QUEENS, NEW YORK January 31, 2020 – Building Skills New York, a non-profit organization working to provide underserved New Yorkers with good paying jobs, announced today Queens January Worker of the Month, Marvin Lewis.

A native of Queens, Marvin Lewis currently works for RNC Industries on the Durst’s Queens Plaza Project in Long Island City. Lewis began on the project as a General Laborer and is now cutting rebar and doing concrete form work. On February 6, he will be celebrating a year on the site.

“Thanks to Building Skills, I’ve been given opportunities that I never would have been able to access otherwise,” said Lewis. “At my job, I’ve learned skills such as cutting rebar, carpentry, and working with concrete—all tools I didn’t know how to do before.”

Prior to being connected to Building Skills, Lewis struggled to find a job in construction despite experience in the industry. He found Building Skills through Queens-based community partner Urban Upbound, which works to provide local public housing residents with the resources they need to achieve economic mobility.

Building Skills recently announced their total number of 2019 job placements was 340, up 45 percent from 2018, with a growing share of workers from Queens. Building Skills helps New Yorkers find work through free job training and job placement services. Additionally, Building Skills continues to provide on-the-job support to each worker as they seek to broaden their skillset and advance their construction career.

BSNY’s “Worker of the Month” monthly series aims to highlight and honor workers placed in jobs throughout New York City.