This summer, ATAS International sponsored three Let’s Build Construction Camps for Girls. The camp is a free week-long camp designed for middle and high school age girls to explore the construction trades, architecture, engineering, and construction materials manufacturing through hands-on experiences and field trips. The Greater Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania camp held their seventh annual event in June. The Northeast Ohio camp celebrated their second year of camp, and a brand-new camp started in Phoenix, Arizona. At the camps in Pennsylvania and Arizona this year, the campers toured the manufacturing facilities of ATAS to learn how metal architectural building components are made, and about potential careers within the world of manufacturing.  

Lee Ann M. Slattery, Sales Support Manager for ATAS, who has been involved in the planning of the Greater Lehigh Valley camp from the beginning, stated, “ATAS was pleased to be involved in the camp again this year, as we have for the past seven years. It’s exciting to see additional camps forming across the country. ATAS is a strong supporter of the development and training of students within the local community. This camp is a great opportunity to expose these middle and high school age girls to potential careers in architecture, construction, and manufacturing. With workforce development being a concern for many local employers within these industries, events like this camp are important for our future as a manufacturer within the building materials industry and the future of others involved in design and construction.”

ATAS is proud to have been involved with the Greater Lehigh Camp since its inception. They have supported the camp with sponsorship, materials, and volunteer time, which are all important to achieve a successful camp experience for the girls, and for the volunteer staff. This support was also given this year to the camps in Ohio and Arizona.  

This year at the Pennsylvania camp, ATAS employees Tim Coughlan, Technical Services Advisor; Kevin Klersy, CAD Draftsman; Minnie Robles, former Product Representative, and Ryan Starr, Technical Services Intern, spent the afternoon with the campers, demonstrating the installation of standing seam metal roof panels, along with metal shingles.  This gave the campers the opportunity to apply a peel and stick underlayment to the roof deck and measure the deck to determine the lengths of the trims that needed to be cut.  They had hands-on experience with cutting the metal with snips and driving fasteners to secure the panels and trims.  The campers also learned about the differences between steel and aluminum metal roofing.

Phil Dorenkott, ATAS product representative for western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, volunteered again at the Northeast Ohio camp, and Minnie Robles, the former ATAS product representative in Arizona, helped lead the new camp in Phoenix.  

ATAS looks forward to their continued involvement and growth of these events to help build future leaders within the design, construction, and manufacturing industries. Each year during camp, these young women experience growth in not only their technical skills, but also in their confidence, realizing they can achieve a fulfilling career as a building industry professional.