In the NESEA region there is a small army of talented youth from underserved communities who are eager to have the sorts of careers only NESEA businesses can offer. The NESEA community has not been very good at connecting these youth with those careers. This session aims to change that forever. The session will feature representatives from two of the Boston area’s premier organizations making connections between youth of color on the one hand and the architecture, engineering, and construction community on the other; it will also feature two NESEA business owners who between them have several years of trial and error attempting to make those same connections. The session will include just enough presentations and case studies to inspire strong audience engagement and discussion, which will be the meat of the event. It will take full advantage of the brainpower, passion, and resolve in the room to provide the basic tools to start to create new, lasting connections between NESEA companies eager to identify and hire new talent – and all the under-served talent that for too many years has been hiding in plain sight.