workforce development

Gloria Palau: A MAREK Workforce Development Program Success Story

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit the jobsite of the new Memorial Hermann patient care tower in the Texas Medical Center, where I spoke with two MAREK craft professionals who are both working on the project, and who both happen to be women. This is the second of those two interviews, in which I interviewed foreman Gloria Palau about her recent promotion and her career in construction.

Mike Holland on the Skilled Labor Shortage

In the October 2018 issue of Construction Dimensions, the national publication of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI), Mike Holland, COO of Houston-based MAREK and one of our authors, was quoted along with a group of national specialty contractors about the causes and possible solutions to the ongoing skilled labor shortages in the industry. The article, titled THE LABOR SHORTAGE: NUISANCE OR CATASTROPHE? was written by California-based Ulf Wolf who is the senior writer at Words & Images.

Keith McCray: My Life As a Leadman


In partnership with MAREK, UpSkill Houston created the video below, “What are you up for,” featuring Keith McCray, MAREK Leadman. The goal of this campaign is to help break down barriers, foster open dialogue, and create a singular vision to power solutions that prepare Houston’s workforce for good-paying middle-skill jobs in high demand industries across the region.

How ABC Members Are Working Together to Include Women on the Jobsite

There are many challenges in the construction industry, but one of the largest is the availability of craft-worker manpower. According to The National Association of Women in Construction, women only comprise nine percent of the total craft-worker workforce, so construction companies could see a huge boost in their recruitment efforts by targeting female candidates.