The owner of one of the Pensacola Bay Area’s largest construction companies is putting his personal money behind the next generation of construction workers.

Jim Cronley, co-owner of Terhaar & Cronley, plans to offer full, two-year scholarships, worth about $6,000 each, to 15 Escambia County high school students so they can study construction at George Stone Vocational Center.

“The first go ’round, I’m springing for the scholarships,” Cronley said. “If it works out, I’ll bring more people in from the construction industry and get them to participate. Then I can say, ‘I did it last year and it worked. I want you to sponsor people.’ If this works, next time around we’ll do it up bigger.”

The scholarship idea came about after School Superintendent Jim Paul, former Superintendent Bill Maloy and Carl Leiterman, the district’s director of career, technical and adult education, met with Cronley to discuss getting students into construction trades training.

Cronley offered the scholarships, believing them a good investment in the future.

This year, the scholarships will be known as the Cronley Scholarships. In succeeding years, they will be named after whomever sponsors them.

“It’s a totally free education,” Leiterman said.

Construction workers increasingly need a solid educational background, he said.

“We’re building a highly skilled construction work force in the area. It’s not just hammers and nails any more,” he said. “They’ll find out why they had to take geometry when they start laying all those rafters out.”

Cronley will play host to an inaugural dinner Wednesday to outline the application process for 25 students from five schools who were recommended by their instructors.

Along with their application, the students must write an essay relating to construction. A committee — which will not include Cronley — will select the winners, to be announced this spring.

Cronley plans to talk at the dinner about his rise through the construction industry, telling the students to set their aspirations beyond being a laborer.

“Don’t set a goal to be a plumber or bricklayer,” he said. “Set a goal to be an entrepreneur.’

This entry was posted by Taman Siswa on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 at 12:45 am and is filed under Education News, Scholarship. Tags: Bill Maloy, Carl Leiterman, Education News, Escambia County, George Stone, George Stone Vocational Center, Jim Cronley, Jim Paul, Scholarship, Stone Center, Student, Study, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.