Northeast Wisconsin contractor awards grants to students in skilled trades

A northeast Wisconsin construction company awarded grants worth up to $1,000 to young adults pursuing skilled trades and construction undergraduate programs.

Fond du Lac-based C.D. Smith Construction announced it picked three high school seniors for a skilled trades construction grant and three people in technical or undergraduate programs for the construction management grant.

The grants, created by a partnership between the contractor and the Fond du Lac Area Foundation, cover expenses such as tools, safety gear and educational costs, officials said.

Grant winners for the skilled trades grant were:

• Gavin Bodart, Fond du Lac High School.
• Logan Pluim, Laconia High School.
• Hailey Savasta, Franklin High School.

The construction management grant awardees this year were:

• Logan Supply, North Fond du Lac High School, attending Fox Valley Technical College.
• Jeb McDowell, North Fond du Lac High School, attending Fox Valley Technical College.
• Shelby Kraus, Kiel High School, pursuing a construction management degree at UW-Platteville.

In addition to the grant programs, C.D. Smith hired two of its six construction youth apprentices from the 2024-2025 school year as full-time employees for the summer, company officials said. They will work in the field alongside Gavin Bodart, a skilled trades grant recipient and graduate of the Architecture, Construction and Engineering Academy at Fond du Lac High School.

Three youth apprentices from Rhinelander High School, Freedom High School and Fond du Lac High School will join the program this summer, officials said. They will gain hands-on field experience through the summer of 2025 and will have the chance to continue working part-time during the 2025-2026 school year, officials added.

The youth apprenticeship program offers students the opportunity to earn school credit and wages while developing skills under the mentorship of local construction professionals, officials noted.