CANCO hosts high-schoolers for annual test of skills

The skills of students from seven southeast Iowa high school construction trades programs were put to the test Oct. 17, 2024, during the eighth-annual High School Skills Challenge hosted by Carl A. Nelson & Company in Burlington, Iowa. (CANCO)

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Mediapolis High School wins Carl A. Nelson & Company 2024 High School Skills Challenge; Keokuk High School second

Burlington-based construction firm Carl A. Nelson & Company’s eighth annual High School Skills Challenge was the biggest yet, with seven southeast Iowa high school construction trades programs competing for prizes based on what their students have learned by applying them to real-world tasks.

Coming first in 2024 was Mediapolis High School, followed by Keokuk High School in second-place.

Students in this year’s challenge were given the plans and raw materials, and access to tools needed to build carts for use in their high school shop rooms. Each team had three and one-half hours to complete the work, and those that could not were able to take the unfinished carts and remaining materials back to school to complete them.

Mediapolis’ winning team was composed of seniors Jonny Ford, Braeden Oliver, Drake Knapp and Connor Schulz, and junior Carter Myers. Their instructor is Nathan Fritz. Team members each received a DeWalt drill and screwdriver bit set, along with a $300 Lowe’s gift card for use by their program.

“Absolutely impressive build,” said Mike Harris, Carl A. Nelson & Company (CANCO) general superintendent, who organizes the challenge each year. “We were looking at it and couldn’t hardly find anything wrong. A lot of creativity went into it, and it looked really good.”

Keokuk’s second-place team, which received a $150 Lowe’s card to use for program needs, included seniors Chevy Barnes and Kash Elston, and juniors Xavier Nelson, Jaxton McNally and Braxton Haynes. Their instructors are Adam Rader and Katie Geltz.

Harris judged the projects with help once again from Southeastern Community College construction trades instructor Doug Riley. Other participating schools were: Burlington High School, Danville High School, Fort Madison High School, West Burlington High School and Winfield Mount-Union High School.

The annual Skills Challenge is part of Carl A. Nelson & Company’s routine outreach to high school construction trades programs, aimed at helping high school students to pursue careers in construction. CANCO also frequently offers internships to high school students, which provides them with additional hands-on training opportunities.

Carl A. Nelson & Company was founded in 1913 in Burlington, Iowa, by a Swedish immigrant. Today, the firm builds projects for industrial, commercial and institutional clients across Iowa and the Midwest, and is licensed in 22 U.S. states.

In southeast Iowa, recent or ongoing CANCO projects include renovation work for Burlington High School and Western Smokehouse Partners in Burlington; Fort Madison’s newly remodeled PreK-6 and 7-12 schools; Keokuk High School’s new music wing and secure entry, and the production and warehouse expansion at Allied Blending in Keokuk.

To learn more about Carl A. Nelson & Company projects or employment opportunities, visit https://www.carlanelsonco.com.

<b>Representing Mediapolis High School, and winning first place in the 2024 Carl A. Nelson & Company High School Skills Challenge, were, from left: Nathan Fritz, instructor; Johnny Ford, Braeden Oliver, Carter Myers, Drake Knapp and Connor Schulz. </b>(CANCO) — Representing Mediapolis High School, and winning first place in the 2024 Carl A. Nelson & Company High School Skills Challenge, were, from left: Nathan Fritz, instructor; Johnny Ford, Braeden Oliver, Carter Myers, Drake Knapp and Connor Schulz. (CANCO)

<b>Keokuk High School placed second in the 2024 Carl A. Nelson & Company High School Skills Challenge. Representing the school were, from left, Xavier Nelson, Adam Rader (instructor), Chevy Barnes, Katie Geltz (instructor), Kash Elston, Jaxton McNally, Braxton Haynes.</b> (CANCO) — Keokuk High School placed second in the 2024 Carl A. Nelson & Company High School Skills Challenge. Representing the school were, from left, Xavier Nelson, Adam Rader (instructor), Chevy Barnes, Katie Geltz (instructor), Kash Elston, Jaxton McNally, Braxton Haynes. (CANCO)

<b>Carl A. Nelson & Company General Superintendent Mike Harris, left, Southeastern Community College construction trades instructor Doug Riley, and CANCO project engineers TJ Duncan and Will Porter, take a close look at the shop cart completed by the team from Mediapolis High School. Mediapolis took first place in the 2024 High School Skills Challenge, the eighth hosted by the Burlington, Iowa-based construction firm. </b>(CANCO) — Carl A. Nelson & Company General Superintendent Mike Harris, left, Southeastern Community College construction trades instructor Doug Riley, and CANCO project engineers TJ Duncan and Will Porter, take a close look at the shop cart completed by the team from Mediapolis High School. Mediapolis took first place in the 2024 High School Skills Challenge, the eighth hosted by the Burlington, Iowa-based construction firm. (CANCO)

<b>A member of the team from Mediapolis High School welds the frame of a shop cart the students built for the 2024 High Schoo Skills Challenge hosted and organized by Carl A. Nelson & Company at its warehouse and yard in Burlington, Iowa. </b>(CANCO) — A member of the team from Mediapolis High School welds the frame of a shop cart the students built for the 2024 High Schoo Skills Challenge hosted and organized by Carl A. Nelson & Company at its warehouse and yard in Burlington, Iowa. (CANCO)

<b>Members of the team from Burlington High School nail together the tool cady that was a feature of the shop cart they and students from six other southeast Iowa high schools built during the 2024 High School Skills Challenge at Carl A. Nelson & Company in Burlington, Iowa.</b> (CANCO) — Members of the team from Burlington High School nail together the tool cady that was a feature of the shop cart they and students from six other southeast Iowa high schools built during the 2024 High School Skills Challenge at Carl A. Nelson & Company in Burlington, Iowa. (CANCO)

<b>A member of the Keokuk High School's team cuts a piece of the angle iron frame of the shop cart being constructed during the 2024 High School Skills Challenge at Carl A. Nelson & Company. The eighth-annual event tested the skills high school construction trades students are learning in the classroom by applying them to real-world projects.</b> (CANCO) — A member of the Keokuk High School's team cuts a piece of the angle iron frame of the shop cart being constructed during the 2024 High School Skills Challenge at Carl A. Nelson & Company. The eighth-annual event tested the skills high school construction trades students are learning in the classroom by applying them to real-world projects. (CANCO)

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