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Growth, opportunities in store for Herdina Construction Trades Camp

Four male youth, standing together at the 2024 Herdina Construction Trades Camp, look down from behind an under-construction wall and smile at the camera.
Four students in last summer's Herdina Construction Trades Camp take a brief break from building to smile for the camera. (Photo courtesy of the Building Industry Association of the Red River Valley)

 

The family of Neil Herdina, the late Fargo-Moorhead area architect who spearheaded the Herdina Construction Trades Camp, has launched a new non-endowment fund of over $100,000 to provide sustainable long-term financial support to the camp and expand opportunities for participating students.

The camp, held each summer in Moorhead, introduces students ages 15-20 to the construction trades. M State, the Building Industry Association of the Red River Valley, and the Home Builders Care of Fargo-Moorhead Foundation partner to provide campers with hands-on experiences and classroom instruction in carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, excavation and other building skills. This year’s camp kicked off on Monday and continues through June 13.

“This camp holds a special place in many hearts due to its longevity in the community and the important role it plays in introducing the trades to young people,” says Building Industry Association of the Red River Valley CEO Bryce Johnson. “The BIA is proud to have been part of it since the beginning, and to be carrying Neil’s vision forward. His influence is still strongly felt today. He placed a solid foundation for the camp, and we are very thankful for his family’s support. It will greatly influence the camp’s future sustainability.”

Several students and instructors at the 2024 Herdina Construction Trades Camp are pictured doing various jobs around the site of an under-construction small building.
Student workers and camp instructors constructed a small structure as part of last summer's Herdina Construction Trades Camp, an annual summer camp held in Moorhead. This year's camp kicked off on Monday and continues through June 13.

The Herdina family was inspired to create the Herdina Family Fund after Neil’s niece, Hattie, participated in the camp last summer. Working side-by-side with contractors and other industry professionals, she discovered the program's value firsthand.

“She loved the experience, and at her graduation ceremony, her grandfather, Stan (Neil’s father), and her mother, Erin (Neil’s sister), learned about the incredible dedication and hard work of the team that organizes this yearly program,” the family wrote in a letter to the camp’s advisory committee. “Inspired by the stories shared at the event, they returned home and shared the experience with Neil’s other sisters, Nicole and Meaghan. As a family, we were deeply moved by the program’s impact and the challenges faced in securing funding and sponsorships.”

“We also couldn’t help but think of Neil’s mother, Ann, who passed in 2021,” they added. “She would have been proud to see how the camp continues to bring people together and inspire the next generation. In Ann and Neil’s honor, we are committed to ensuring this vital program thrives for years to come.”

Neil, a young architect who worked for ROERS construction company in Fargo, dreamed up the idea for the camp with Jim Roers in 1997 after noticing an emerging shortage of students entering the construction trades. In collaboration with industry professionals and the Building Industry Association (then Home Builders Association), they established the Academy of Construction Trades. In 1998, the first Construction Trades Camp was hosted, with great success. Neil unexpectedly passed away three years later, at the age of 27. Since then, his colleagues, volunteer teachers and community sponsors have kept the camp going, renaming it in honor of Neil in 2001. 

“The Herdina Construction Trades Camp has served for over 20 years as a hands-on, exploratory opportunity for young adults to discover rewarding careers in the construction trades,” says Brooks Pederson, Construction Management instructor at M State. “As the camp coordinator, I have the privilege of working closely with these students as they explore new skills, build confidence, and begin to see a possible future for themselves in the trades. The Herdina family’s support helps ensure that this mission can continue for years to come; we at the camp are truly grateful.”

The Herdina Family Fund is a non-endowment fund housed at The Minneapolis Foundation, created mainly with dollars that would have been a part of Neil’s inheritance. The family has committed a minimum of $4,000 to this summer’s camp, and has asked the camp’s advisory committee and staff to brainstorm ways for additional funds to be used. Their wish is for the money to maintain and foster growth of the program. 

For more information about the Herdina Construction Trades Camp, visit minnesota.edu/academics/herdina-construction-trades-camp.

For more information about the Herdina Family Fund, and to make a donation, visit herdinafamilyfund.org/.