Key Takeways
- On May 13, 2026, at the ABC Ohio Valley Excellence in Construction Gala, the Given family announced a $250,000 gift establishing the Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment.
- This endowed fund is designed as a permanent, income-producing endowment fund powering the Tools Foundation’s workforce mission across Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana.
- The gift matters because ABC Ohio Valley’s 40-county footprint faces an estimated 60,000-worker construction labor shortage, while 9 out of 10 craft professionals in the region work outside union halls.
- The endowment supports outcome-based workforce programs tied to recruitment, career exposure, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship support, and long-term construction career advancement.
- Contractors, HR directors, and industry partners who engage now can connect to a stronger merit shop pipeline and help shape the future workforce.
A $250,000 Endowment Announced at the 2026 Excellence in Construction Gala
At the May 13, 2026, ABC Ohio Valley Excellence in Construction Gala, the announcement was not treated as a ceremonial donation. From the main stage, Stanley Warrenhuffman, ABC Ohio Valley vice president of workforce development and executive director of the Tools Foundation, stood alongside Brent Given of Ferguson Construction Co., Mick Given’s son, to unveil the Given family’s $250,000 transformational gift launching the Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment.
The Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment is a permanent financial fund established to honor the legacy of Martin “Mick” Given and strengthen the Tools Foundation’s ability to develop the next generation of construction craft professionals and industry leaders. It is not a one-time annual gift or a simple scholarship check presentation. It is an endowed fund, created to be invested, stewarded, and used to generate long-term support for workforce development.
The fund will operate under a community foundation-style model, with a formal agreement that defines the fund’s purpose and ensures consistent management. For contractors, that matters. A disciplined endowment gives the organization resources to plan beyond a single school year, grant cycle, or fundraising event.
This is the first step in something larger: a business-impact investment in the merit shop workforce infrastructure that ABC Ohio Valley contractors will rely on for years.
The Ohio Valley Workforce Crisis: Why This Endowment Matters Now
ABC Ohio Valley has identified an estimated 60,000-worker construction labor shortage across its roughly 40-county footprint in Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana. Nationally, ABC has also projected the need for hundreds of thousands of additional construction workers to meet demand, reinforcing that the challenge is structural rather than temporary. Contractors can review the broader workforce context through ABC Ohio Valley’s workforce development resources.
The pressure is coming from multiple directions: retirements, demographic shifts, industrial expansion, healthcare construction, logistics facilities, and public infrastructure work. HR directors already know what this looks like in the field: unfilled positions, overtime fatigue, delayed schedules, and constrained growth.
The reality is also clear for merit shop contractors. Roughly 9 out of 10 construction workers in the region are not union members, which means the strongest workforce answer must include infrastructure built for the open-shop and merit-shop majority.
That is why the Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment matters now. It creates recurring financial capacity for recruiting, training, career navigation, and retention support that directly responds to the documented workforce gap.
Who Was Mick Given? A Legacy Rooted in Merit Shop Workforce Development
Martin “Mick” Given was a long-time Ohio Valley construction executive, CEO and Chairman of Ferguson Construction Co., and a respected advocate for workforce development. Ferguson Construction’s remembrance of Mick describes a career that began in 1979 and grew through estimating, project management, operations, and executive leadership, culminating in his becoming president in 2001 and CEO/Chairman in 2018. You can read more in Ferguson Construction’s memorial honoring Martin “Mick” Given.
Mick Given’s philanthropic work mainly focused on workforce, economic, and educational initiatives in his community. He was involved in efforts such as the Workforce Partnership of Shelby County, which serves local students by introducing them to careers in skilled trades and local industries.
He also promoted initiatives to reshape public perception of skilled trades and address the labor skills gap. For Mick, construction was not a fallback career. It was a path to leadership, stability, ownership, and a meaningful life.
Those who worked with him often point to his practical mentorship. Mick could speak with a young project manager, a high school student, or a company owner with the same focus: learn the work, respect the craft, and create educational opportunities for people willing to build.
The Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment: Structure, Purpose, and Impact
The Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment was created as a long-horizon financial engine for the Tools Foundation’s mission. In plain language, an endowment fund works by preserving principal, investing the money, and using a portion of annual returns to fund programs.
The goal of an endowment fund’s total return policy is to provide stable disbursements for scholarships and awards, typically at least 4% of the fund balance annually. The investment and distribution formula for endowments ensures that the principal balance grows while providing annual grants, a common practice among endowment funds.
That structure matters because workforce development is not a short-term project. Pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship support, career coaching, and leadership development require consistency. The Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment can support career exposure events, industry-recognized credentials, mentorship, scholarships, operational costs, and specific projects.
Endowments can support a variety of purposes, including scholarships, operational costs, and specific projects, as seen in funds such as the Joseph Ballard Archeology Fund and the Jeanne R. Blocker Memorial Fund. In other sectors, an endowment might support a lecture series, science departments, recreation programs, or college aid. Here, the focus is on the construction workforce.
The endowment is also a cornerstone for future fundraising. It gives ABC Ohio Valley and the Tools Foundation a permanent base from which to invite donors, corporate partners, families, friends, and industry leaders to contribute.
Stanley Warrenhuffman’s Mission: Rebuilding the Tools Foundation for Measurable Outcomes
In October 2025, ABC Ohio Valley hired Stanley Warrenhuffman as vice president of workforce development and executive director of the Tools Foundation to lead rebuilding, modernization, and strategic expansion.
The shift is direct: move from event-based activity to an outcome-driven nonprofit model. That means tracking recruitment, placement, retention, apprenticeship progression, and career advancement. It also means aligning programs with what contractors actually need in the field.
Warrenhuffman’s core pillars include:
- Targeted workforce recruitment
- Career exposure for K-12 students and adult career changers
- Pre-apprenticeship readiness
- Apprenticeship success support
- Long-term career navigation
- Leadership development for emerging craft professionals
As Warrenhuffman framed it, “Mick believed deeply in the people who build our communities, and this endowment ensures we can help generations of young people discover meaningful careers in construction while solving one of our industry’s greatest challenges.”
That is the value of the Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment. It gives the foundation room for multi-year planning instead of forcing workforce leaders to chase short-term grants.
What the Endowment Makes Possible for Contractors and Workforce Leaders
For contractors, the business case is straightforward. Better workforce infrastructure means stronger candidate flow, better pre-screening, lower hiring risk, and more students entering construction with a realistic understanding of the work.
Endowed funding can underwrite regional talent campaigns, work-based learning placements, employer-specific candidate matching, and mentorship programs. Construction mentorship programs in Ohio supported students by working directly alongside professional mentors on job sites, and that model is exactly the kind of hands-on exposure the industry needs more of.
The Tools Foundation can also use the endowment to expand partnerships with school districts, career centers, community colleges, workforce agencies, nonprofits, and community foundation partners. These partnerships help match community needs with contractor demand.
This is philanthropy with a measurable return on the workforce. The benefit is not abstract. It lowers the cost of recruitment and training for participating companies over time.
Connected Infrastructure: Apprenticeship, Education, and the TOOLS K-12 Pipeline
The Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment is part of ABC Ohio Valley’s broader workforce ecosystem. That ecosystem includes the Ohio Valley Construction Education Foundation, apprenticeship education, safety training, K-12 outreach, and employer engagement.
ABC Ohio Valley and its education partners support a nine-trade apprenticeship program operating from Diamond Oaks Career Campus in Cincinnati and Sinclair Community College in Dayton. The trades include:
| Apprenticeship pathways |
|---|
| Carpentry |
| Craft Labor |
| Electrical |
| HVAC |
| Pipefitting |
| Plumbing |
| Roofing |
| Sheet Metal |
| Sprinkler Fitter |
The CURT award-winning TOOLS Program is the K-12 pipeline model that introduces students to commercial construction through classroom modules, hands-on experiences, jobsite visits, and career conversations. More information on the program is available through the ABC Ohio Valley TOOLS Program.
The relaunched Gen Z workforce initiative, powered in part by the Tools Foundation, connects youth to job shadowing, internships, entry-level employment, and apprenticeship pathways. For children and students who have never seen modern construction up close, that exposure can change the idea of what a career in the trades can be.
Voices of the Given Family: Legacy and Opportunity for Future Generations
Brent Given of Ferguson Construction Co. helped carry the family’s vision into establishing the fund. His framing was clear: this investment is about more than preserving his father’s legacy. It is about building opportunities for future generations and helping construction companies find the talent and leadership they need to thrive.
The Given family chose an endowed fund structure because it can outlast a single project, a single economic cycle, or a single class of students. The goal is to preserve Mick’s commitment while expanding its power over time.
That is how generosity becomes infrastructure. The original gift is invested. Additional contributions can be added. The annual support grows. The mission continues.
For colleagues, contractors, and industry friends who want to honor Mick, the endowment provides a practical way to do so.
A Cornerstone for Future Fundraising and Long-Term Sustainability
The Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment is intentionally designed as a cornerstone gift. It signals confidence to other donors, foundations, corporate partners, and board directors who want disciplined financial planning behind their philanthropy.
Endowment agreements typically require a minimum gift of $25,000, which can be paid upfront or over a 3- to 5-year payment plan. That structure gives donors flexibility while helping the organization build permanent capital.
The model is proven across nonprofit organizations. Since its establishment in 1994, the Archdiocese of Detroit Endowment Foundation has provided over $78.3 million in tuition assistance for Catholic school families. That example, rooted in faith and education, shows how endowments can deliver long-term assistance when they are managed with discipline.
For the Tools Foundation, the same principle applies to the workforce. A strong endowment can help maintain staffing, expand programs, fund equipment, improve reporting, and support future capital needs even when project volumes rise or fall.
How Contractors and Industry Partners Can Engage Right Now
The companies that plug into this infrastructure now will be best positioned as the Tools Foundation scales across the tri-state region.
Ways to engage include:
- Sponsor pre-apprenticeship cohorts
- Offer jobsite tours
- Host work-based learning experiences
- Provide tools, equipment, or instructor time
- Align hiring needs with Tools Foundation candidate pipelines
- Contribute directly to the Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment
- Discuss endowed scholarship contributions, planned giving, or challenge grants
This is also where HR directors should connect the dots between workforce planning, succession planning, safety, and apprenticeship. The endowment can help nurture the future workforce, but contractors must provide the real-world connection.
For suppliers, specialty trade firms, general contractors, and industry partners, the invitation is open: bring your resources, your departments, your jobsite access, and your commitment.
Contact, Enrollment, and Support: Turning Insight into Action
Contractors interested in apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship enrollment should contact the VP of Workforce Development, Stanley Warrenhuffman, at stanley@ovabc.org for program details, start dates, and application support.
Potential donors can use the same channels to discuss corporate gifts, multi-year commitments, financial contributions, and recognition opportunities tied to the endowment.
This is not just a donation story. It is a structural investment in solving the Ohio Valley’s construction workforce crisis. Contractors who step in now will help shape and benefit from the next generation of craft professionals and industry leaders.
FAQ
How is the Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment different from a traditional scholarship fund?
A traditional annual scholarship fund often distributes money directly to individual recipients each year. The Mick Given Tools Foundation Endowment is broader. It is an endowed fund designed to generate ongoing income for recruiting, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship support, career advancement, scholarships, and system-level workforce programs.
Can companies or individuals add to the endowment beyond the original $250,000 gift?
Yes. Contractors, suppliers, industry partners, families, and individuals can contribute to the endowment. Donors may make one-time gifts, multi-year pledges, planned gifts, or designated contributions that expand the fund and increase its long-term impact.
How will ABC Ohio Valley measure the impact of programs funded by the endowment?
Under Stanley Warrenhuffman’s leadership, the Tools Foundation is adopting outcome-based metrics, including recruitment numbers, program completions, apprenticeship placements, retention, and advancement in construction careers. Transparent reporting and continuous improvement will be central to how the fund is managed.
Is participation limited to ABC Ohio Valley member companies?
The deepest benefits in the workforce, apprenticeship, safety, advocacy, and networking are reserved for ABC Ohio Valley members. However, many career exposure programs reach broadly into the regional community. Non-member firms should explore membership if they want full access to the pipeline.
What should HR directors and workforce leaders do first?
Start with a conversation. Contact ABC Ohio Valley to map your hiring needs against apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and TOOLS Program pathways. A good pilot could host a jobsite visit, sponsor a cohort, or interview candidates sourced through the Tools Foundation.
