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Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 853-2545
Fax: (517) 853-2546
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Congratulations to the 2013 National Craft Championships Winners
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced the winners in its 2013 National Craft Championships competition, held at the association's 21st Century Workforce Development Conference, April 30 - May 3 in Birmingham, Ala.
"This year's winners truly were the best of the best," said 2013 ABC National Chairman Greg Hoberock, CEO of hth companies, inc., Union, Mo. "Displaying high-quality workmanship, technical knowledge and safe work practices, each of them helped prove that the future of the construction industry and ABC is bright. ABC is proud to recognize these winners as champions."
A field of 137 craft trainees competed for top honors in 13 crafts. Competitors first took an intense, two-hour written exam and then competed in daylong hands-on practical performance tests in: carpentry, electrical-industrial, electrical-residential, fire sprinkler, HVAC, instrumentation fitting, insulation, millwright, pipefitting, plumbing, sheet metal, welding-pipe, welding-structural.
The 2013 winners are:
Carpentry
Gold: Daniel deVitry
Training Sponsor: ABC Keystone Chapter
Employer: Benchmark Construction Company, Inc.
Silver: Phillip Heffner
Training Sponsor: ABC of Wisconsin Apprenticeship & Training Trust
Employer: Northcentral Construction Corporation
Bronze: Matthew W. Sattison
Training Sponsor: ABC of Indiana
Employer: Brandt Construction Inc.
Electrical: Industrial
Gold: Joseph Fentross
Training Sponsor: ABC Southern California Chapter
Employer: LCS Constructors
Silver: Jose G. Vaca
Training Sponsor: ABC Los Angeles/Ventura Chapter
Employer: Bergelectric Corp.
Bronze: Michael Wayne Armiger
Training Sponsor: ABC Virginia Chapter
Employer: MC Dean Inc.
Electrical: Residential
Gold: Alex Showalter
Training Sponsor: ABC Keystone Chapter
Employer: The Farfield Co.
Silver: Christopher O. Anderson
Training Sponsor: ABC of the Carolinas
Employer: Watson Electrical Construction Co. LLC
Bronze: Jerome Fuller III
Training Sponsor: ABC Baltimore Metro Chapter
Employer: The Crown Electric Company
Fire Sprinkler
Gold: Joseph Perry Jr.
Training Sponsor: American Fire Sprinkler Association
Employer: HTH Automatic Sprinkler LLC
Silver: Michael Scarberry
Training Sponsor: TP Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
Employer: TP Mechanical Contractors, Inc.
Bronze: Steven D. Carver
Training Sponsor: ABC Baltimore Metro Chapter
Employer: Advanced Fire Protection Systems, LLC
HVAC
Gold: Jared Whitehead
Training Sponsor: Construction Education Foundation of North Texas
Employer: Aire Dynamics
Silver: Benjamin Morical
Training Sponsor: ABC of Indiana
Employer: Ellis Mechanical
Bronze: Todd Moolenaar
Training Sponsor: ABC of Wisconsin Apprenticeship & Training Trust
Employer: Manitowoc Heating & Refrigeration Services, Inc.
Instrumentation Fitting
Gold: Brett Goslinga
Training Sponsor: Interstates Companies
Employer: Interstates Companies
Silver: Mark Plaisance Jr.
Training Sponsor: ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter
Employer: ISC
Bronze: Roy L. Griffin
Training Sponsor: ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter
Employer: ISC, LLC
Insulation
Gold: Derrick Ortwein
Training Sponsor: Greater Michigan Construction Academy
Employer: GE Insulation
Silver: Eric Koehnke
Training Sponsor: ABC of Wisconsin Apprenticeship & Training Trust
Employer: L&C Insulation
Bronze: Jacob Jansen
Training Sponsor: ABC of Wisconsin Apprenticeship & Training Trust
Employer: L&C Insulation
Millwright
Gold: Shaun Gronda
Training Sponsor: Cianbro
Employer: Cianbro
Silver: Waylon W. Jones
Training Sponsor: ABC Texas Gulf Coast Chapter
Employer: RPM Services
Bronze: Garrett Moore
Training Sponsor: Robins & Morton
Employer: Robins & Morton
Pipefitting
Gold: Brian Godjikian
Training Sponsor: Gould Construction Institute
Employer: DECCO, Inc
Silver: Mark Oxford
Training Sponsor: Starcon
Employer: Starcon International Inc.
Bronze: Nathaniel Hall
Training Sponsor: Cianbro
Employer: Cianbro
Plumbing
Gold: Jared Gilbert
Training Sponsor: ABC of Iowa
Employer: Royal Plumbing
Silver: Chris Dakin
Training Sponsor: ABC Southern California Chapter
Employer: JPI Development
Bronze: Jason Bohn
Training Sponsor: ABC of Wisconsin Apprenticeship & Training Trust
Employer: Bayer Plumbing and Heating, Inc.
Sheet Metal
Gold: Clayton R. Courter
Training Sponsor: ABC San Diego Apprenticeship Training Trust
Employer: Southcoast Heating & Air Conditioning, LP
Silver: Erick Martinez
Training Sponsor: ABC Florida Gulf Coast
Employer: Express Metals
Bronze: Loren T. Hunter
Training Sponsor: ABC of Iowa
Employer: Draintech Inc.
Welding: Pipe
Gold: Matthew W. Maier
Training Sponsor: Starcon
Employer: Starcon International Inc.
Silver: Sidney McManus
Training Sponsor: Zachry
Employer: Zachry
Bronze: Gregory Meyers
Training Sponsor: ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter
Employer: Pala Interstate Group
Welding: Structural
Gold: Shawn E. Wilson
Training Sponsor: Starcon
Employer: Starcon International Inc.
Silver: Maurice G. Hodgson IV
Training Sponsor: ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter
Employer: EXCEL Group
Bronze: William W. Bailey III
Training Sponsor: Construction Education Foundation of North Texas
Employer: TD Industries
The National Craft Championships competition was developed in 1987 to help celebrate and recognize craft training in construction careers. Each year, the competition draws some of the nation's most talented craftspeople and highlights the important role that craft skills training plays in the construction industry. The National Craft Championships Committee, which is composed of leading merit shop construction firms, plans all year for the two-day competition.
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U.S. Appeals Court Invalidates NLRB Poster Rule
ABC welcomed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to invalidate the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) "Notification of Employee Rights" notice posting rule. A three-judge panel struck down the 2011 rule, primarily on the grounds that it violated free speech rights afforded to employers under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
"This is great news for employers and employees alike," said ABC Vice President of Federal Affairs Geoff Burr. "The NLRB's notice posting rule is a perfect example of how the pro-union board has abandoned its role as a neutral enforcer and arbiter of labor law."
ABC General Counsel Maurice Baskin, a shareholder with Littler, argued the case before the appeals court in September 2012. If the NLRB rule was allowed to go into effect, employers would have been forced to display a poster in their workplace that contained a biased and incomplete list of employee rights under the NLRA.
In its May 7 ruling, the D.C. Circuit concluded that two of three enforcement mechanisms in the notice posting rule violated the free speech provisions under Section 8(c) of the NLRA. The third enforcement was also found to violate the Act. And because all possible enforcement actions violated the NLRA, the court reasoned that the Board would not have promulgated a rule based on voluntary compliance, thus it concluded that the entire rule was invalid.
The notice posting rule had been under an injunction since April 2012 in response to a request by the ABC-led Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, following multiple court decisions at the District Court level. The D.C. Circuit's action now stands alongside a decision issued in April 2012 by the U.S. District Court for South Carolina, stating that the NLRB does not have the statutory authority to require business owners to post a biased poster. That case is still under appeal in the 4th Circuit.
The NLRB has not stated whether it plans appeal the D.C. Circuit's ruling or the 4th Circuit's eventual decision, if unfavorable.
COMPLIANCE NOTE: This ruling does not change the compliance requirements for federal contractors under Executive Order 13496 (or its subsequent 2010 implementing regulations) to post a similar notice from the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Snyder: Michigan Ranks 8th Most Competitive State for Economic Development Success
Site Selection magazine has named Michigan the 8th most competitive state for achieving success in job creation and economic development, Gov. Rick Snyder announced today.
"Michigan's improved economic performance, thanks to our bold reforms, is being recognized across the U.S. More companies are choosing to grow their futures in Michigan and that is reinforcing our well-earned reputation as America's comeback state," Snyder said. "The best way to boost our state's economy and improve the quality of life for all is to create an environment that encourages business investment, job growth and innovation."
Michigan advanced eight spots in this year's Competitiveness Awards, up from 16th in 2011.
The state's many business climate changes have resulted in other noteworthy improvements, including:
- No. 1 for states that recovered most from the Great Recession.
- No. 4 in the nation for most new corporate expansions or building projects in 2012.
- Third most business-friendly tax ranking among the nation's 12 largest states.
- Third in the nation for high-tech growth.
- Michigan's unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in four years.
- Sixth fastest growing economy in the nation in 2011.
- Credit rating upgraded to AA, the first time it's been above AA- since January 2011.
- Balanced budget two years in a row.
- Chrysler, Ford and GM all gained market share for the first time in 20 years and had their best U.S. sales since 2007.
Site Selection (www.siteselection.com), a global business expansion publication, also named GM's Innovation Center in Warren as the 7th best North American deal of 2012. The project will create up to 1,500 new tech jobs with no additional investment needed.
"This recognition is further proof that we are creating a business climate and infrastructure that enable companies to grow," said Michigan Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Michael A. Finney. "As we continue to improve our talent enhancement and entrepreneurial and economic gardening efforts, our state will become unstoppable."
The announcement comes on the heels of Michigan's 4th in the nation ranking for major new corporate facilities and expansions in 2012 in Site Selection's 2012 Governor's Cup ranking. The award was based on the number of projects that met capital investment, job-creation or size standards. |
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Snyder Makes Appointment, Reappointment to Residential Builders' Board
Governor Rick Snyder announced the appointment of Mark Wahl, of Linwood, and the reappointment of Jeff Agnew, of Temperance, to the Residential Builders' and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors' Board.
Created in 1980, the nine-member board assists the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs with licensing and regulating the construction, alteration or improvement of residential structures.
"Mark and Jeff bring valuable experiences to this board and I am confident they will effectively serve in these roles," said Snyder.
Wahl is president and chief executive officer of Cobblestone Homes LLC, president of RiverTowne Properties and Cobblestone Investment Properties and secretary and treasurer of Saginaw-based RDM Development. He also serves on the Saginaw Home Builders Association board of directors. Wahl holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Saginaw Valley State University. He will represent residential builders and replaces Frank DiStefano.
Agnew is owner and president of By-Tor Contracting Inc., a position he has held since 1990. He also is owner and operator of Preferred Home Inspections LLC. Agnew previously served as a property maintenance manager and sub-contractor. He is a licensed alterations contractor and received specialized training in heating and air conditioning. Agnew will continue to represent maintenance and alteration contractors.
Appointees will serve four-year terms that expire March 31, 2017, and their appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
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Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan is a statewide trade association, working in partnership with three local chapters, dedicated to providing Michigan with high-quality, affordable, safe and on-time construction. ABC of Michigan is an equal opportunity organization that opposes all discrimination in the construction industry including discrimination based on union affiliation. A leading construction industry voice with state government, ABC provides many member services including legislative advocacy, networking opportunities, member benefits, legal updates, business development and educational opportunities. |
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