic raised over $160,000 for ACE’s programs and resources!