Hoss Equipment Company, Irving, TX, hosted students from Carroll Middle School in Southlake, TX, to promote the industry and further the students lessons about photojournalism. The event was held on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the company’s heavy construction equipment facility.

Dr. Kimbroly Pool, principal, and Anita James, teacher of Journalism, both of Carroll Middle School, permitted approximately 20 eighth- grade students to participate as photo journalists and models in a commercial photo shoot for Hoss.

Students acted out childhood games, like Hide-N-Seek and London Bridges, on and around Heavy Equipment as other students photographed them. Hoss selected the best pictures of the photo shoot to appear in its ad campaign, “Working With Hoss is as Easy as Child’s Play.”

According to McDonald, “The concept is that it is easy to do business with Hoss. The symbolism of the children at simple recess-type games, like hide-n-seek, is an analogy to this ease of doing business.”

The students were also treated to lunch, which included an informal roundtable of professional journalists who shared their knowledge and experience with the students.

“It’s the win-win and professional goodwill that I want to instill,” said Tom McDonald, marketing manager of Hoss. “I hope when they are done they understand the great difference between advertising and journalism, because they will have experienced both at this event.”

Hoss also wanted to use this event to help try to change the industry’s image among young people. “The point is that construction is one of the largest industry in the American economy,” said McDonald. “And we are not all dirty-handed, no-future, uneducated manual laborers.”

A government career survey in 1997 ranked the image of the construction worker 498th out of 500 among parents and their teenage children.

According to McDonald, this issue of image needs to be addressed. “There are scholarships to technical colleges going unused,” said McDonald. We have a critical shortage of people with knowledge and the ability to learn specific skills. The young people, who are the future of this nation and state, should have the best information as they begin to make their career choices.”

Today's top stories

ST Wooten, NCDOT Wrapping Up Project to Double Capacity On I-95

Growth Spurs SDDOT's Sioux Falls Project

Tips to Keep Your Equipment Fleet Healthy

Benchmark Tool & Supply Partners With Unicontrol to Deliver Cutting-Edge 3D Machine Control Tailored for U.S. Operators

VIDEO: Explosives Drop Steel Trestle Missouri River Bridge

Hyundai Sets 'New Standard' for What's Standard

Navistar Recognized by EPA as SmartWay Program High Performer

VIDEO: Construction Begins in Queens, N.Y. On Power Converter Station for Transmission Line