The 2025 Youth Remodeling Career Day
On October 15, 2025, a handful of our team members traded their traditional roles to be teachers at the Youth Remodeling Career Day (YRCD) hosted by the Professional Remodelers Organization of New England (PRO New England) at the Bolton Fairgrounds in Lancaster, MA.
[YRCD] consists of a number of different activities [where] students can come and connect directly with companies who are involved in this industry day to day.
Michelle Glassburn, Lavallee Systems
YRCD is a unique experience for trade students across the state, exposing future remodelers to the different career opportunities available in construction. Over 500 students attend and immerse themselves in various hands-on and interactive exhibits geared toward day-to-day construction activities each year. Students cycle through several activities throughout the day, including correctly using a coping saw, bending drip edge, laying out wall framing, shed construction races, handling power tools, or partaking in mock interviews.
Our team is committed to making the trades more inclusive and welcoming to future remodelers, so it was a no-brainer to return for our fourth year. Last year’s activity focused on how to properly laying out walls when framing with essential tools and materials. To fully showcase our company’s skills, this year we hosted activities from both the design side and the build side.
Our designers’ activity, The Puzzled House, consisted of a floor plan puzzle they created that students then had to solve. The goal was to teach students how space planning within a renovation affects not just the designers, but the entire trades team. Collaboration between the client, the designer, the builder, and tradespeople is the key to a successful remodel.
Our carpenters put together two activities. The first was the Tape Measure Relay. One of our carpenters would yell out a measurement (e.g., “Mark 17 and five-eighths!”), then one student from each team runs to measure and mark the board. After a few rounds of measurements, the team that measured their board fastest won.
The second activity, The Staircase Challenge, showcased the basics of staircase planning. Students were taught how to calculate step dimensions (rise and run), and then use our 2×4 block model to visualize the finished product.
In addition to these activities, Owner and Chief Visionary Ben also participated in hosting mock interviews. The mock interviews allow students to practice their interpersonal skills and prepare them for entering the job market.
At the end of the event, students leave the fairgrounds with new tools, gear, including hardhats and safety goggles provided by PRO NE, and a copious wealth of knowledge, assisting them in becoming the best #FutureRemodelers.
BLB would like to thank PRO New England and the other sponsors for hosting an incredible event creating crucial memories and experiences for the next generation. We’ll see you next year for Year Five!
