Builder Chicks represents the day-to-day needs of women in the construction industry. We offer the latest building news, links to educational resources and job boards. We bring you stories related to developments that affect all construction workers. Enjoy your first cup of morning coffee with Builder Chicks.

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YouthBuild: Constructing a Brighter Future for Low-Income Teens

Giving underprivileged girls and boys a chance for a brighter future is the goal behind one of the most successful construction programs in the United States today.

What started as a glimmer of hope for kids in East Harlem in 1978, is now one of New York City’s most impressive youth training programs of all time. Designed to provide young women and young men with a set of construction skills to transform their lives from poverty to triumph, YouthBuild offers more than just hands-on training. It encompasses an entire educational program to transform young lives.

Funded through private donations and grants from the US Department of Labor (DOL), YouthBuild provides construction opportunities for teens who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to develop marketable skills.


Builder Chicks supports YouthBuild 100-percent. We’ll be bringing you announcements of future events that you can take part in and covering the success stories of YouthBuild construction projects around the nation.

Will the Home Star Program Help Your Construction Business?

We surely hope so.

With the nation still in the grasp of an economic recession, Congress is now considering the Home Star Bill that could provide the funding to create as many as 168,000 new jobs.

The program will offer rebates to citizens who install energy-saving appliances and take part in weatherizing their homes. This could be a big boost for the construction industry but in order to be effective, we must get the word out to our clients.

Learn about the program and approach former clients who have expressed interest in energy-saving technology now. If you can provide the actual figures for savings, you could get some new clients.

The details are not finalized yet, but the program would separate energy saving measures into categories, classified under "Silver Star" or "Gold Star" depending upon the type of energy saving measures the homeowner chooses.

Check back with Builder Chicks as we follow this bill. We'll bring you the latest developments as they happen.

Until then,
Build it Sister!

How's the Building in Your Neck of the Woods?

In Kansas City last month (January 2010), residential construction rose by 26%, but the biggest news, and not good news, is that all other forms of construction took a dive.

Non-residential construction in KC was down 59% last month, compared to January of 2009. Needless to say, that does not bode well for some of the bigger contractors who then send smaller crews on jobs the little contractors depend upon.

Let's get out there and get this thing talked up. A rise in the economy depends upon new construction starts. It's like a house built of cards, one card falls over knocking down the rest...until one card simply refuses to fall. That stops the collapse.

Get out there and be the card that refuses to fall. Talk it up. Encourage your clients to build or remodel now.