O‑A‑K is currently partnered with Grand Rapids Public Museum on a multi-year expansion and renovation. As part of this partnership, GRPM approached O‑A‑K to participate in their Engineering Day event, which exposes children to STEAM concepts via hands-on play. Together, O‑A‑K team members Dave Fleece, Phil Veenhoven, Tori Brayton, and Jennifer Kloosterhouse designed a booth to educate young learners on the construction happening right outside the museum’s windows. Among these activities was a plastic tray filled with sand and toy construction vehicles, which the kids could use to simulate their larger counterparts, which are currently working on expanding access to the Grand River. The team also displayed museum blueprints and encouraged children to identify where certain points of interest were in the real world.
One special visitor to the O‑A‑K booth was a 4-year-old boy, who stopped by sporting the O‑A‑K hard hat he had been gifted as a regular visitor to the Frederik Meijer Gardens' job sites. He was filled with questions about the prints and the ongoing construction, which Project Manager, Dave Fleece and Assistant Superintendent, Tori Brayton were more than happy to answer as they prepped their future coworker for a career in construction management.
