Build Like a Girl draws future tradeswomen from across Mid-Michigan

The Great Hall Banquet & Convention Center was filled on Wednesday, Feb. 25 with the noise of chains being pulled, nail guns punching into wood, electric drills driving in screws, and girls’ laughter as the Build Like a Girl event kicked off its fifth annual show in Midland.

The event brings local contractors and suppliers together to offer students a chance to get their hands dirty and learn basic construction skills. The show saw students from grades 5-12 come from all over the state, with some students traveling from as far as Standish and St. Charles.

Walking past the rows of construction booths and watching the young girls wait eagerly in line, it’s easy to forget that the event started only five years ago. At their inaugural event in 2022, things started small with just 16 students registering. Of those 16, only 8 attended. The event has grown steadily each year, drawing a sold-out crowd of nearly 150 students and their families in 2026. As the construction industry faces a labor shortage, the event shines a spotlight on opportunities for young people to find work they can be passionate about.

“There’s so many opportunities out there. There is a lack of skilled workers,” says Cathy Geiger, “and we need more people. So the more opportunities that we can provide to show young people these opportunities that are available in the construction industry, the better.”

Cathy is the Community Affairs director at the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Greater Michigan Chapter. Cathy co-founded Build Like A Girl alongside Stephanie Davis, President of the Greater Michigan Construction Academy, to introduce young women to the trades. While the construction industry has been historically male-dominated, Build Like a Girl shows the students that girls can get in on the fun, too.

“This event is really showing young women that they can do this type of job. We want to get them using tools, using a drill – showing them that there are females in construction that are very successful – so that they can see themselves in those jobs one day, too.”

The event saw local contractors and suppliers presenting the industry with booths and small work sites scattered across the Great Hall. The booths ranged from robotics and electrical wiring to welding simulators and a virtual reality work site. While many of the younger students tested out the tools for the first time, older students visited each booth in hopes of getting insight into a future in the trades. And the booth experts were happy to offer their guidance – after all, they could use all the help they could get.

“We just can’t hire enough to replace that older generation right now,” said Travis Arthur, a six-year industry veteran representing Three Rivers Corporation, “getting the younger generation into the trades and explaining to them that it is crazy lucrative right now.”

Travis described the need for young people to enter the trades, noting that the industry loses five seasoned contractors to retirement for every one new hire. Events like Build Like a Girl are part of an effort to reverse that trend. He worked with students at a welding simulator, allowing the girls to try out metalworking and get real-time feedback. But welding is just one of the opportunities available for young workers entering the trades, as there’s also work in architecture, pipe fitting, ironworking, and HVAC. Three Rivers Corp. offers classes for new hires to train and get paid while they learn their craft. 

“The classes come after hiring. If you don’t have a journeyman’s card already, we enroll right into an apprenticeship, and they can pick which direction they want to go.”

While there’s plenty of traditional work in the trades for students to consider, there are a number of educational pathways to STEM-based careers in construction, as well. STEM represents a number of high-paying jobs in engineering and management, reflecting the variety of roles available for students entering the workforce.

Robbyn Shah brought her two daughters to attend Build Like a Girl and described the impact the event has had. “I think it’s really empowering. It opens a lot of opportunities for girls to be able to see what is out there, and possibly pursue different career paths.” She explained that her daughters have enjoyed visiting each booth and getting their hands on the equipment. “They love working with the different tools and getting to explore the different opportunities available for them.”

But for many, Build Like a Girl represented only the beginning of their journey. At just 10 years old, Maelynne Taylor hopped from booth to booth, excited to work with each of the new tools. While her dad works as an excavator operator, Maelynne wasn’t sure opportunities like this existed for girls. While she’s a long way from deciding on a life in the trades, Maelynne was enjoying everything Build Like a Girl had to offer. “I’m really excited, and it was really fun getting to do all the tools and stuff.”