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High school students in Dare County recently had the opportunity to participate in a “field day” event sponsored by Barnhill Contracting Company. The event, held at College of The Albemarle – Dare (COA), was designed to provide students a glimpse into the various construction-related careers available through Barnhill and similar businesses.

Barnhill Contracting Company staff expressed how rewarding it was to share the company’s history and career pathways with the approximately 75 local high school students in attendance. Barnhill was the contractor for the newly completed COA – Dare facility.

The event included a welcome from Tim Sweeney, dean of COA – Dare; a construction careers and project delivery presentation by Barnhill director of business development Matt Turner; a virtual design and construction demonstration by Barnhill virtual construction manager Layton Lomax; and guided tours of the campus by members of the construction manager project team – Clint Hardison, Scott Adams and Arthur VanderAa. COA student success and enrollment management staff members also led and participated in tours of the campus. Trade program introductions and informational sessions for HVAC, electrical, welding and computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) were provided by COA faculty members.

“Passion is central to a long, successful career,” said Turner as he spoke candidly about his journey with Barnhill and the industry. “You have to love what you do every day, and I encourage you to explore different trades at COA to find your niche. Thank you to COA – Dare, Dare County and Dare County Schools for a wonderful partnership and to Boomerang for their well-crafted design on this project. We appreciate the many students who engaged in conversation and shook our hands with gratitude. We know you will all go far!”

“I can’t thank the Barnhill team enough for providing the “field day” opportunity for our Dare County high school students,” said Sweeney. “The students could not stop talking to me about this memorable field trip to COA. They were exposed to so many different careers and possibilities for their future. This experience demonstrated to our students how we can truly help them ‘Transform Your Tomorrow.’”

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