Two local craftspeople shined recently at the 2022 National Craft Championships in San Antonio.

More than 175 of the nation’s top building professionals gathered at the Associated Builders and Contractors Convention on March 16 to compete in the 33rd annual event.

Wayne Lathrop of American Heating won the Gold Award in the HVAC competition and Bernard Bartling of American Heating received the Silver Award in the sheet metal competition.

“ABC‘s premier skilled trades contest recognizes the men and women who are the future of the construction industry,” stated Stephanie Schmidt, 2022 national chairwoman of ABC’s board of directors and president of Poole Anderson Construction in State College, Pennsylvania.

The National Craft Championships features 15 competitions in trades including carpentry, pipefitting, plumbing and welding. All competitors had to take a two-hour online exam and a six-hour practical performance test.

Lathrop and Bartling qualified last year via participation in the sixth annual Craft Championships hosted by ABC’s Pacific Northwest chapter. Both earned top marks in their respective competitions.

“These competitors not only build America, but also highlight the diverse career opportunities in construction,” Schmidt added. “The ABC Pacific Northwest chapter craft students demonstrated their superior skills, education and safe work practices at our 33rd annual competition, and ABC congratulates them on their outstanding accomplishments.”

The post Local tradespeople earn high marks at national event appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Despite declining investment in nonresidential projects, the U.S. economy as a whole is continuing to grow, according to a recent report from Associated Builders and Contractors.

The economy expanded in the third quarter of 2019 at an annualized rate of 1.9 percent, according to an ABC analysis of economic data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

However, nonresidential fixed investment in structures – a segment tied closely to the construction industry – declined 15.3 percent in the third quarter after declining 11.1 percent in the second quarter.

A slowing economy, according to ABC’s chief economist, Anirban Basu, can be seen most readily in the falling rate of gross private domestic investment, which dropped 1.5 percent during the third quarter. This followed a 6.3 decrease in the second quarter.

Also, some segments of nonresidential construction spending – including office and lodging – are continuing to contract nationally. Others, in the public sector, are showing growth. In the Portland-metro area that is most evident in substantial new construction in the education field.

“The primary question now is whether the slowdown in economic activity will persist into 2020,” Basu stated in a press release. “Many factors suggest it will, including a weakening global economy, a U.S. manufacturing sector that is arguably already in recession, vulnerability attributable to massive accumulations of public, corporate and household debt and the uncertain outcomes attached to ongoing trade negotiations. On the other hand, U.S. equity markets have continued to surge higher in the context of better-than-expected corporate earnings and ongoing accommodation by the Federal Reserve. Put it all together and the outlook for the U.S. economy has seldom been more uncertain, especially given next year’s elections.”

The post Construction trade group analyzes economic data appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Associated Builders and Contractors‘ Pacific Northwest chapter recently hosted its annual Craft Championships at its headquarters in Northeast Portland.

Third-year and fourth-year HVAC and sheet metal apprentices took part in contests that tested their skills. In the sheet metal event, apprentices were tasked with constructing ductwork and then assembling the pieces into a functional system. In the HVAC event, apprentices were tasked with connecting a heat pump and furnace to create a functional heating and air conditioning unit.

“Sheet metal was the tightest race we’ve ever seen,” said Kimberly Farris, apprenticeship and administrative coordinator for the chapter.

Fourth-year apprentice Nick O’Donnell of American Heating Inc. won that individual competition to earn a trip to Nashville for the ABC National Craft Championships on March 24-27, 2020. Brittany Heacock and Cody Addis, both HVAC Inc. employees, were the other two sheet metal competitors.

Holly “Saffron” Peters, a third-year apprentice with American Heating Inc., won the HVAC team competition to also receive a trip to Nashville. Bryce Lewis of Hunter-Davisson, Hayden Schultz of Reitmeier Inc., John Carmichael of Protemp Associates, Cory Butler of Reitmeier Inc. and Michael Gardner of American Heating Inc. also participated.

In addition to competition, ABC held a career fair for high school students. More than 400 from Oregon and Southwest Washington were on hand to check out equipment demonstrations and career booths managed by participating contractors.

“We have such joy putting on this event, and it is so inspiring to see our community come together to celebrate the industry, apprenticeship and workforce development,” Farris said.

The post Trade group holds skills competition, career fair appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Brazing torches flashed and the sounds of sheet metal being drilled into place filled the air Friday in Northeast Portland, as the Associated Builders and Contractors‘ Pacific Northwest chapter hosted its annual Craft Championships for third- and fourth-year sheet metal and HVAC apprentices.

Three teams of two HVAC apprentices squared off to build functioning heating and air conditioning systems, while sheet metal apprentices competed individually to build heating and air conditioning ductwork from scratch in the shortest amount of time and with the fewest mistakes.

In the sheet metal competition, the winner was third-year apprentice Matthew Brunner, an employee of Portland-based ProTemp Associates, while third-year apprentice Calvin Nail, an employee of Hybrid Heating & Cooling in Cornelius, took home top honors in the HVAC division. Both Brunner and Nail next March will travel to Long Beach, California, to compete in the ABC national Craft Championships. There, they will take on other regional winners from around the United States.

The post Photos: Apprentices’ construction skills tested appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The Associated Builders and Contractors and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals reached agreement Monday on a planned collaboration to improve occupational safety at construction workplaces across the country.

The memorandum of agreement signed by the two groups focuses on developing prevention strategies and technologies for improving occupational health and safety in construction, as well as encouraging students and other professionals to select occupational safety as a career path.

The two groups plan to work cooperatively to develop and share information on management systems and best practices in the construction workplace. They will also work to share information on career opportunities through print and electronic media, including when and where to achieve competency certifications.

Associated Builders and Contractors is a national group representing more than 21,000 member companies among more than 70 chapters. The Board of Certified Safety Professionals sets and certifies technical competency for safety, health and environmental practitioners worldwide.

The post Trade groups unite to improve construction site safety appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

A group of apprentices gathered in a Northeast Portland parking lot last week to showcase their skills in a competition yielding two winners for berths in a national championship event. Associated Builders and Contractors‘ Pacific Northwest chapter hosted the third annual event, which included competitions for third- and fourth-year apprentices in both the sheet metal and HVAC trades.

The sheet metal competition featured five apprentices, whose scope of work included fabricating six different pieces of duct work from flat material, then assembling and hanging them from a steel rack. A Pittsburgh machine, hand brake and roller were provided for the competitors, who were judged by journeymen on the quality of their work, safety, PPE/tool use and housekeeping.

Six entrants competed in teams of two in the HVAC portion, running gas lines, installing thermostats and thermostat wires, assembling sheet metal for air filters, and brazing and flaring. By the conclusion of the competition, the teams were to each have installed a functioning heating and cooling system. Judges watched the competitors closely and selected an individual winner based not only on skill, but also on camaraderie and contribution to the team effort.

Dustin Wynter of American Heating Inc., was selected as the winner in the sheet metal competition, and Salem Fabio of Protemp Associates Inc., won the HVAC competition. They are scheduled to travel to Long Beach, California next spring to participate in the national competition.

The post Photos: Apprentices take part in ABC competition appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Thousands of high school students from across Oregon and Southwest Washington visited the Oregon Convention Center Wednesday for Portland Youth Builders’ 12^th annual NW Youth Careers Expo. A special construction section of the expo provided the opportunity for students to speak with professionals and learn hands-on about a variety of fields within the building industry, including architecture, real estate, and multiple construction trades.

The post Photos: Youths check out building trades appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The Associated Builders and Contractors‘ Pacific Northwest chapter kicked off a new tradition earlier this month when it held its first Craft Championships.

The challenge, which ABC National has conducted for 19 years, is designed to highlight the HVAC and sheet metal trades.

For the local chapter competition, held at the Northwest College of Construction, third- and fourth-year apprentices in both disciplines took a written test. The top scorers then participated in a hands-on competition that was judged on the quality of final physical products, personal safety practices and safety procedures, excellence in equipment and tool use, and station cleanliness.

Sheet metal judges included Jeff Topkik and Ty Topkik of Happy Valley Air Conditioning; Bruce Kyser of Viking Sheet Metal; Luke Rappe of Reitmeier and Matt Sig of Hydro-Temp Mechanical.

Safety managers for the competition included Bob Gordon of IRS Environmental, Mike Walshe of Interstate Roofing and Paul Magrone of Yorke & Curtis.

The two top competition winners, Jarred Abbott of Gohman Mechanical and Tom Burns of American Heating, will move on to the National Craft Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in March 2016. Their trips to the competition will be paid for by the local ABC chapter.

to view a gallery of photos from the competition.

Out and About is a new feature in the 91��Ƶ designed to help companies in the building industries in Oregon and Southwest Washington share their good news with 91��Ƶ readers. Email photos and press releases about company events, employee volunteer efforts, etc., to newsroom@djcOregon.com.

The post Out and About: Crafting the Perfect Competition appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The book is officially closed on 2014. The past year was defined by economic growth as well as rising backlogs and confidence within the construction industry. While I could feel it and sense it in my interactions with people, economic data backs it up as more than just intuition.

The most recent data from the Associated Builders and Contractors‘ Construction Confidence Index (CCI) showed increases in all three categories – revenue, profit margins and hiring – in 2014. As ABC noted in October, “Each index now stands at a post-recession high implying that nonresidential construction’s recovery, already robust, is positioned to continue into the year ahead.”

People across the industry also are struggling with the availability – or rather the lack – of an adequate and skilled workforce – this re-emerged as a major issue this past year. As I’ve lamented in this space many times, the flow of workers into the construction industry is not keeping pace with demand. While ABC and many other groups across the construction industry make critical investments in efforts to attract new workers to the industry, this is becoming the most significant challenge to address in 2015 and beyond.

The 2014 Oregon Legislature took a major step in the right direction by pulling apprenticeship programs within the “middle 40” of the governor’s 40-40-20 goal for our education system. The initiative’s aspirational objectives are to see 40 percent of the adult population possess a bachelor’s degree or greater, 40 percent possess an associate’s degree or training certificate, and the remaining 20 percent achieve a college or career-ready diploma. While this could feel like a symbolic gesture to some, it repositions skilled trades as a priority and a career destination that educators and school counselors should embrace and help students work toward.

The governor signaled a good start to the new year last month when he proposed a budget that provides $65 million in funding for career and technical education (CTE) programs. This can go a long way toward preparing young people for careers in skilled trades like construction and bringing awareness of these opportunities back into our schools. This portion of the budget is a promising blueprint that the Legislature should act upon.

The legislative session is sure to bring other opportunities as well as challenges. Well-intentioned legislation to encourage utilization of apprentices on public projects would prove itself a major headache for contractors. In addition to wrongly assuming apprentices aren’t already a major component of the workforce on public projects, it applies a one-size-fits-all approach to the wrong end of the problem.

As illustrated above, efforts to improve workforce development must start with the input – identifying and attracting new people to the industry. Mandating utilization of apprentices when ratios of apprentices to journey-level workers are already impeding training opportunities within the industry show little understanding of the industry and a lack of common sense.

As we look ahead at 2015, how will the year be defined 360 days from now? I’m optimistic that we can start down the road to solving problems and allowing the industry to thrive. There are certainly challenges ahead, but the will to solve them appears to be there. We must hope that common sense prevails and that people recognize how we can best attract a new generation of workers to the industry.

Laurie Kendall is president of the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Pacific Northwest chapter. Contact her at 503-726-5440 or at lkendall@abcpnw.org.

The post OP-ED: On the right track, with challenges ahead appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

At the beginning of the year I used this space to talk about goals – specifically, the importance of making a list outlining the things that you want to accomplish personally, professionally, and for the benefit of the industry and your community over the course of the year.

With the end of 2014 quickly approaching, I find myself going back to my lists and seeing what our industry has accomplished this year. From workforce to professional development within the industry this year, there is a lot to be proud of.

More contractors are taking advantage of educational opportunities within our industry as they continue to rebound from the Great Recession. People are taking advantage of opportunities to strengthen their management skills and empower the people around them. And, possibly most significantly, enrollment in apprenticeship programs is on the rise as more men and women find their way to our industry.

As 2015 nears, I encourage you to think about the future of our industry. Ponder what you can continue to do to introduce opportunities in our industry to a new generation. Consider sharing some of the information available through ConstructionWantsYou.com with a young person in your life.

Better yet, support a scholarship program that benefits high school students interested in the industry. The Associated Builders and Contractors and a variety of other groups are leveraging the support of individuals and businesses across our industry to recognize bright young people who will one day lead our industry.

But, as I explained last month, there is still a lot more work that needs to be done. Even with the bright spots over the course of this year, contractors are struggling to keep up with demand for skilled workers.

As we all look toward 2015 I challenge you to think about the future of our industry. I also encourage you to go back and look at your list for the year. Did you meet the goals you set in January? What can you still accomplish this year? What needs to be carried forward into 2015?

It is never too early to start planning for the new year. If you didn’t accomplish what you hoped to this year, think about why and start building your list for 2015.

Laurie Kendall is president of the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Pacific Northwest chapter. Contact her at 503-726-5440 or at lkendall@abcpnw.org.

The post OP-ED: Plenty of growth, with room for more appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.