BOLT’s industry partnerships are at the heart of our success. Our donors are commited to our mission to assist under-resourced youth reach their career goals, create opportunities and develop the talent of tomorrow. To recognize their leadership, we are shining a much-deserved spotlight to them in each of our quarterly newsletters.

The Straw Construction Group has been a supporter of BOLT since the very beginning and Sante Paglia shared with us why that’s important to them and their company:

Why do you support BOLT?

“It is no secret that the construction workforce is aging.  It also seems that, over the past many years, the number of new workers entering the construction industry (along with all trades in general) has been significantly reduced. There doesn’t seem to be enough focus on the promotion of trade careers in the education system and the BOLT program tries to correct this.

It is very easy for us to support this initiative as it teaches youth about the construction industry and promotes our industry as a viable and potentially lucrative career opportunity.  There aren’t many organizations out there that will advocate for the construction industry. BOLT is leading the charge and trying to break down barriers and the stigmas that have long been associated with the construction industry. Construction is booming right now, and our industry is in dire need of capable young workers. The importance of initiatives such as BOLT in helping to shape the future of the construction landscape, cannot be understated. Straw Construction Group and Tridel have a long-standing incredibly successful business relationship and we look forward to partnering with Tridel and BOLT, for many, many years to come!”

What has your experience been like training and hiring BOLT youth?

“Our experience with BOLT youth has been very positive.  The young workers that have been introduced to us through the program have all been very respectful and professional.  Getting through the program requires each worker to be committed, reliable and capable.  These traits are all necessary when working on any of our construction sites.  Giving these workers an opportunity to prove and make a better life for themselves, has been very satisfying for us.  There is nothing more rewarding than watching someone make the most of their opportunity and succeed.  If not for the BOLT program, in all likelihood, these individuals would never have been given a chance to learn about the construction industry, and the opportunity to develop a new career path.  We would recommend the BOLT program to any contractor who is looking for new workers.  We count ourselves lucky for having had the opportunity to become involved with this program in its infancy.”

About Straw Construction Group

The Straw Construction Group was established in 2014, however, several members of their senior management team have been working with Tridel since as far back as 1987.  The main focus of the company has been on Hi-Rise Residential Construction in the Greater Toronto Area. They have successfully completed numerous projects with Tridel including Aqualina, Aquavista, Aquabella, Bianca, Alter, Selene, Avani, and Sherwood Gardens.  Straw also currently has three projects underway, namely, Auberge, Aqualuna and Chateau.