On a recent summer afternoon, Parker MacDonald and his coworkers at Corble Builders carried 59 sheets of drywall to a job site on Walloon Lake, where no delivery trucks were allowed due to the property’s sensitive setting.
MacDonald, 18, appeared no worse for wear after the strenuous work on one of the summer’s hottest, muggiest days. It’s one of the qualities that his boss, Bill Bath, appreciates about the 18-year-old 2024 Petoskey High School graduate.
“It’s great to have these younger guys come to work for us right out of the high school program, because we can teach them our ways of doing things and they learn quickly,” said Bath, president of Corble. “Parker is doing great. He’s far ahead of where others would be with no training and has a good familiarity with the basics.”
MacDonald was recently celebrated by Char-Em ISD with a “Career Tech to Careers” signing event at Corble Builders in Petoskey. Career Tech to Careers events were established by Char-Em’s Career and Technical Education Department to recognize high school students who pursue careers after graduation based in large part on their enrollment in career tech classes in high school.
During high school, MacDonald took Construction Trades during his junior and senior years, and Automotive Technology during his junior year.
He said his original plan after graduating was to go into automotive repair, but due to scheduling issues his senior year he wasn’t able to take autos again. The second year of building trades opened his eyes to the opportunities in this trade that has a dire need for skilled workers locally, regionally and nationally.
As graduation neared, his mom provided a professional connection to the Baths and Corble Builders, who were looking to add to their team of 12 employees. “They told me they were looking for a top kid in the construction class, and I told them, ‘I know one,’” said mom Alicia Reed.
About a week after graduation, MacDonald started full-time. He works weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with tasks including framing, siding, deck building, and sometimes, hauling a lot of drywall.
“I love the people I work with,” said MacDonald. “That is the best part of the job.”
He also credited his construction teacher, Jake Giffin, with providing him foundational skills that allowed him to get a job after graduation. “Mr. Giffin is really good about explaining things thoroughly,” MacDonald said. “It allows you to learn how to do things on your own and develop life and career skills.”
Bath said over the last 22 years of being in business, MacDonald is the 8th student they’ve hired who has come right out of the construction programs at local high schools. Most stayed for several years before moving on to other ventures, and a couple remain at the company today, including the Baths’ son, Jacob, who was featured in one of the ISD’s first Career Tech to Careers celebrations in 2019.
“We hope that these young adults understand that you can make a good career out of working in the building trades,” said Bill Bath. “It’s not just a summer job.”
Char-Em ISD extends a special thanks to the Mansfield Family Foundation for continuing to support these signing events with gift cards for the new employees to purchase necessary tools and equipment for their job.
Pictured are (from left) Hannah Sanderson, CTE Consultant, Char-Em ISD; Alicia Reed, mom of Parker MacDonald; Parker MacDonald; Jim Rummer, Director of Career and Technical Education, Char-Em ISD; Bill Bath, president, Corble Builders; and Jacob Bath, vice president, Corble Builders.