MBIF Scholarship Information

The Minnesota Building Industry Foundation is proud to announce the 2007 Building Industry Scholarship Program. This program is comprised of two residential building industry scholarships: the Harold E Swanson Scholarship and the Chad Woxland Wausau Homes Memorial Scholarship. A maximum of nine $1,000.00 non-renewable scholarships are available for graduating high-school seniors pursuing further education in a residential construction-related field. (See page 2 for specifics)

To be eligible for any of the scholarships, applications must be:

• Complete including all required additional materials (references, transcripts, etc.)

• Postmarked by March 16, 2007

Minnesota Building Industry Foundation
Building From the Ground Up

A little over ten years ago, the residential construction industry was in a crisis. There was an extreme shortage of skilled labor within the industry and the residential construction labor pool was decreasing. It was the foresight of a group of award winning builders to create the Minnesota Building Industry Foundation in 1994 to address the skilled labor shortage through recruitment and scholarship of students into the industry.

Focusing on education, the Foundation created scholarship programs after generous donations from the family of Harold E Swanson. Harold was a Builders Association of Minnesota Board Member and Past President, and a Building Industry Hall of Fame recipient. Wausau Homes soon followed suit by creating a scholarship in memory of employee Chad Woxland, administered through the Foundation to assist students entering the industry with payment for their education. These scholarships raised awareness of the construction industry as a viable career choice to high school counselors statewide. The Foundation later added a statewide “Tools for Schools” program. The program provided toolkits for students statewide, and also provided grants to high schools for larger tool expenditures within their construction education programs. The Foundation furthered awareness by promoting “Careers in Construction Day” events statewide and has produced a video geared toward high school students to promote a career in the industry.

Today, there is a new environment and a new need in the residential construction industry. The Foundation has broadened its scope and focus to work not only on education programs, but to also dedicate resources to research projects that will further the quality of residential construction in Minnesota through education of improved building techniques and better understanding of code requirements.

In the future, the Foundation will expand and grow while still keeping pace with what the industry needs as it changes.

Harold E. Swanson
Scholarship Program

A maximum of six $1000.00 non-renewable scholarships are available for graduating high-school seniors. Scholarships are for attendance in a post-secondary program in a construction-related field (see the acceptable programs).

about Harold Swanson

Chad Woxland Wausau Homes Scholarship Program

The Minnesota Building Industry is proud to announce the 2003 Chad Woxland Wausau Homes Memorial Scholarship program. A maximum of three $1000.00 non-renewable scholarships are available to graduating high-school seniors. Scholarships are for attendance in a post-secondary program in a construction related field.

about Chad Woxland/Wausau Homes