The Chicago chapter of theThe Mechanical Contractors Association of America(Rockville, MD) initiated an apprentice recruiting program with the release of a comic book designed to grab the attention of young men and women between the ages of 14 and 25. In a letter accompanying the material, MCA of Chicago executive vice president Steve Lamb discussed the research that led to the selection of the multi-racial characters in the comic book format: “…demographers have been telling us for years that the pool of young white males is running dry,” his letter read. “Even though we know this fact, most of us have been slow to redirect our recruiting to other ethnic and racial groups.” Because of the need to recruit apprentices nationwide, the Chicago chapter is willing to share these materials with MCAA affiliates around the country.