Big News: Luke Barnett Recognized by Crain’s as Campus Construction Moves Forward

As work continues on the future SBWI campus, President Luke Barnett has been recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as a Notable Leader in Architecture, Engineering and Construction.

This peer-reviewed award highlights SBWI’s enrollment growth project and the state investment that will catalyze our trade school from just over 20 students to over 200 annually.

We are grateful for this recognition, which arrives right in the middle of major progress across the site of our future campus:

At the new location on the corner of Forrister Rd. and Hamilton Hwy., nearly 50% of the foundation work has now been completed. Earthmoving on the property continues, including the creation of a new pond that will become part of the landscape and natural learning environment of our forested, “Trade School for Tomorrow.”

Completely immersed in every part of the process, Luke decided to personally test the pond over Memorial Day weekend.

The verdict? Very cold.

Restoration and ecological work across the property continue to transform the land. Invasive honeysuckle removal has now been completed, opening the woods and allowing native species to thrive. This spring, phlox blooms have begun spreading across the property, offering an early glimpse of what the campus environment will become in the years ahead.

The Trade School for Tomorrow is not intended to feel like a conventional campus. It is designed as an immersive environment where students can connect to each other and their studies in a rich setting that rivals the best colleges in the country.

In case you’re just joining us on this journey, over the last year, SBWI has announced curriculum partnerships in timber framing and historic preservation. We are in the final stages of designing these new programs, and early interest forms are available for the Fall of 2027.

For Luke, who came to construction through woodworking, this has always been about more than materials. Our new campus will redesign and redefine what a modern trades education should be.

Skilled trades in Michigan have been treated as an “alternative” for too long. SBWI believes that whether preserving meaningful spaces, building sustainably, or crafting items meant to last for generations, working with your hands is foundational to higher education.

Architectural renderings of the new campus set to open in the Fall of 2027.