Full Circle

Wilmar Gonzalez’s first visit to the Construction Ready CareerEXPO and SkillsUSA Georgia Championships did not play out as he envisioned. Like countless other event organizers around the country during the second week of March 2020, Construction Ready and SkillsUSA were forced to cancel their gathering – mere hours after it began – due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Still, all wasn’t lost for Wilmar, who had arrived in Atlanta excited to compete in the carpentry contest with fellow students from Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He managed to walk the expo floor that Thursday morning, filling up a bag with gift items, marketing materials and business cards. One of those connections would ultimately result in him landing a rewarding job with J.E. Dunn Construction.

“Even though they canceled the event, there were still contractors out there promoting the trades and letting me know what was available,” Wilmar remembers. “If it wasn’t for that opportunity, I wouldn’t have known who these general contractors were. So coming to the CareerEXPO really helped me see who was out there doing the work, who the big companies were.”

At that point, however, Wilmar was still more than a year from graduation at GNTC. In 2021, he earned an Associate’s Degree in Construction Management and accepted a job offer from United Contractor Services, whose work includes drywall, ceilings, general carpentry and much more. He spent eight months with the company, mostly working on an Amazon robotics facility in Fort Wayne, IN.

Wilmar counts the experience as a positive one, but his role was more on the managerial side – “processing RFIs, submittals, things like that,” he says – and he was eager to broaden his skill set. Then he remembered that bag full of business cards he had saved the previous year.

“So I just started sending out resumes and applying for jobs, and J.E. Dunn was one of the first companies that reached out and had a position available,” Wilmar explains. He was hired in February 2022 and assigned to work on the Classic Center Arena, an 8,500-seat addition to Athens’ Classic Center entertainment and convention complex. He soon took on some big responsibilities at the job site.

“They told me, ‘Hey, you’re going to start running work,’ and that was a eye-opening experience for me,” says Wilmar, who was promoted to Superintendent in spring of 2025. “I was going to be responsible for different types of work. Who would have thought that a guy who just graduated maybe a year ago is going to start running three or four million dollars worth of work? That was kind of scary at first, but with the guidance and the help from my superintendents and managers, I was able to succeed.”

Wilmar attended high school in Tampa, FL. He was interested in construction, thanks to an uncle who worked in the industry, but his high school didn’t offer any programs in that arena. When he graduated, he decided to move to Calhoun, GA, which he was familiar with through a family connection and which offered job opportunities in the carpet industry.

While working at a carpet mill, Wilmar discovered nearby Georgia Northwestern Technical College and its Construction Management program. He attended GNTC by morning and continued his factory job, working as a forklift operator on the second shift.

“Wilmar was a great student with an incredible work ethic in all that he did,” says GNTC Instructor Donnie Holmes. “He always got his lab work done accurately and correct, and completed his homework on time. He was always very respectful to me as his instructor, as well as to his classmates. From day one he was a team player, which would go on to help him in the construction industry.”

Five years after that disappointing trip to Atlanta, Wilmar was back at the Georgia World Congress Center, representing J.E. Dunn at the 2025 CareerEXPO and interacting with students exploring career opportunities.

“It was kind of surreal,” he says. “[Five years ago] that was me talking to these contractors and asking, ‘What does it take to get to where you guys are at?’ Now I’m there and I’m actually talking to these students, encouraging them, trying to motivate them, like, ‘Hey, the sky’s the limit for you guys.’”

Holmes, whose program has produced numerous SkillsUSA regional and state championship winner, was pleased to reconnect with Wilmar at the 2025 event.

“I was at the SkillsUSA competition and Construction Ready CareerEXPO when some of my students came up to me and said I had a former student at one of the booths there,” Holmes remembers. “I had not seen Wilmar in five years. It was great to catch up with him and find out what he’s doing now.

“Seeing a former student of my program in a successful construction career makes my job complete,” Holmes continues. “I worked in the industry for five years before starting this job, and it has been nothing but rewarding for 20 years now. Seeing students like Wilmar graduate and go on to learn and grow in this industry is very rewarding.”