Careers in construction: Developing careers & communities
October is Careers in Construction Month, which spotlights the opportunities for both experienced professionals and future prospects in the industry or in the field.
The impact of the construction industry can be seen and felt everywhere you go; from the suburbs to the city, you can find ongoing projects every day. Many people associate construction with big projects — such as new sports stadiums, amusement parks, and luxury hotels springing up in a ritzy metropolitan area — but the industry can make a big impact in your own backyard.
City Electric Supply (CES) collaborates with construction companies, vendors, and trade partners in various projects improving local communities across the country, and you can be a part of the effort too!
Here’s how construction projects can elevate and support communities.
Supporting local businesses and local industries
The construction industry can provide jobs and wages, and that keeps income in the community. But according to hoganhomestexas.com, it can also support local businesses and local industries, and new local developments can bring about new jobs, increase local spending, improve neighborhoods, and more.
One such project made a big impact on an up-and-coming community in the waterfront district of Tempe Town Lake in Arizona.
G4 Electric, a family-owned construction business, helped develop Pier 202: a groundbreaking, 24-story, billion-dollar facility that houses businesses like retail stores, restaurants, and high-end apartments.
“Being able to work on Pier 202 brings a lot of validation to our hard work over the years,” G4 Electric Co-Owner John Gosney Jr. said during the project. “Soon, we’ll be looking back at the tallest towers in Tempe.”
Local branch CES Chandler supplied electric materials for the development, including PVC, junction boxes, MC cables, feeder cables, connectors and couplings, and more.
As the owner of an independent construction company, you can build your resume by working on projects (small and large) in your community and teaming up with local suppliers like CES to bring you the material you need and support local industries.
Housing andrestoration
Within the construction industry, the home remodeling and restoration market has grown in recent years. An estimated 454,100 residential remodelers were employed in the second quarter of 2026, accounting for over 49 percent of total residential building construction employment.
One high-impact housing remodel project was the restoration and repurposing of a century-old textile mill into a 300-unit apartment building led by TBA Construction in Greenville, South Carolina.
CES Spartanburg supplied the essential materials like switchgear, cable, feeders, wire nuts and fasteners, aluminum wiring, and other miscellaneous items for the project.
“It’s nice to have a supplier who’s nearby and knows how we operate. We don’t ever have to worry about price negotiation; CES always gives us a fair market price. When we put stuff out for bid, CES is consistently at the top,” shared Tradd Bruce, owner of TBA Construction.
Modernizing a century-old building takes experience and specialized knowledge.
“Old textile mills have such a heavy construction that you really don’t see anymore,” said Bruce. Take, for example, the floors: “Five-and-a-half inch thick spline wood, saturated from textile equipment, with two or three layers of hardwood planks — and in this particular case, there was another 3-inch concrete slab on top of that.”
With over a decade of partnership and 16 total mill restorations under their belts, CES Spartanburg and TBA Construction have tackled learning curves and built a relationship based on efficiency and trust.
“It’s a special niche we’ve carved out, and CES has been a great trade partner throughout,” said Bruce.
The corporate side of the construction industry
Careers in construction aren’t just available on the industrial and residential side. There are also opportunities in the corporate sphere.
For CES Director of Corporate Solutions Group Nancy Ramdon-Connolly, a journey in the construction industry began as a part-time customer sales job that led to a bigger role in project management.
“Taking on additional challenges and responsibility just made sense to me,” said Connolly. “I didn’t start out knowing my job could be a career, but that’s exactly what it was.”
And corporate projects can benefit local communities too!
The Corporate Solutions division of City Electric Supply collaborated with long-time partner NSI Industries to help construct its headquarters in North Carolina.
Having a major headquarters built in your local community can open up opportunities for jobs for residents; it can also revitalize the area as a whole by bringing a new customer base to other local businesses like CES.
With help from local supplier CES Waxhaw, the project gave NSI a new home base to display company products and create a better experience for local employees.
The benefits of a career in construction
From project management to the jobsite, you can elevate your community by being a part of developments across the industrial, residential, and corporate sectors.
Whether you’re a current professional with decades of experience in the field or just entering the industry through a construction training program or construction apprenticeship, there are plenty of opportunities to grow.
The construction industry won’t just make an impact on your life; the innovative projects you work on can also make a positive difference in the lives of others.
