North Bay construction-worker shortage eyed for $2M push to recruit young adults

Story by North Bay Business Journal.

With thousands of construction jobs estimated to be needed to rebuild thousands of North Bay homes lost in the wildfires — not to mention housing projects underway beforehand — a Santa Rosa businessman on Wednesday proposed that a multimillion-dollar pitch be made to win the next generation’s hearts and minds over to careers in the construction industry.

The lure of careers in construction needs to be effectively communicated to the 16–34 age group as lucrative, “cool” and even “patriotic” and their contribution to the area’s recovery after the October firestorm, said Lawrence Amaturo to a couple dozen local construction, business, education and government leaders he invited to a presentation at the North Coast Builders Exchange’s offices in Santa Rosa.

“This isn’t going to be like joining the Marines, but it should be seen as something noble, even patriotic,” Amaturo said. He owns a car dealership, car wash and a media group with several North Bay radio stations and a business magazine.