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NKBA and NAHB Kick Off Year Two of the This Old House Generation Next Campaign at Design & Construction Week 2018

Dec 13, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

NKBA and NAHB Kick Off Year Two of the This Old House Generation Next Campaign at Design & Construction Week 2018

All Campaign Dollars Raised at Design & Construction Week to Benefit the Skilled Labor Fund

(Hackettstown, NJ/Alpharetta, GA.) – December 13, 2017 – The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) are continuing their dedication to closing the skilled labor gap in 2018 by helping to kick off the second year of the This Old House Generation Next campaign to encourage and empower young people to join the skilled trades. Design & Construction Week® (DCW), the co-location of NAHB’s International Builders’ Show® (IBS) and NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) will host several events supporting the initiative during its run in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 9-11, 2018. NAHB will co-host an event with This Old House in the Professional Builder Show Village located in the IBS Outdoor Exhibits on Jan. 9. On Jan. 10, the NKBA and KBIS will co-host a ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ fundraising event with This Old House and its television personalities in The Backyard from 4 p.m.–5 p.m.

All dollars raised through the Generation Next campaign during Design & Construction Week 2018 will go to the Skilled Labor Fund, an industry-wide effort to raise funds to address the shortage of skilled labor entering the residential construction market.

The crew from This Old House will be in attendance during Design & Construction Week to support and raise awareness for the Generation Next campaign. On Jan. 9, during the Design & Construction Week opening ceremonies, Norm Abram, This Old House master carpenter, will speak to residential builders, designers, contractors, architects and manufacturers as to why the skilled labor gap is now at crisis level, and how everyone can take action to better ensure the future of the building trades.

“Raising awareness of the building trades as a rewarding career path and mentoring a new generation of tradespeople has been an extremely gratifying experience this year,” said Abram. “I’m looking forward to continuing our effort to reinvigorate interest in our industry among young people and closing the skilled jobs gap.”

Abram will share details on how DCW attendees can get involved in the campaign and encourage everyone to donate to the Skilled Labor Fund. On day two of the show, he and the rest of the This Old House television team will be joined by This Old House Ventures’ CEO, Eric Thorkilsen, and NKBA CEO, Bill Darcy, at the ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ event in The Backyard from 4 p.m.–5 p.m. ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ will take place on the Fairway Architectural Railing Stage with beer provided by HomeAdvisor. The event will celebrate the great strides the Generation Next campaign and its partners made in year one, and encourage the industry to continue to support the effort in 2018.

The NKBA is committing $10,000 in scholarship dollars to the effort, while also dedicating communications throughout 2018 through its skilled labor initiative aimed at changing traditional perceptions about vocational careers. NAHB and SGC are also contributing an additional $5,000 a piece to the fund.

“Closing the skilled labor gap is critical to the future health of our industry,” said NKBA vice president of industry relations Suzie Williford. “Without an army of skilled tradesmen and women, all construction projects will take much longer and cost much more. Design & Construction Week is the perfect place to bring attention to the career opportunities in a growing industry for well-paying trade professions, and avoiding the burden of college debt. The NKBA is proud to support Generation Next and be a part of such an important cause.”

“Addressing our industry’s labor shortages is the number one issue for NAHB members,” said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard. “Joining forces with our trade partner organizations on this shared initiative allows us to direct even more focus on reaching all sectors of the industry and work together to build the future workforce of the residential construction industry.”

“We’re proud to once again host This Old House and its Generation Next campaign at Design & Construction Week to kick off a new year in the effort to close the skilled labor gap,” said Brian Pagel, senior vice president, Emerald Expositions. “The ‘Beers for Trade Careers’ event happening in The Backyard on day two of KBIS gives us an incredible opportunity to come together as an industry to support the skilled labor trades.”

During Design & Construction Week, This Old House will hold a silent auction on Jan. 9 and 10 for all show attendees. The auction will feature products and experiences donated by brands supporting the This Old House Generation Next campaign as a way to raise even more funds and get the industry involved in the joint effort to close the skilled labor gap. Brands looking to get involved and donate to the silent auction can contact This Old House Ventures, LLC and Claudia Jepsen at Claudia.Jepsen@thisoldhouse.com.

For more information, visit www.SkilledLaborFund.org.

KBIS is owned by the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

About KBIS
KBIS, in conjunction with the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), is an inspiring, interactive platform that showcases the latest industry products, trends and technologies. KBIS is the voice of the kitchen and bath industry and has been for 50 years.

Early in 2013, the NKBA and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced an agreement to co-locate the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) with the International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas in February 2014 under the banner of Design & Construction Week®. The mega-event will return Jan. 9-11, 2018, in Orlando. Kitchen and bath brands that have participated in both shows can continue to choose to exhibit in the KBIS or IBS hall. One pass will provide access to both exhibits. NKBA and NAHB will continue to produce separate educational programming and special events.

KBIS is operated by Emerald Expositions, the largest operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States, with most of our shows dating back several decades. We currently operate more than 50 trade shows, including 31 of the top 250 trade shows in the country as ranked by TSNN, as well as numerous other events. Our events connect over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors and occupy more than 6.5 million NSF of exhibition space. We have been recognized with many awards and accolades that reflect our industry leadership as well as the importance of our shows to the exhibitors and attendees we serve.

More information about KBIS can be found at www.kbis.com.

About the National Kitchen & Bath Association and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is the not-for-profit trade association that owns the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show® (KBIS), as part of Design & Construction Week ® (DCW). With nearly 14,000 member companies representing tens of thousands of members in all segments of the kitchen and bath industry, the NKBA has educated and led the industry since the association’s founding in 1963. The NKBA envisions a world where everyone enjoys safe, beautiful and functional kitchen and bath spaces. The mission of the NKBA is to inspire, lead and empower the kitchen and bath industry through the creations of certifications, marketplaces and networks. For more information, visit NKBA.org or call 1-800-THE-NKBA (843-6522).

KBIS® and NKBA® are registered trademarks of the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

 

ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 140,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with 700 state and local home builders associations around the country. NAHB’s builder members will construct about 80 percent of the new housing units projected for this year.
ABOUT IBS: The NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) is the largest annual light construction show in the world. The IBS show floor will feature more than 1,400 of the industry’s top manufacturers and suppliers in 570,000 NSF of exhibit space, showcasing the latest and most innovative products. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn new techniques and explore emerging trends in the more than 140 education sessions offered throughout the three day show. Additional special events, speakers, awards competitions and networking opportunities are among the other major highlights for attendees.

 

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Contact:

Beth Meiklejohn                                                  Kara Marmion

White Good                                                           HL Group

717.693.3442                                                        212.529.5533

bmeiklejohn@whitegood.com                          kmarmion@hlgrp.com

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