Page 17 - BusinessWest August 4, 2025

they’re still excited. And the program
we implement is, ‘hey, come on board.
Come on for the summer; see if you
like it. You’re in a trade school right
now, but you might not know if this is
the industry for you.’”
The backdrop to all these efforts, of
course, is a persistent shortage of con-
struction talent, which is why Tomala
values apprenticeship.
“It’s not just important; it’s critical.
I think we’ve been talking about this
as an industry for 15 years,” he said,
noting that Fine Homebuilding maga-
zine has a program called Keep the
Craft Alive, through which contractors
donate funds to help support trade
schools and improve their offerings.
“We’re now at a point where most
of my subcontractors are going to
age out and retire, and we just don’t
have enough of the youth understand-
ing how important this industry is,
how rewarding it is, and how you can
make an extremely good living here,”
he said.
“There’s a really, really good
paycheck at the end of the
day, especially when you
know what you’re doing
and you deliver on the
expectations. And that’s why
it’s so important to know
what the client wants and to
be able to deliver on that.”
“It’s not like, ‘oh, you’re a roofer,
so you’re only going to get paid so
much,’” he went on. “No, there’s a
really, really good paycheck at the end
of the day, especially when you know
what you’re doing and you deliver on
the expectations. And that’s why it’s
so important to know what the cli-
ent wants and to be able to deliver
on that. I’m not saying it’s the right fit
for everybody, but I want to remind
the world that the are companies out
here taking the reins and giving these
young folks an opportunity.”
World of Experience
Tomala said his influence on local
young people interested in construc-
tion started with visits to the trade
schools.
“They wanted someone to come in
and talk, to just inspire students over-
all. And that worked out pretty nicely.
I’d spend two hours with the stu-
dents, and I enjoyed it,” he recalled.
“But it wasn’t until after COVID that I
was like, you know what? I get to see
these kids for a day, but there should
be more of a connection, and there
should be more of an avenue for them
to get to us.
“So I sat down with a lot of the
teachers and said, ‘this is what I want
Business W est to do, this is what I want my business
model to be, and is there an opportuni-
ty for us to collaborate and to bring stu-
dents on?’” I also said, ‘I don’t want to
stop them from going to other places as
well, but I’d like them to have an oppor-
tunity to interview with me, to just sit
down to see if we’re a good fit or not.’”
He had nothing but praise for
the teachers and programs in those
schools. “Students are coming out
with real knowledge. They’ve got some
really great, committed teachers who
are getting that curriculum going and
Ben Harrington
says he
enjoys doing
different tasks
and learning
different skills on
the job.
Apprentice
Continued on page 22 >>
82-84 North Street
Northampton, MA
413-584-0310
www.dasullivan.com
General Contractor | Construction Manager | Owner’s Project Manager
BUILDING HISTORY
SINCE 1897
Ferry Street Building 5 | Easthampton, MA
Photos by CHODOS, Inc
INTEGRITY in everything we do
QUALITY in everything we build
RESPECT for everyone, on every level
Why Choose DAS?
With over 128 years in business, we pride
ourselves on delivering personalized
attention and expert project
management.
Our commitment to Integrity, Quality
and Respect adds unparalleled value to
every project.
<< CONSTRUCTION >>
AUGUST 4, 2025
17