Building the Future at the Ballpark: How a Partnership with the Phillies is Elevating the Skilled Trades
Rob Almond, CEO, NEST
If you walk into Citizens Bank Park on game day, you’ll see the field, the fans, the lights, and the action. What you won’t see is the work that happens behind the scenes – the infrastructure that powers the experience. HVAC systems are humming quietly beneath your feet. A grounds crew is fine-tuning every blade of grass. Tradespeople in mechanical rooms, carpenter shops, and control centers make sure everything runs flawlessly.
These are the skilled trades professionals who keep the ballpark operating – and far too often, their stories go untold.
That’s one of the reasons NEST created the Skilled Trades All-Star Program in partnership with the Philadelphia Phillies. Now in its second year, this initiative focuses on planting seeds, changing perceptions, and building a new pipeline of future trades professionals, starting at the middle school level.
Earlier this season, we welcomed nearly 50 students from Mayfair School in Philadelphia to Citizens Bank Park for a full day of hands-on learning, inspiration, and connection. These students are part of a groundbreaking program led by teacher Evin Jarrett, himself a former contractor, who’s now pioneering the only middle school trades curriculum in the Philadelphia School District. What Evin is doing is nothing short of transformational: he’s showing students as young as fourth grade that careers in electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and masonry are not only accessible but empowering.
At NEST, we’ve been working with national retailers for over 30 years, overseeing a range of services, including janitorial, HVAC, and plumbing, across more than 60,000 locations. We recognize the critical importance of the skilled trades to the everyday operation of businesses and the challenges they present in filling those roles. The labor shortage is a real challenge that affects the health and longevity of our entire industry.
That’s why we’re helping drive change. In 2023, we launched the Skilled Trades Advisory Council (STAC) – a coalition of facilities professionals, contractors, educators, and advocates from across the country who are committed to solving the labor crisis by elevating and promoting the trades. The Skilled Trades All-Star Program is one of STAC’s signature initiatives. By connecting middle school students with real professionals inside an iconic venue like Citizens Bank Park, we’re helping reframe what a future in the trades can look like.
On June 3, 2025, Students toured the inner workings of the stadium – mechanical rooms, HVAC control centers, carpenter shops, and the grounds crew’s headquarters. Each stop featured trade experts from the Phillies’ operations team, providing live demonstrations and interactive conversations.
These young people experienced the trades firsthand. They also heard powerful messages: That these careers matter. They can offer stability and pride. And that if they stick with it, there’s a place for them in this industry.
At a time when rising tuition costs are pushing many families to reconsider the traditional four-year college route, programs like this offer an alternative narrative. The trades can be a first choice for many who want a fulfilling, purpose-driven path.
It’s also worth noting that this program doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The Mayfair School’s trades program – spearheaded by Evin Jarrett – is a blueprint we should all strive to replicate. Evin brings his jobsite experience into the classroom and blends it with real-world certifications and student-led projects like their Dope Student Podcast. He makes the trades relevant, current, and exciting for a generation that’s often glued to screens.
He’s also proof that industry and education don’t have to operate in separate lanes. In fact, when we work together, we unlock incredible potential.
The Skilled Trades All-Star Program is what happens when a facilities management company, a professional sports team, and a public school find common ground. It’s a reminder that we don’t need to wait for top-down reform to address the labor shortage. We can start right where we are – by building programs, creating access, and lifting up the voices of those already doing the work.
For those of us in the construction and facilities industries, the call to action is clear. If we want to build a strong future workforce, we have to invest in early education and real-world exposure. That means creating more programs like this. It means showing up in classrooms. It means supporting teachers like Evin and students who are just starting to imagine what they might become.
We’re proud that the Phillies see the value in this work, too. They’ve opened their doors, empowered their operations team to lead, and embraced the idea that the ballpark can be a classroom.
At NEST, our mission has always been to make facilities smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable. But beyond the technology and the service calls, we know the most important investment we can make is in people.
If we want to change the narrative around skilled trades, we need to meet students where they are – sometimes that means a classroom. Sometimes it means a jobsite. And sometimes, it means a ballpark.
Rob Almond is the CEO of NEST, a pioneer of Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) in North America and a founding partner of the Skilled Trades Advisory Council (STAC). To learn more, visit https://www.enternest.com.