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Open Houses Bring 6,000 Students to IKORCC

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6,000 – that’s the number of people who attended IKORCC open houses in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. In a whirlwind month of open houses,  high school students and community leaders visited training centers in Greenwood, Warsaw, Terre Haute, Newburgh, Merrillville, Louisville, Grayson, Columbus, Monroe, Rossford, and Richfield.

 “I was considering becoming an electrician, but after I learned about the millwrights I changed my mind. I can’t wait to get started,” a high school senior at the Merrillville, Indiana open house said.

This high school senior summed it up perfectly. At the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters we know that once students see our training in-person and learn more about the program, joining the apprenticeship is a no-brainer.

Students Get Hands-On Experience

Students particularly enjoyed the hands-on activities including virtual welding, nail challenge, and the floor covering challenge. Next year training centers plan to add a hands-on ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assesment) challenge which will teach students the importance of using barriers during construction in medical facilities to protect patients.

According to the Department of Labor, careers in skilled trades like carpentry, flooring, and welding are in high demand and the need for skilled workers will continue to rise with coming infrastructure improvements. This fact was evident in Grayson, Kentucky on Thursday when over 1,200 students visited the Grayson, Kentucky training center open house.

High Demand Jobs in Skilled Trades Help Boost Attendance

Over 30 busses lined the drive to the Grayson, Kentucky training center where students learned about our apprenticeship, participated in hands-on activities and met with contractors ready-to-hire.

“We have a great partnership with all of the local schools and a lot of people in Grayson work in the trades, so students understand the great life they can have with a career in our trades. Getting them out here to see it first-hand solidifies that idea and gets them ready to start their apprenticeship right after high school,” says IKORCC Senior Business Representative Jerry Yates.

Richfield, Ohio also had a very large turnout with 1100 attendees getting to see additional areas of our crafts, including millwork, pile driving, cabinetry, furniture making, stairs, and ceiling work.

“Work is so good here and word of that really alerts people to the fact that there are bonafide opportunities here. In this part of Ohio, we’ve got the majority of Ohio’s career connection partner schools, and these schools want their students to see what the next step is and that is our apprenticeship,” says Dan Sustin, training director for the Richfield Carpenters Training Center Campus.

 

Thank you to all the students, teachers, community leaders, politicians, vendors, contractors, and staff that helped make this year our most successful yet! Check out all the photos & videos from each open house by following the links below:

Indiana

Greenwood Carpenters Training Center

Merrillville Carpenters Training Center

Newburgh Carpenters Training Center

Terre Haute Carpenters Training Center

Warsaw Carpenters Training Center

Kentucky

Louisville Carpenters Training Center

Grayson Carpenters Training Center

Ohio

Columbus Carpenters Training Center

Monroe Carpenters Training Center

Richfield Carpenters Training Center

Rossford Carpenters Training Center

 

Learn more about our apprenticeship and how to apply here. 

Apprentice Spotlight: Savannah Engelman Forges Her Own Path

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Savannah Engelman Signing DaySavannah Engelman, named after her grandpa’s favorite fishing spot, is an ambitious, young apprentice rising quickly. Savannah, a Spencer, Ohio native, is a carpentry apprentice at the Richfield Training Center and is only 18 years old. Her parents, in conjunction with the high school and Lorain County JVS, worked with the Richfield Training Center to get her enrolled in the apprenticeship program.

Savannah toured Lorain County JVS as a freshman and felt blown away by all the career choices she had. The tour showed she had many possible career paths. Savannah is an honors student and most people in her life believed she would attend a traditional college after high school.

Some teachers even tried to discourage her from leaving that path to find her own. Thanks to her strong will and supportive parents, Savannah tried four trades for a preliminary period and fell in love with carpentry. Savannah’s mom marched to the school and advocated on her behalf to sign for enrollment in the carpentry program at Lorain County JVS.

Savannah is very organized. Before graduation, her typical week had her fluctuating between high school, JVS, apprenticeship, work, and clubs. She’s also perfecting her cabinet making skills and participated at the state level in the Skills USA competition. Her high school and JVS work together to help Savannah make up hours when she is in the apprenticeship.

“Savannah has completed three classes so far at Richfield and not only has perfect attendance and a 4.0 GPA, but has a great attitude that proves to be contagious in each class she takes. We are looking at an apprentice that is going places,” says Dan Sustin, training coordinator at the Richfield Carpenters Training Center.

Savannah also works two days a week as an intern for RGI where, among other things, she cut all the pieces of the toolbox kits for IKORCC’s event at the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland. She likes the flexibility of RGI but would eventually like to work outside. With RGI for Safety Week, Savannah helped build a replica of a fire station.

When she graduated high school this May, she was well on her way to finishing her first year of apprenticeship. So far, Savannah has completed Hand and Power Tools, Metal Studs & Drywall, and is about to start Concrete Footers & Wall Forms. She says she loves the Richfield Center.

“He’s encouraging and answers every question with no judgment. He was instrumental in getting me organized with all of my school this year,” Savannah says of Dan Sustin.

A wild Friday night for Savannah includes baking chocolate chip cookies (what she was doing as we talked) and meeting up with her boyfriend to muck horse stalls together. If that doesn’t say romance, I don’t know what does. When she does have free time, Savannah likes to go camping with her family at Wills Creek near Coshocton, Ohio.

Savannah’s ambition will serve not just her, but all of us. She is just one example of the extremely talented apprentices at the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.

Building Healthcare Partners at AIA Ohio Conference

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In early October 2018, the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) was a Platinum Sponsor at the AIA Ohio Convention in Toledo, Ohio. AIA Ohio is part of the elite society of the American Institute of Architects. The society shares similar concentrations to the IKORCC. Both organizations are working to produce positive legislative and governmental development in licensing requirements and construction appropriations.

IKORCC’s very own, Jay Patz, Instructor from Northwest Indiana, spoke in a breakout session highlighting ICRA patient safety in facilities. Jay shared astonishing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control regarding hospital associated infections. Those statistics included information about patients who survived infection to those infections that led to death. Within the scope of those statistics, 5,000 of patients lost their lives due to a construction related hospital associated infection.  

It is IKORCC’s goal to open the line of communication for pre-planning opportunities. Jay showed that this level of communication will allow for patient safety to be the number one priority, and increase the effectiveness of the architect and workers on the jobsite.

Keynote Speaker, Coren Sharples, founding partner of SHoP Architects, wowed her audience with new unconventional ways to approach design. Her designs focus on the beautifully practical. The future holds learning opportunities for IKORCC apprentices and the Council at large. The convention was capped with many educational avenues with which the Council can engage.

Carpenters Help Portsmouth Family Build Future

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Carpenters not only helped build a home in Portsmouth last weekend, they also helped a family build a solid foundation for their future. 

Nearly a dozen members of Carpenter’s Local 437 helped Scioto County Habitat for Humanity build a home for a family in Ohio. Carpenters set the trusses and completed the roof in only five hours!

“When God blesses you with a skill, it’s always good to bless back,” says member Mike Slack Sr., who ventured out of retirement to lend a hand to his local.

Member and Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Business Agent Trampas Puckett said, “Carpenters are all about building our communities, this was a perfect way to help a deserving family build their future.”

The Scioto County Habitat for Humanity thanked the carpenters. “A very special thank you to the local Carpenters Union #437 for putting in a long, hot day helping us.”

Habitat for Humanity Nail It Competition of Southeast Ohio

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Last month, IKORCC members created a team to participate in the 3rd Annual Habitat for Humanity Nail It Competition of Southeast Ohio. The Nail It Competition is a nail-biting race to see what team can drive nails the fastest. Each team member must drive two nails into a piece of wood relay style. Our fast and hardworking IKORCC team finished first place with a time of 23 seconds!

Local 356 in Marietta, Ohio was represented by Brent Hensley (Journeyman) and Tyler Welch (Apprentice). Local 650 in Pomeroy, Ohio was represented by Kill Wells (Journeyman) and Luke Fackler (Apprentice). The team was funded by donations of their locals, collecting a total of $1,000! The event raised a total of $7,000 dollars between all 25 teams. The money collected from the teams goes to support Habitat for Athens County and the work they do in the community.

Bullriders Build Lordstown Power Plant

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Our members have been out and about making noise in Lordstown, Ohio! The Lordstown Energy Center (LEC) is a 940MW combined-cycle power plant. LEC is a 1-billion-dollar project that began in June 2016 and has an estimated completion date of mid-2018. The LEC project has produced over 1 million man hours 100% UNION building trades members. The carpenters have an important role within the project; building scaffold for all crafts safely and in a timely manner. The men and women of the UBC have the training and the determination to get the job done.

On the project are a group of carpenters that call themselves, “THE BULLRIDERS” of Vertical Access (Nate Tice 186, Mark Wells 171, Brandon Ates 186, Lucas McDowell 186, Levi Snodgrass 186 and Mike Schwartzmiller 186). Mark Wells from Local 171 commented on the history of the scaffold pictured below, “The Bull Riders crew battled cold weather combined with strong winds and heavy snowfall to get the job done. It was a challenge that they had seen before. We knew that safety and experience were the two key factors in getting this scaffold built.” The scaffold is 110 feet tall with 15 working deck levels. The load took 7 semi-truck loads of various scaffold components, including Beta Hoists to build. Mark said, “that’s why they call us the BULLRIDERS, because we are professionals that get in and get the job done and then we’re off to the next rodeo to do it again”!

By: Justin Rance, Youngstown

Carpenters Support Down Syndrome Awareness Event

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Dan Sivertson, member of Millwrights & Pile Drivers 1090, and his family have a special reason they celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. He and his wife found out their daughter would be born with Down Syndrome 13 years ago. The two quickly made a connection with the local organization, The Up Side of Downs. The organization helped by providing them with support in learning about Down Syndrome and with books to guide them through the diagnosis.

The Up Side of Downs truly made an impact in their lives and they are forever grateful for the support. Their daughter Eve is now 13 years old thriving in the 7th grade. Eve is just like any other teenage girl and loves the time she spends with her friends!

In celebration of World Down Syndrome Day, the IKORCC would like to shine a light on an organization we take pride in supporting. The IKORCC was fortunate to be a Presenting Sponsor for The Up Side of Downs Gala/Raffle event on Saturday, March 10th for the fifth year in a row.

Between Carpenters Locals 373, 435 and Millwrights and Pile Drivers Local 1090 we have donated over $50,000 to the organization to help raise awareness and advocate for people with Down Syndrome. Over 570 people attended the Up Side of Downs Gala, 120 of them were IKORCC members.

“I can’t thank my fellow Brothers and Sisters of these Locals for their generous support and donations,” Dan Sivertson says.

If you interested in supporting the cause, there is a Buddy Walk on August 25th. Last year there were over 5,000 plus attendees at the event. Dan Sivertson in a leader of the beli-EVE N US Team and typically has around 75-100 family and friends walk together for the cause.

Apprentice Finds Career & Stability with Carpenter’s Union

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carpenter, carpenter jobs, trainingIt wasn’t too long ago when Dave Morrow struggled to find construction work to help support his family. Construction and struggle were a family trade – a fact Dave desperately wanted to change.

Dave grew up in a strictly non-union family, never truly seeing the benefit of belonging. But when times were tough and his brother Steve Morrow of Local 200 joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and found success, Dave decided it was time to change his trajectory too.

The small leap he took to join the union, made a huge difference in his family’s life. Today, Dave Morrow is a  3rd year carpenter apprentice with a promising future. Work is steady, school is going well and Dave recently completed four days of intensive training at the Carpenter’s International Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Apprenticeship Leadership Training Program

During the 3rd Year Apprentice Program in Las Vegas, top apprentices gain a greater understanding of the Brotherhood and the construction industry, and of the role union members play in the success of both. Participants learn how professionalism, productivity, skill, and attitude contribute to their own success as well as that of their employers.

For Dave, the highlight of the training was a group discussion with UBC President Doug McCarron.  “McCarron didn’t talk to us, he talked with us. This is a man who didn’t forget his roots or where he came from. It was inspiring,” Dave says.

In addition, Dave says he learned a great deal about the union and his own regional council the IKORCC. “I learned that it takes teamwork, hard work and dedication to get this union back to where we once were,” Dave says, adding that he left Las Vegas feeling inspired, motivated and ready to build a brighter future for his family and brotherhood.

“It starts with us – the apprentices. We part of something much greater than construction,” he added.

Union Focus on Career and Family

Dave took his new leadership skills back to the job, where he’s worked for two years. He’s found a new sense of job security and a career that allows him to spend more time with his wife and two young children.

“If you come in and do your job well, you will have work.” Dave says, adding, “I get to be home with my family on the weekends – it’s great.”

Dave Morrow is a proud member of Carpenter’s Local 200 in Columbus, Ohio.

Click here more information on our apprenticeship programs or trades. 

IKORCC & JATC Add 222 New Journeymen to the Workforce

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5200 hours of on the job training, 640 classroom hours, 4 years of dedication and sacrifice – that’s the kind of experience you get when you hire a union journeyman. Carpenters, Ohio Carpenter JourneymanSaturday night, 222 fully trained journeymen and women graduated from the JATC & IKORCC apprenticeship program in Columbus, Ohio.

The graduates are a vital addition to a workforce desperate for skilled tradesmen. Graduates were trained as carpenters, millwrights or floor coverers.

Building America with Skilled Trades

In a speech to graduates, Patrick Reardon, Executive Administrator of Apprenticeship for the Ohio Office of Workforce Development, said IKORCC carpenters are building our future.

“When we think of an elite carpentry workforce here in the United States – it’s everyone graduating in this room,” he said. “Everyone here is building America and we are relying on you to continue to catapult us to the future.”

16 Veterans Graduate through Helmets to Hardhats

16 of the graduates honorably served in our nation’s military and took part in the IKORCC’s Helmets to Hardhats program. Helmets to Hardhats puts vets on a fast track to union apprenticeship and a rewarding career in carpentry after their military service.

State Training Director Vince Wright said, “Thousands of veterans come home to Ohio each year and need new jobs and careers to get started in. I’m proud to say out of our 2,200 apprentices, we have 216 Helmets to Hardhats apprentices.”

Colonel Mark J. Cappone, Assistant Director of Ohio Veterans Affairs, said, “Tonight is a great way to remember the contributions that our vets make to the workforce, to remind us that those who have served have grit, determination, perseverance and they know how to be on a team.”

Colonel Cappone presented a sealed recognition of the apprenticeship program on behalf of Ohio Governor John Kasich at the event. Governor Kasich commended the graduates for their hard work.

Continuous Training Sets Union Carpenters Apart

IKORCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mark McGriff also commended the graduates, while offering advice for the future. “When writing the story of your life, make sure no one else is holding the pen,” he said.

“There are so many opportunities in this organization, you have to take advantage of every single one of them,” McGriff added. McGriff and other staff members encouraged new journeymen to keep up with continuous training and serve as role models for apprentices.

A New Generation of Journeymen

New graduate Jacob Weiser, from the Northwest JATC and Local 351, plans to do both. Staff chose Weiser to speak at graduation after recognizing his dedication. “I’ve learned the importance of this apprenticeship and why the training is necessary to push our union and our trade forward,” Weiser said.

Weiser added, “I’m going to keep learning and keep trying to find better ways to get things done. I’m going to give my contractor what he’s paying for – a solid eight hours of carpentry, from a well-trained union journeymen carpenter.”

Congratulations to all graduates! 

Akron Carpenters Donate Fire Alarms to Save Lives

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Sound the alarm – members from Local 285 are doing their part to save lives in Akron, Ohio. In the past five years, every fatal house fire in Akron occurred in a home without a functioning fire alarm. To combat this problem members from Local 285, with support from the IKORCC, donated 70 smoke detectors to the Akron Fire Department for residents with financial limitations. This represents the first of what will now be an annual effort on the part of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America to provide smoke detectors to those in need.