St. Pete development provides unique student opportunity

More than 30 Tampa Bay area high school students recently received a behind-the-scenes look at a mixed-use development nearing completion in St. Petersburg’s EDGE District.

The annual trip to an active construction site is a highlight for teens in the ACE (Architecture, Construction and Engineering) Mentorship Program. Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough County students toured the $70 million-plus Viv project Saturday, Dec. 7.

J.E. Dunn is the general contractor for Viv, which consists of twin 15-story towers with 269 units and 15,500 square feet of commercial space. Curtis DeLaQuil is the company’s Tampa group manager and president of ACE’s local affiliate.

“What project is big enough to have an impactful, meaningful conversation and look at multiple different aspects of construction to give the students a good perspective?” DeLaQuil said of the selection process. “Who can lose a half day of productivity to accommodate this?”

A rendering of the Viv project at 1000 1st Ave. N.

Viv checked those boxes. The development reached its highest point in May and remains on schedule to open in the fall of 2025.

The project also provided a unique opportunity for several students in the mentorship program. ACE’s local industry leaders led them on a site tour in December 2023, when the 600-foot-long buildings first took shape.

“They get to see the evolution of the project,” DeLaQuil explained. “See the differences, the challenges and things we were dealing with a year ago to the status of construction this year. The structure is complete … and we’re finishing the inside of the building. So, some serious changes.”

The national nonprofit serves over 12,000 students annually and has helped them secure $32.38 million in scholarships. About 40% of participants become first-generation college students.

DeLaQuil said J.E. Dunn extended a job offer to an ACE alum finishing his degree at the University of Florida. He noted the local affiliate’s architectural partners have hired multiple participants after graduation.

Representatives from national and local companies like Ellison Construction comprise ACE Tampa’s executive board and provide mentorship. Boca Ciega, St. Petersburg, Seminole, Largo and Richard O. Jacobson Technical High Schools are among the program’s academic partners.

DeLaQuil said the nonprofit provides exposure to industry experts who are “passionate about what they do” and generate excitement among students. The teens receive a “glimpse into what life is like after school”; he believes the program “lays that foundation for a bright future early on.”

The program’s website touts its impact on underserved students. Over 70% of participants identify as people of color, compared to just 33% in the construction industry.

Roughly 40% of ACE students are women, nearly quadrupling the construction industry’s average (11%). DeLaQuil noted that many program participants lack “fortunate upbringings.”

“They don’t have people in their life they can count on,” DeLaQuil continued. “So, to be that kind of person for those folks is pretty rewarding.”

Over 90% of ACE Mentorship Program students, many with disadvantaged backgrounds, go on to college of skilled trades training programs.

ACE’s architectural, engineering, construction management and tradesperson mentors split students into teams and guide them through mock design projects. The teams meet for roughly two hours after school about 15 times annually.

Program leaders organize a college night, and DeLaQuil said the local affiliate has “three big field trips annually.” Those include an architect’s office, an active construction site and a “trades day” event, which features several companies and a demonstration area.

DeLaQuil said students receive hands-on training and “get their hands dirty” during trades day. “They ask a lot of unique questions,” he added. “They ask a lot of things we wouldn’t normally think of … they have fresh ideas and fresh energy.”

DeLaQuil grew up in Tampa Bay and returned to the area after beginning his career in Atlanta. He began volunteering with ACE in 2018 and became the program’s president in 2020.

The leadership role has provided DeLaQuil with a new “level of reward” and perspective. He has watched participants, many with significant hurdles, navigate high school and evolve through college.

“I don’t know how to explain it exactly right, but to be able to be there for somebody who doesn’t have that person most of us get to have growing up – it’s a pretty unique opportunity,” DeLaQuil said.