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Associated Builders and Contractors鈥� Pacific Northwest chapter hosted its eighth annual Craft Championships at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas on Friday.

Third-year and-fourth-year HVAC apprentices competed to build functioning heating and air conditioning systems in teams of two, while four sheet metal apprentices competed individually to construct heating and air conditioning ductwork from scratch.

Mark Pavlov of Vancouver, Washington-based Direct Mechanical won the sheet metal competition. Matthew Jaber of Portland-based Caliber Plumbing & Mechanical took first in the HVAC division.

In the sheet metal competition, participants aren鈥檛 just competing with one another but also against the clock. Competitors have from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to turn flat sheet metal into formed ductwork that is hung up.

Competitors usually need the entire time granted to complete all the tasks, said Matthew Brunner, project manager and judge for the sheet metal competition.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 (with) getting everything right the first time,鈥� he said, 鈥渟o there鈥檚 no room for mistakes.鈥�

Similarly, in the HVAC competition, participants must complete a detailed sequence of events for the system to work properly. However, competitors may need to quickly adjust because their competition kits could be missing parts.

Each kit was supposed to include everything needed, but on Friday some parts were missing, said Jason Breeze, project manager for the HVAC competition. However, that reflects real-world conditions, he added.

鈥淭here鈥檚 always adversity 鈥� anytime you鈥檙e installing these (HVAC systems),鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want any one thing to shut you down. Just move on, skip over, and come back to it.鈥�

Breeze, who has worked in the HVAC trade for 22 years, said dealing with missing parts or delivery timelines is 鈥渢he reality of our trade.鈥� It鈥檚 good life experience for apprentices, he added.

Pavlov and Jaber each received a $500 cash prize and an all-expenses-paid trip to Kissimmee, Florida, in March 2024 to compete in the ABC National Craft Championships. Also, all competitors this year received new KEEN boots.