More than 3,000 Students Explore Trades Careers at F.W. Webb-Sponsored Skills Expo

January 6, 2026

Days after his Bring Back the Trades Skills Expo drew thousands to Gillette Stadium, Steve Turner couldn’t hide his excitement.

“I woke up the other day thinking I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world, just being able to do what I do,” the founder of the group told us.

What he does is devote as many hours as he can to getting students interested in trade careers. We introduced you to Turner and the Bring Back the Trades team earlier in 2025, just as F.W. Webb began its partnership with the group. Since then, the mission behind Bring Back the Trades has gained momentum with every Skills Expo, every new partner, and every new convert to Turner’s vision.

“We’ve built this through relationships,” Turner added, especially F.W. Webb’s sponsorship, which has enabled even larger events and a research initiative, the results of which are forthcoming.

Turner’s partnership with F.W. Webb started over a cup of coffee at his office in Rye, NH. “Sean (Davis, VP of Marketing) met with us about a year ago. He’s truly been one of the nicest guys I’ve met. He later emailed me a list of all the things he would do for us, and he has come through with every single thing. And working with his team has been amazing. They’re like family members now, just funny, energetic, and helpful in every way.”

Topping Sean’s list for Bring Back the Trades was a venue for the group’s highest-profile Skills Expo yet: Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots.

Sean leveraged F.W. Webb’s relationship with the Patriots to secure Gillette’s event space and use of the stadium’s parking to accommodate Bring Back the Trades’ first event in Massachusetts.

The setting made October 25 a memorable day for all involved, including over 100 exhibitors. Their interactive displays gave attendees hands-on experiences with plumbing, welding, construction, aviation, and more. Ten students received scholarships totaling $25,000.

The event also included some special guests. Two-time Super Bowl champion and former Patriots player Rob Ninkovich returned to Foxboro for the Skills Expo and was a perfect fit: his dad was an ironworker.

“Rob was tremendous, and we connected instantly—he’s a car guy like me. He was just really engaged with everyone, and made time to talk with the students and sign autographs,” said Turner.

Turner described keynote speaker Aaron Witt, of BuildWitt and YouTube fame, as phenomenal, and plumber Leon Garrett as “very inspirational.” Demi Knight Clark, of She Built This City, also delivered remarks that resonated with attendees.

“I’ve received congratulatory emails and texts from so many people. Everyone, especially our vendors, told us it was an amazing experience,” said Turner.

“Events like this help our sponsors understand what our Skills Expos are all about, and they’re already thinking about what they can do next year,” added Shana Brunye, Chief Operating Officer for Bring Back the Trades.

Putting those exhibitors on a pedestal was a highlight, according to Turner, as was the opportunity to demonstrate the viability of trade careers to parents.

“Parents told us they now understand why their children should pursue a trade career; that’s what we’re trying to accomplish,” said Turner. “We’re proud to help them understand what goes on in the trades.”

That message registered with Webb’s team at the event. Senior Vice President of Human Resources Ruth Martin said the day reinforced F.W. Webb’s commitment to career development.

“We usually participate in job fairs for college-aged or older attendees, but it was encouraging to see a younger group of students display an eagerness and desire for getting into the trades,” she said. “It was a very positive experience for our team. It made us proud to be a part of Webb—we were well represented.”

The family-friendly atmosphere made an impression on Webb employees. Meredith Cahill, Associate Brand Marketing Manager at Webb, noted that many tradespeople and Webb employees brought their families to experience the show firsthand.

“Steve and Shana excel at helping young people understand the value of entering the trades,” she added. “They ensure students get excited about these opportunities by celebrating these industries.”

“Students were curious about industry trends and products entering the market,” said Webb’s Private Label Product Manager, Dominick Esposito, who showcased the PurePro lineup. “It was a pleasure to interact with them and help them understand what we do. It was a wonderful event with a strong turnout. We brought enough handouts for 2,000 people and gave out everything within the first hour.”

With over 3,000 attendees, and what Brunye described as their most impressive social media reaction for an event to date, the results exceeded their lofty expectations.

“We’ve tracked the reaction online and on social media—the engagement has been exceptional, even weeks after the show was held,” Meredith said. “Most importantly, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone truly appreciates the work Bring Back the Trades is doing.”

To build on the response, Bring Back the Trades has major plans for next year and beyond.

“We keep getting ideas from vendors and sponsors for events,” said Brunye. “Tradespeople understand that we’re a conduit to share their message. We’re also excited to highlight the huge span of trades careers and want to grow the variety of trades represented through our events and other efforts.”

In the short term, that means sharing results of the research initiative.

“We want to help students select a trade career where the need is the greatest,” said Brunye. “We also want to project the economic impact if those needs go unfilled.”

Details are still pending, but the group is also planning three Skills Expos in 2026: one in Londonderry, NH, one in Maine, and another event in Massachusetts.

The research initiative and Skills Expos wouldn’t be possible without the team behind the mission.

“I’m most proud of what three women have done to pull this all off: my wife Shari, Shana, and Kennidy (Asche, the group’s events and marketing manager),” said Turner. “It should’ve taken a 20-person team, but we were able to accomplish this with just a few great people, some wonderful volunteers—and the support of Webb.”

“Webb really understands what we’re doing—we wouldn’t be here without you,” Turner added. “We’re super proud of what Webb does. It’s been an honor to work with you.”

To learn more about Bring Back the Trades, visit bringbackthetrades.org.