Immel Construction, along with an excellent group of local contractors in the area, led the programming for Green Bay's first ever She Builds Summer Camp for middle school aged girls on August 4th through the 6th. This free, three-day camp put on by the Associated General Contractors of Wisconsin gives participants hands-on building and tool experience, tours of active jobsites and organizations, and opportunities to learn about careers in construction and architecture.
So, what did Green Bay’s group of up-and-coming young women in construction experience in their three days of camp?
Day 1
The week kicked off with learning the importance of safety in construction, from a morning stretch and flex session to navigating the purpose of each piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) given to the girls. The group learned how the outcome of one activity can affect the rest of a schedule by crafting their own pull planning boards for the week.
After lunch, the girls traveled to a local architect, Somerville, for an introduction to architecture and interior design in the commercial construction world. The presentation was perfectly paired with a jobsite tour of Somerville’s new office space currently under construction, led by Immel Construction’s Superintendent Rob Van Donsel, accompanied by Kate Sheblak, Project Manager at Immel Construction.
Day 2
After a morning stretch and flex and adjustments to their pull planning schedule boards, the group dove into the world of estimating in construction. Ashlee Everson, Estimator at Immel Construction, led a mock bid day where each group carefully put together a bid form under a time crunch detailing the construction project they were to complete later in the day – building cedar planter boxes.
Veteran’s 1st of Northeast Wisconsin, an organization dedicated to providing supportive affordable housing for veterans, organized a seamless building activity for the group with assistance from the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. After some tool identification and conversations around safety, the girls used power tools, table saws, nail guns, and more to construct six planter boxes donated to Veterans 1st Tiny Homes Village initiative. Learn more about the Tiny Homes Village here: www.veterans1stnew.com
When they weren’t getting their hands dirty in the shop, teams were formed during their introduction to interior design in a residential space to pick out different types of carpeting, tiling, and other flooring for a client’s new home.
Day 3
Watch out on day 3 – our young construction experts toured a local mechanical fabrication shop where they even made their own marshmallow shooters. “Sticking” to the marshmallow theme, the girls competed to see who could build the tallest and most structurally sound tower made only of marshmallows and spaghetti sticks.
Parents were invited to join the girls during a career path panel discussion where they all asked questions to women in the industry including those who help with career planning to women who are currently working in the trades.
The girls finished their final day of camp with presentations on their biggest takeaways of the week. They expressed interest in careers in carpentry, interior design, and construction estimating, and talked about their favorite activities from the planter box build and marshmallow towers to the field trips and chance to make new friends.
Do you know a young girl in your life that would excel in a She Builds construction camp, or that would simply enjoy learning more about careers in construction? Mark your calendars for summer 2026 to be on the lookout for next year’s camp registration!