2nd Annual Cleveland Builds Clay Shoot Raises Awareness, Funds and Fun

On May 5, more than 180 members of the union construction industry spent the day shooting clays during Cleveland Builds’ 2nd annual fundraiser. More than $60,000 was raised - $10,000 more than last year - to support Cleveland Builds' work to promote careers in the skilled trades. Cleveland Builds’ pre-apprenticeship training is perfect for those who like to work with their hands and want a fulfilling career with good pay and excellent benefits. This year’s Clay Shoot brought an increased number of participants, funds, fun and awareness raised.

Brian Exl, the Cleveland GM for OCP Contractors, initiated the Clay Shoot in 2021 as an alternative to another golf outing. Cleveland Builds Board Member Armando Francisco, VP of Operations of at Lake Erie Electric, Inc., enjoys training and motivating Clevelanders to pursue careers in the trades. He says the Clay Shoot is a fun option for people who don’t enjoy golf.

Event participants got to meet recent Cleveland Builds’ pre-apprenticeship readiness program graduates, Hezekiah Galloway and Leroy Kennedy, who can’t wait to become electricians. Hezekiah shared that the program taught him that anything is possible and that if you talk to the right people, you can get to the right places and be who you want to be. As a kid, Leroy always liked technology and building things, and is pursuing a career in the trades for his daughter, who turned one last month. Both men are grateful for all Cleveland Builds has taught them and the friends they have made in class.

The fundraiser would not have been possible without all its sponsors: OCP, CEA, ADMAR, Best Supply, Bricklayers Local 5 Ohio, Laborers 310, Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association, Ferguson, Great Lakes Construction, Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters, Independence Excavating, Industrial First, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18, Precision Environmental, Regency Construction Services, T.H. Martin, Weather Warranty and Whiting-Turner. Their generosity furthers Cleveland Builds' mission of building Cleveland’s union construction workforce and retaining talent.