Business Roundtable, an association of 160 CEOs of leading U.S. companies, will roll out a broad-based effort to recruit and train up to 20,000 new construction workers in the Gulf Coast region by the end of 2009, and will help continue the region's recovery from last year's hurricanes. The Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative works cooperatively with local businesses, construction trade groups, labor unions, community organizations, academic institutions, and federal, state and local government.

In August, it launched the “Gulf Rebuild: Education, Advancement and Training” - or “GREAT” - campaign to promote the program and recruit regional trainees for a four-week course of entry-level training.