Bring Back the Trades has announced that vendor spaces are officially sold out for the highly anticipated Skills Expo presented by F.W. Webb, taking place Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

With more than 100 exhibitors, schools, and industry leaders participating, the event will transform the iconic stadium into an interactive hub for hands-on learning, live demonstrations, and real-world career exploration across the skilled trades. Students, educators, families, and job seekers are invited to attend and experience the trades firsthand — from welding and plumbing to robotics, aviation, masonry, and beyond.

“Selling out our vendor spaces is a testament to how much momentum there is behind the trades right now,” said Shana Brunye, chief operations officer of Bring Back the Trades. “Every exhibitor here shares our belief that hands-on careers are vital, respected, and full of opportunity. We’re proud to bring together companies and schools that are not only showcasing skills, but helping students envision real pathways into meaningful work.”

What Attendees Will Experience

The expo will feature live, interactive exhibits and special guest appearances from industry leaders including Aaron Witt (BuildWitt), Demi Knight Clark (She Built This City), and two-time New England Patriots Alumni and Champion Rob Ninkovich, who will appear live on stage. Attendees who register in advance for Seated Access Tickets will also be automatically entered to win signed merchandise and more.

Highlights include the following:

  • American Welding Society: Virtual reality welding simulator hands-on exhibit to enable exploring high-demand careers in welding. A $1,000 scholarship will be given to the person who has to top score on the virtual welder. 
  • Eastern Propane & Oil: Equipment demonstrations, giveaways, industry insights, on-site interviews, and a vintage 1932 Ford Roadster powered by propane.
  • General Dynamics Electric Boat: A virtual welding simulator, and information on career opportunities in welding, electrical, machining, and design. Hiring thousands of entry level and experienced tradespeople over the next several years.
  • Heritage Home Service: Meet the team and learn firsthand about careers in plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical.
  • Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School District: Live HVAC piping demonstrations, roofing and siding projects, and guidance for students and adults seeking training opportunities. Product demonstration: frame, side and roof a dog house. Representatives from the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA) will be available to help you identify your local vocational school district.
  • Lighthouse Credit Union: Financial product and service information
  • People’s Inclusive Welding: Hands-on welding activities where small groups of participants can try welding and take home their own creation.
  • ARMI | BioFabUSA: Micropipetting practice and interactive exhibits showcasing careers in regenerative medicine and biofabrication.
  • Zoeller Pump Company: Battery back up system display and Live Grinder Pump Demo - grinding up items like “flushable” wipes, latex gloves, shop rags and more.
  • National Aviation Academy: Sheet metal display, miniaturized turbine engine display, and course information.
  • Dependable Control Services: Industrial Electrical Controls for Automation.
  • North Bennet Street School, First trade school in the nation (founded in 1881): Trades curriculum demonstrations and school information.
  • PHCPPros RUGGED Mind and Body: Highlighting the importance of mental health and wellness, RUGGED will be giving away magazines, sharing resources, and giving away merchandise as they promote their upcoming RUGGED Mind and Body Road Show in Boston.
  • Window Coverings Association of America: WCAA will be highlighting two trades: Workroom Seamstress and Window Covering Installers.  Sewing demonstrations and Installation demonstrations to show how lucrative these trades are in the Interior Design industry.
  • 128 Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric: Interactive displays featuring ProPress fittings, electrical controls, and drain cleaning demonstrations — plus a chance to meet and ask questions of the professionals - including a plumber, drain technician, HVAC technician, and electrician. 
  • Mill Forge Makerspace: “Constructive Destruction”  where participants take apart electronics to understand repairability and design. Hands-on work disassembling consumer and professional products to see how different designs impact repairability and product life. Mill Forge Makerspace partners with Right to Repair, iFixit, and others to showcase the importance of design through teardowns.
  • NERC Smart Sheet Metal Workers Local 17: Pieces of duct work will be on display to show people what we have to do on a daily basis and the importance of enabling air movement in a building while doing it safely. 
  • New England FIRST Robotics: High school teams showcasing their 150-pound competition robots to demonstrate the crossover between STEM and skilled trades, and the programs that inspire the next generation of technology and business leaders.
  • Eversource Energy: Electric and gas trades demonstration, live line trailer demonstration featuring a live arcing of electricity, and demonstration of the power of electricity, and the importance of safety.
  • NECMA’s Women in Hardscape & Masonry: Hands-on Build a Brick or Concrete Block Wall with Masonry. Patio paver demonstration.
  • W.T. Kenney Co., Inc: Interactive painting experience with on-site experts to answer questions.
  • F.W. Webb Company: Sharing employment and co-op opportunities, highlighting both field and business pathways in the trades.

In addition, organizations will offer resources and insight into financial readiness, mental wellness, and traditional trades education.
 
Why it Matters

As skilled trades programs surge in popularity, events like the Bring Back the Trades Skills Expo play a critical role in helping students, parents, and educators connect the dots between interest, education, and opportunity.

“We want to inspire the next generation of electricians to enter the trades with an understanding that there's specialties in the electrical field,” said Randy Furmanick of Dependable Controls Services.

“At Lighthouse Credit Union, our mission is to enrich and nourish the lives of others.,” said Diane Carragher of Lighthouse Credit Union, a presenting vendor. “ This philosophy puts our members front and center in everything we do to help build stronger communities. We know that without skilled trade workers, communities can’t thrive. That’s why we celebrate the Lightkeepers — the dedicated, essential workers who keep the lights on.”

Nathan McShinsky of Eastern Propane & Oil added, “It’s important to talk to future generations about our industry. We want students to understand the pride and stability that come with building a career in the trades.”

From electric line safety demonstrations by Eversource to biofabrication technology from ARMI | BioFabUSA, every exhibitor aims to show the diverse, innovative, and high-tech nature of today’s trades careers.