Goosie Kennedy of D.R. Reynolds Honored as BYC Ambassador
Carolinas AGC (CAGC) Foundation’s Build Your Career (BYC) workforce development initiative has named Goosie Kennedy its first BYC Ambassador of the Quarter – part of a new recognition program rolled out this month. A project manager with general contracting firm D.R. Reynolds Company, Inc., Kennedy is not only an active Build Your Career Ambassador, but also volunteers with numerous community-based organizations. He is the driving force behind BYC Contractors in the Classroom presentations and outreach efforts throughout schools in the Asheboro and Trinity areas of North Carolina. Kennedy also facilitates company internship programs on behalf of D.R. Reynolds to attract students into our industry.
Kennedy began his career with D.R. Reynolds in 2008 as an intern. After graduating from Appalachian State University the following year, he joined the company full-time and has since worked his way up the firm’s career ladder to project management. As the lead for the firm’s intern program, Kennedy has been instrumental in offering his mentorship to numerous company interns over the past five years — helping his employer keep their talent pipeline fluid.
During his tenure at D.R. Reynolds, Kennedy has frequently worked as one of the project managers overseeing the construction of 23 North Carolina fire stations. While working closely with local firefighters during these building projects, Kennedy acquired enough knowledge and insider information to volunteer to sit on the Editorial Board of the Carolina Fire Journal. He currently serves as a contributing editor for the Journal and has written over a dozen construction-related articles published in the magazine.
Since joining the Build Your Career team of volunteer BYC Ambassadors, Kennedy has led construction career awareness efforts in several North Carolina classrooms. During his very first school visit he was so successful in promoting construction as a career choice that two students wound up submitting applications and interviewing for entry-level jobs at D.R. Reynolds. When asked about the value he saw in participating as a BYC Ambassador to lead the Contractors in the Classroom program at local schools, Kennedy said, “Working with the BYC Initiative through CAGC is a great opportunity for a deep and direct partnership between D. R. Reynolds Company and our local high schools. I look forward to continuing the relationship in the upcoming semesters as we grow our industry with construction leaders for the future.”
Kennedy also hopes to motivate and inspire other CAGC members to get involved with BYC and volunteer as Ambassadors. He commented on the importance of more construction firms prioritizing efforts to engage with students and actively promote construction careers, stating “We must all do our part in spreading the word about the opportunities in the construction field. I look forward to continuing the outreach I can do and providing insight and vision to the eyes of the younger ones behind me. With the combined efforts of CAGC and Build Your Career, contractors like D. R. Reynolds Company and other BYC Ambassadors from across the state, we can and WILL make a difference — and we will turn the industry woes of lack of personnel into an industry flooded with quality talent, eager to build America!”
Kennedy is quite a busy fellow. In addition to working full time for D.R. Reynolds Company, sitting on the Editorial Board and serving as a contributing author for the Carolinas Fire Journal, and volunteering as a BYC Ambassador, he is the proud father of five children — four girls and one boy, ranging in ages from one year to nine years. He accomplishes all this and still manages to find time to sit on the Building Committee for two churches in his area, coaches his children’s respective sports teams, and is an active volunteer for the Southwest Randolph High School Booster Club.
BYC Director, Tammy Ford, commented on Kennedy’s valuable contributions to the Build Your Career program that led to him being named the Ambassador of the Quarter for Q3 of 2019. “Goosie has been a tremendous asset to the BYC program as he continues to schedule ongoing classroom visits to share his construction industry knowledge with future generations of workers. He is so passionate about educating young students about the benefits of pursuing careers in construction and I admire that so much. Everyone at Carolinas AGC is very proud of him and he is extremely deserving of this award.”
For more information on the CAGC Foundation’s Build Your Career workforce development initiative, the Contractors in the Classroom program or to volunteer to become a BYC Ambassador, please visit the BYC website or contact Tammy Ford, program director by email at tford@carolinasagc.org, or by phone at (704) 995-3901. To make a charitable contribution to BYC, please visit the organization’s secure online donation portal.
To learn more about D.R. Reynolds Company, Inc. and its employment opportunities, or to speak with Goosie Kennedy, please visit the D.R. Reynolds website.
