Archive for category: Frontpage Article

Long Beach, CA, 3/22/18– Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana/Kentucky (ABC) brought home four medals at this year’s National Craft Championship competition in Long Beach, CA. The apprentices from Indiana/Kentucky competed alongside 170 of the association’s top craftsmen from 28 states. Apprentices can win a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Safety medal for their performance.  “The National Craft Championships is a great opportunity to show off the exceptionally skilled and well-trained craftsmen and women that work on Associated Builders and Contractors member job-sites,” said 2018 ABC National Past Chair Chuck Goodrich, president of Gaylor Electric Inc. Indianapolis. “ABC looks forward to showing off the very best the merit shop construction industry has to offer and drawing needed attention to the terrific career opportunities available in the construction industry.”

The competitors from Indiana/Kentucky received the following awards:

HVAC
Silver Medal, Austin Tingler, DEEM LLC (Indianapolis, IN)
Instrumentation
Silver Medal, Lucas Anderson, Gaylor Electric Inc. (West Lafayette, IN)
Plumbing
Silver Medal, Geoff Lippert, Ellis Mechanical Inc. (Indianapolis, IN)
Sprinkler Fitting
Bronze  Medal, Zach Dague, Brenneco Fire Protection (Flora, IN)
ABC Indiana/Kentucky also recognizes the following Craft Champions who competed:

Travis Helmuth, Electrical- Commercial/Industrial, J.O. Mory (Ft. Wayne, IN)
Justin Spivey, Pipefitting, DEEM LLC (Indianapolis, IN)
Randy Waterman, Carpentry, Ancon Construction (Goshen, IN)
Mark Zeller, Electrical- Commercial/Residential, Huff Electric (Indianapolis, IN)

Finally, Gene Senter, an Electrical 3 Instructor for the chapter, was recognized as a National Craft Instructor of the Year Finalist.

In addition to the strong performance of our apprentices, ABC of Indiana/Kentucky received 3 membership awards (for achieving 90% retention, for achieving growth, and meeting our annual membership goal for 2017) at the annual Chapter Awards Luncheon. ABC Indiana/Kentucky is thrilled with the high performance of our chapter at the 2018 National Craft Championships!

Based on the merit shop philosophy, ABC helps members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they live and work.

READ THE FULL 2017 YEAR IN REVIEW

Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana/Kentucky (ABC) hosted the annual Merit Shop Construction Awards Gala last Thursday night at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. The purpose of the Gala is to recognize Excellence in Merit Shop Construction. ABC Members from across the chapter submit a variety of projects to compete for the esteemed “Award of Excellence” and “Award of Merit.” Projects are evaluated on criteria including Safety, STEP- status*, and Constructability. A panel of judges (comprised of industry experts) review submissions and name winners. The Gala is a great opportunity for the construction industry to come together and celebrate the accomplishments of our ABC members. In addition to the Awards of Excellence and Merit, the ”James W. Rabold Safety Award” and the “S. Douglas Trolson Image Award” for member engagement are presented.

This year, the event featured Warren Central J-ROTC for the presentation of the colors, followed by the National Anthem sung by Joanna Reinhardt. Al Wurster, of Wurster Construction, gave the invocation. At the ceremony, more than 30 projects were recognized – 90 Awards of Excellence and 50 Awards of Merit were presented to those involved. Our Presidential Sponsor, Gaylor Electric Inc., presented Meyer Najem with the evening’s Presidential Award, as they earned the highest overall score for their Community Cancer Center North project. Paul Zuranski (Gaylor Electric Inc.) and Larry Sheets (RLTurner Corporation) were presented with Rabold awards by Mr. Rabold himself. Both Paul and Larry are exemplary models of safety in our industry and thanks to their hard work and passion, ABC contractors continue to lead the industry in safety. Finally, J.R. Gaylor presented two members (Fredericks, Inc. Contractors, and Commercial Trade Source) with the S. Douglas Trolson Awards for member engagement. Both contractors are avid supporters of the Association and our members.

Details on the winning projects can be found in the Indianapolis Business Journal (starting October 10^th) and featured HERE on our website.  For those with winning projects outside of the Indianapolis area, ABC will work with your local news outlet to share your achievements.

To learn more about the Merit Shop Construction Awards Gala, contact Catrona Lanctot at cat@abcindianakentucky.org

*Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) is a certification we encourage all members to pursue. A STEP certified contractor is a minimum of 150% safer on the job than the industry average. For more info: abc.org/STEP

 

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Associated Builders and Contractors ABC) is a national construction industry trade association representing nearly 21,000 chapter members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 70 chapters help members develop people, win work and delivery that work safety, ethically, profitably and for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its member work. Visit us at www.abcindianakentucky.org

POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE: THE ABC WAY!
By Dr. Jeanne Fredericks

The phrase “pomp and circumstance” associated with graduation ceremonies was first popularized in 1622 by Shakespeare in his play Othello. During Shakespeare’s time, pomp meant a “display of magnificence and splendor” and circumstance referred to the ceremony or fuss made about a special event. The phrase stuck and most U.S. graduates enter graduation ceremonies to Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op. 39.” Although Elgar’s Military March was not played at any of the three ABC graduation events and the traditional cap and gowns were not worn, pomp and circumstance was alive and well! Better yet, we did it the ABC way!

With 149 earning ABC Craft Professional Certificates, this year’s graduating class was the largest in our history, existing first as individual chapters and now as a two-state unified chapter! Eighty-eight (88) of the Indiana graduates were also awarded Vincennes University associate degrees by Vice-President David Tucker—the highest VU graduation rate yet! The 2017 National Craft Championships medalists were also recognized during the Indianapolis event.

National Champions
J.R. Christenberry, Gaylor Electric (Electrical Commercial/Industrial)
Joseph Smith, Pritt Electric (Electrical Residential/Commercial)

Silver medalist
Paul Yankauskas III, Gaylor Electric (Electrical Commercial/Industrial)

Electrical Safety Award Winner
Jorge Dias, Gaylor Electric

Bronze Medalist
Jeffrey Pursel, RL Turner Corporation (Carpentry)

Fire Sprinkler Safety Award Winner
Brett Abramczyk, Brenneco Fire Protection

Special Honors
Michael Manship, Brandt Construction, was recognized as the 2017 Craft Professional of the Year
J.R. Gaylor, ABC President & CEO, was honored for 30 years of service to ABC

Craft Instructor of the Year Awards In Louisville
Sammy Woodsm, 2017 Craft Instructor of the Year
Floyd Schanz, 2017 Craft Instructor of the Year Runner-Up

Just 45 minutes from Nashville, Tennessee, ABC Bowling Green graduation speaker Bob Appling, Director of the Bowling Green/Warren County Contractors Licensing Board, reminded graduates about the importance of their achievement and challenged them to always serve their communities with their craft knowledge and skills. In Louisville, Floyd Schanz, Field Operations Manager for the State of Kentucky, Division of Plumbing, congratulated the graduates on passing the state licensing exam and urged them to always help and support each other. In Indianapolis, ABC National Vice President Greg Sizemore urged graduates to be proud of their profession, continue to work hard, and serve others. Rob Griffith, ABC Indiana Trust Board Chair, closed the ceremony by asking graduates to affirm their own strengths to make an even greater positive impact on the world around them.

In closing, I want to thank all ABC training members for their participation in and support of ABC’s training programs, the craft championships, and our graduation events.

Special recognition goes to this year’s graduation sponsors:

Lucas Oil Stadium Tour Sponsor Dinner Sponsor

Platinum Sponsors
• Chapman Electric Supply
• Fredericks, Inc. Contractors

Gold Sponsors
• Edwards Electrical & Mechanical
• FasTrack Mechanical
• Ferrer Mechanical Services, Inc.
• National Construction Workforce
• Pritt Electric

Silver Sponsors
• James Babcock Inc.
• RL Turner Corporation

Bronze Sponsor
• Triple J Plumbing LLC

Pomp and circumstance? You bet ‘ya! The ABC Way!

Graduation Photos

Fort Lauderdale, FL, 3/3/2016– Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana/Kentucky (ABC) brought home the gold, along with other prestigious awards at the 30th Annual National Craft Championships. The apprentices from Indiana/Kentucky competed alongside 170 of the association’s top craftsmen from 28 states. Apprentices can win a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Safety medal for their performance. “The National Craft Championships is a great opportunity to show off the exceptionally skilled and well-trained craftsmen and women that work on Associated Builders and Contractors member jobsites,” said 2017 ABC National Chair Chuck Goodrich, president of Gaylor Electric Inc. Indianapolis. “ABC looks forward to showing off the very best the merit shop construction industry has to offer and drawing needed attention to the terrific career opportunities available in the construction industry.” The competitors from Indiana/Kentucky received the following awards:

* Electrical: Commercial/Industrial:

o Gold Medal, J.R. Christenberry, Gaylor Electric

o Silver Medal, Paul Yankauskas, Gaylor Electric

* Electrical: Commercial/Residential:

o Gold Medal, Joseph Smith, Pritt Electric

o Safety Medal, Jorge Diaz, Gaylor Electric

* Carpentry

o Bronze Medal, Jeff Pursel, RLTurner Corporation

* Sprinkler Fitting

o Safety Medal, Brett Abramczyk, Brenneco Fire Protection

ABC Indiana/Kentucky also recognizes the following Chapter Craft Champions:

* Logan Lapp, Advanced Mechanical Services, Sheet Metal

* Shawn Stinemetz, DEEM, Pipefitting

* Brett Summers, Gordon Plumbing, Plumbing

* Josh Wallin, Votaw Electric, Electrical: Commercial/Industrial

* Roberto Zavala, Ferrer Mechanical Services, HVAC Finally, Gaylor Electric, along with Cianbro, hosted a Power Line Man demonstration during the competition.

In addition to the strong performance of our apprentices, ABC of Indiana/Kentucky received a National Best Practice Award of Excellence for our “Jump on the YouTube Train: Create Your Own Training Videos” initiative, as well as the Best Practice Champion Award for our Floorcovering Installer Apprenticeship program and Young Professionals program. Also at this awards breakfast, J.R. Gaylor, our President and CEO was recognized for his 30 years of service to the Association.

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Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction industry trade association established in 1950 that represents nearly 21,000 members. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 70 chapters help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which ABC and its members work. Visit us at abc.org.