The ACE Mentor Program of America (ACE), established in 1994, is a nonprofit organization that aims to excite students and lead them to careers in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) industry. With over 75 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and Canada, ACE serves thousands of students each year, providing hands on career experience and mentorship from industry professionals. Every ACE team is set up to emulate an actual design team and is assigned architect, engineer, construction management, and tradesperson mentors. Each year, ACE teams work toward a final project, learning industry vocabulary and company roles along the way. At the end of the program, teams share their accomplishments and present their final designs to families, teachers, and program leaders. After graduation, many students remain active alumni of the ACE program through the scholarships they receive, relationships they develop with their mentors, and future employment opportunities such as internships and post-college jobs.

Primera has been a proud sponsor and supporter of ACE Chicago for several years and is just as committed to the program’s mission. Ken Panucci, Senior Vice President, and Buildings Division Manager has been a member of the ACE Mentor Chicago Board of Directors since 2006. Since then, many other members of our Buildings team have served as ACE mentors and have had extremely positive experiences. Erin Lowery, Senior Project Manager at Primera, has particularly enjoyed volunteering for ACE. “It is truly a great program that sets a solid foundation of the AEC industry,” she says. “It’s also a fun time to get to work with the students and meet other professionals from other firms.”

ACE Chicago is dedicated to creating communities, careers, and change. Through their annual Building Futures fundraiser, ACE is able to award generous college scholarships, provide workplace opportunities and introduce students to careers in AEC. We encourage you to learn more and donate to their fundraiser here. Together, we can continue to inspire the next generation of engineers and architects.