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Scholarship Winners | 2025April 24, 2025 - 10:47 am
2024 Indiana Kentucky Graduate Speaker – Kyle HarveyMarch 28, 2025 - 1:49 pm
Military Outreach Makes Big ImpactMarch 24, 2025 - 3:29 pm
2025 Central Midwest Sisterhood UpdateMarch 3, 2025 - 5:13 pm
Craft Spotlight – Justin RogersFebruary 26, 2025 - 4:44 pm
Ohio’s Newest Journey-Level Carpenters: Class of 2025February 25, 2025 - 12:55 pm
Craft Spotlight – Brandon HuffmanFebruary 19, 2025 - 3:26 pm
Partnership Helps Build Membership & Community
/in News /by KameronA new partnership in Louisville is breaking down barriers & growing membership. This innovative partnership with the Louisville Urban League’s Kentuckiana Builds Program reduces the time it takes to enter the apprenticeship from six months to only six weeks for participants. Students will gain direct entry to the apprenticeship once they complete a six-week construction training program that includes: First Aid/CPR, OSHA-10 and the core construction credential.
One week of the program is hosted in the IKORCC Training Center where students learn hand and power tools, soft skills and safety. “The partnership between the IKORCC and the Urban league is important for everyone to know that there are endless opportunities to build your future and your family’s future,” said Kentuckiana Builds Instructor and Local 175-member Michael Greathouse. Two cohorts of classes have completed this program with more classes scheduled in 2022.
There couldn’t be a better time to grow the membership in the Louisville-area. Louisville Senior Business Representative Waylon Isaacs says the work forecast for 2022 is strong. He’s estimating a large growth in manhours with work on projects like Baptist Hospital, Blue Grass Army Depot, Joint Forces HQ, Nucor, Ford Battery Plant and the VA Hospital in Louisville.
In addition to growing membership, the Louisville hub continues to build their community. They are currently working with the Jefferson County Public Schools and Louisville Metro Council on building community lending boxes to place in neighborhoods across the city. The boxes will be filled with food, toiletries, books and more.
Building Boom in Columbus
/in News /by KameronCentral Ohio carpenters and millwrights are busier than ever with some of the most well-known organizations around town. With ongoing projects for Ohio State Medical Center, Ohio State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Hilton and more; members working in central Ohio will be plenty busy for the next five years plus.
If you’ve been to the Ohio Apprenticeship graduation, you know the Convention Center Hilton hotel. To meet the needs of the growing city, Hilton is expanding to a second tower, known as Hilton 2.0. The standalone tower will add another 463 guest rooms, making the total occupancy 1,000 rooms. This will be Columbus’ first and only hotel of that size. Area-members are working on the piling, micro-piling, concrete, metal studs, drywall, doors, acoustical ceilings and roofing. The $210 million project is being completed with union carpenters and is expected to be opened by June 2022.
Representatives are kept busy recruiting from non-union job sites and career fairs while competing with the countless now hiring signs around town. With huge projects approaching for both carpenters and millwrights, they are actively hiring experienced journeypeople and apprentices.
“It’s important our members know how effective their testimony is. They’re the best organizers we’ve got”, Senior Representative Troy Woodyard said. “They have inspiring stories to tell and we’re hoping everyone can do their part to grow our Brotherhood”.
Recruitment and Retention: Cleveland Nails It
/in News /by KameronThe “Great Resignation” is hitting the country hard especially with the baby boomer generation retiring in waves. Now more than ever it is crucial to bring in and retain new members. The Cleveland Hub has organized over 60 new Hispanic members throughout the year with the help of bilingual representatives. The Hub has also signed two new minority contractors along with several other new signatory contractors. More contractors mean more future work and more advancement opportunities for members.
Renewed attention on apprentice retention from locals out of their office has proved successful with retention rates in the 90th percentile. A focus on mentoring, maintaining a strong relationship between the Hub and the JATC, and attentive job placement assistance keep these apprentices busy working and coming back year after year.
The biggest project out of the Cleveland hub this year has been the mass timber frame mixed-use project across from the historic West-side market in downtown Cleveland.
Relationships Built to Last in Eastern Kentucky
/in News /by KameronJust like a structure, relationships are built one step at a time. In Ashland Kentucky, relationship building is a fundamental aspect of their day-to-day operations. Thanks to that dedication, they have secured more local work for IKORCC members.
Ongoing meetings over three years led to a signed Infectious Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) agreement with King’s Daughters Medical Center. This ICRA agreement made the contractors with ICRA trained UBC members the obvious choice for their $100 million expansion in Ashland.
Senior Representative Jerry Yates says using real-world hospital equipment at the local training center pushed the partnership over the edge for success. Based on the current projection of work, it is expected at least 60 members will stay busy on this project.
Relationships are tested through tough times, but they usually emerge stronger in the end. Eastern Kentucky saw several weeks of historic flash flooding in the Spring. When two nearby partner trade schools experienced this detrimental flooding in March, the Ashland Hub knew they wanted to help. They coordinated donations from the council to help repair a flooded carpenter shop and assist students whose homes had experienced flooding. Local 472 also donated a commercial gas stove to a community senior center cooking food for the elderly and families in need.
Rubber City with their Eye on the Ball
/in News /by KameronThe $900 million Phase II includes the development of the Hall of Fame Village. They plan to build a new hotel, an indoor waterpark, medical facilities, business and research buildings, retail stores, and more. Carpenters recently completed the renovation of the football stadium and are currently working on the Center for Excellence, practice fields for high school students, and the beginning stages of the onsite hotel.
From football to basketball, Akron has its share of high-profile places and people. The kid from Akron made a name for himself across the country but continues to make the biggest impact in his hometown. The Lebron James Family Foundation is expanding their I Promise campus to create more opportunities for the success of their students.
The Akron/Canton Hub is proud to have worked on the first section of this project in building key aspects of the I Promise Campus. Representatives worked tirelessly to secure the work for our carpenters in this next phase despite many challenges. By supporting one of our signatory minority contractors, the Hub has guaranteed this high-profile work will be completed using local union carpenters.