$50 for Remodelers Council members
$60 for MBAKS members
$70 for nonmembers
The Future of Our Workforce
Our industry depends on a robust workforce and that depends on getting more young adults interested in and trained for a career in construction and the trades. At our November RC Dinner, we're looking at what we can do as a community, as an industry, as a council, and as independent businesses to tackle this complex issue.
Our speakers will cover a variety of workforce challenges, including exposing youth to the trades, training inexperienced candidates, continued skill development, and establishing a safe and welcome company culture and work environment.
Featured Guest Speakers
Sarah Smith
Executive Director, Sawhorse Revolution
An educator, jill-of-many-trades, and co-founder of Sawhorse Revolution, Sarah received a BA in English Literature from the University of Puget Sound, graduated in 2008, and promptly realized the importance of hands-on skills training. Since then, she has been working to develop experiential learning programs for youth. Smith received a Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2012 and has been working at Sawhorse since graduating. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, reading, and time with friends and family.
Catie Chaplan
Instructor, Wood Technology Center, Seattle Central College
The first woman ever to graduate from the Marine Carpentry Program at the Wood Technology Center (formerly Gompers), Catie has been a professional builder for the past 26 years and has owned and operated a residential design/build company in Seattle since 2002. Catie has also been an instructor at the Wood Technology Center since the mid-1990s and is currently the lead instructor in the Carpentry program. She teaches computer-aided design (CAD) and computer numeric control (CNC) classes at the WTC and is interested in combining digital fabrication with traditional building techniques.