ZACHRY EMPLOYEES DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES AT NATIONAL CRAFT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Zachry craft employees have proven that their levels of skill and teamwork are among the best in the nation, after winning medals at the Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) 2015 National Craft Championships (NCC).
Almost 200 craft trainees from companies across the country participated in the two-day event this spring in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which included 15 competitions representing 12 crafts. The event expanded this year to include a new masonry competition, which resulted from ABC partnering with the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Educational Foundation. There was also a new team competition that involved journey-level craft professionals from five different crafts working to complete a joint project.
Pipefitter Eric Capps of JVIC earned third place in the individual pipefitting competition. Zachry also won a bronze medal in the team competition with a team that included: Pipefitter Chad Bass, Construction Group; Electrician Francisco Barragan, Industrial Services Group (ISG); Millwright William Garner, Construction Group; Carpenter Jose Montejano, Construction Group; and Insulator Fidel Rueda, Construction Group. Pipe Welder Houston Hall, ISG; Pipe Welder Braccus Hannah, JVIC; and Structural Welder Jose Villarreal, ISG, also competed for Zachry in individual competitions at the NCC this year.
Other Zachry employees participated in the NCC in different ways. Manager, Weld Testing, Bill Cherry was a finalist for the “Craft Instructor of the Year” award. Craft Specialist David Brown was a judge in the millwright competition, while Craft Specialist Jorge Mendez was a carpentry judge. Enterprise Training Manager Dan Barrow served as a team competition project manager. Craft Development Manager Tim Mongeau is an acting coordinator for the NCC.
BREAKING IT DOWN
The individual competitions involve two phases. Participants first take a two-hour written exam and then take part in daylong, hands-on practical performance tests in their particular categories: carpentry, electrical-industrial, electrical-residential, fire sprinkler, HVAC, instrumentation fitting, insulation, millwright, pipefitting, plumbing, sheet metal, welding-pipe, welding-structural and masonry.
The event has come a long way since the first one was held in 1987. That year, a handful of participants competed in four craft competitions. Almost 30 years later, more than 1,500 men and women have competed in what has grown to become one of the construction industry’s most recognized events to showcase craft skills.
The National Craft Championships Committee, which includes representatives of leading merit-shop construction firms, plans all year to stage the NCC. Zachry was one of the sponsors of the 2015 event. The 2016 National Craft Championships are scheduled to take place next March in Fort Lauderdale again.