BVA-sponsored nonprofit to help teens into trades careers

There’s a new nonprofit in the Treasure Valley that’s helping teens get into careers in the trades.

Teens 2 Trades got started because two people with similar causes bumped into each other one day at a meeting and talked. Tommy Ahlquist, CEO of Ball Ventures Ahlquist, wanted to address the lack of workers in the construction trades — a critical issue for developers throughout Idaho.

“We desperately need a vocational school for the trades,” Ahlquist was quoted at the annual Building Owners and Managers Association meeting in February.

Like all good stories, his quest had a happy ending. That’s because Ahlquist ran into Colleen Braga, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County.

Braga also had a cause: getting at-risk teens on track to a career.

“We do really well with our kids (at Boys and Girls Clubs), but like all kids, they get into their teen years and we lose a lot of them,” Braga said. “I asked, ‘Is there any way we can inspire them into a career, into a trade?’ … We desperately needed to find a way.”

Not too long ago, Ahlquist and Braga were in a meeting together and got to talking.

“We sat down and within minutes came up with Teens 2 Trades,” Ahlquist related.

Before the meeting was over, the Inspire Excellence nonprofit had a three-phase plan mapped out in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County. That plan not only established the Teens 2 Trades program but mapped out its trajectory, with a facility set to host classes within the year.

BVA created the Inspire Exellence 501(c)3 nonprofit, which was announced on March 2. Its stated purpose is to connect Idaho teens to trades and industry.

On May 13, BVA will host the first annual Inspire Excellence Awards Luncheon at JUMP in Boise. All proceeds from the event benefit the Teens 2 Trades program. The event is designed to bring recognition to those who “inspire, uplift and serve.” More details on nominations and the event are available on the Inspire Excellence website.

Ahlquist remarked that: “The best part of business is giving back. I am extremely proud of our team at BVA and the Board of Directors of our new nonprofit. … Partnering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County to connect at-risk teens to trades and careers is the mission of Inspire Excellence, and we look forward to making a difference in the lives of these kids.”

Ahlquist added that “every contractor we work with is looking for talent to fill much-needed family-wage jobs.”

“At the same time, teens need line of sight to careers,” he said.

Braga, added, “(The Boys and Girls Clubs) are an organization whose mission is to empower young people to reach their full potential as responsible, productive and caring citizens. We feel passionately that the Teens 2 Trades program is the next critical step in fulfilling that mission.”

Pulling out all the stops to ensure the new venture succeeds, the board of directors of Inspire Excellence will be led by former Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd, who has just stepped down from years of service.

“I am thrilled to lead the Board for Inspire Excellence. There are so many people doing good in our communities, but we see a real need and gap when it comes to at-risk teens. Working with The Boys and Girls Clubs of Ada County, we will connect these Teens 2 Trades. Having a ‘line of sight’ to a career for these kids is critical, and we are determined to make that connection,” stated de Weerd.