Last week, BWI Construction, owned by Gary and Lori Hobbs, held a two-day mentoring session with students from Arsenal Technical High School. The multi-day initiative included an in-classroom discussion on the fields of construction, business and architecture, and an intimate visit to BWI’s latest endeavor, Overlook located at 38th and Orchard on the city’s near-east side. While there, students were able to not only have an inside look at the project, but they were also given time to network with industry professionals.
Overlook, a mixed-use, mixed-income property that is slated to be completed this month, features one- and two-bedroom apartments, a rooftop terrace, an event space and rooms to be used for training and business purposes.
Gary Hobbs shared that reaching out to the youth has been a consistent practice for his firm.
“The reason why we do this is because I was a product of growing up in a low-income family. My dad was a mailman, my mom stayed at home and raised seven kids, and I was a product of someone taking the time to introduce me to engineering and that opportunity to connect with someone who I looked up to had a major impact on me as a young person,” he said.
In 2013, BWI was named the 16th fastest-growing urban-focused company in the country by Forbes, and last year, placed second on Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) and Fortune’s list of 100 fastest-growing inner-city companies. BWI LLC was formed in 2005 and brings in a reported annual revenue of $10 million.
