The Georgia Contractor Mar-Apr 2015

Volume 11, Issue 2March | April 2015

NCCER CREDENTIALS: The Fast Track to a Rewarding Career

CEFGACAREEREXPOSKILLSUSAWESTSIDEWORKS

2 Georgia Contractor

http://www.agcga.org

3March | April 2015

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

AGC ...........................................................IFCAGC Future Leaders................................29Atlanta Electrical Contractors...............19Atlanta Technical College.......................18Calculated Industries .............................20Chattahoochee Tech..................................3CLP...............................................................25Columbus Tech...........................................11GEICC .........................................................30Georgia 811................................................BCGeorgia Trade School ..............................14Go Build Georgia Foundation ..................8IEC ................................................................21Mechanical Trade Institute..................IBCMetro Power ..............................................12New South Construction........................27North Georgia Tech .................................27RHD Utility Services .................................11Technical College System TCSG.............7

www.t h ege o r g i a c o n t r a c t o r . c om

Editor-in-Chief: Roland Petersen-FreyManaging Editor: Daniel Simmons | (770) 521-8877Art Director: Pamela Petersen-Frey | (770) 521-8877

The Georgia Contractor is published bi-monthly on a calendar year basis.It is a magazine designed around the construction industry associationsand their members. It is supported by associations and their members.Executive, editorial, circulation, and advertising offices: 1154 LowerBirmingham Road, Canton, Georgia 30115 • Phone: (770) 521-8877 •Fax: (770) 521-0406 E-mail: [email protected]. Send address changesto your association and/or to A4 Inc.

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of anyof the associations or publisher nor do they accept responsibility for errorsof content or omissions and, as a matter of policy, neither do they endorseproducts or advertisements appearing herein. Parts of this magazine maybe reproduced with the written consent of the publisher.

GEO

RG

IACONTRACTOR

On The Cover ~ NCCER is a not-for-profit education foundation that wascreated in 1996 by more than 125 con-struction CEOs and various associationand academic leaders. NCCER providesa consistent program of accreditation,instructor certification, standardizedcurricula, assessments, and certifica-tions. See the story on page 22.

http://www.chattahoocheetech.edu


CONTENTS

6 WelcomeGovernor Nathan Deal

9 Welcome from Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle

10 Connecting students with industry : the Technical College System of Georgia

12 SkillsUSA and Go Build Georgia: Preparing students for life after the classroom

13 Run your race

17 Culture reflects a company’s values

18 Attention young people : Construction’s challenge is your opportunity

22 NCCER credentials : the fast track to a rewarding career

26 Training students in green building techniques

29 Atlanta resident thrives in new job at stadium project

31 Remarkable Rookie: Bennie Bell has distinguished himself as leader-in-making

32 Rebuilding America

33 Building the future

34 Building a strong future for skills success

35 Can technology replace the wheel?

36 A commitment to an apprenticeship program

38 Skilled worker shortage

39 HDR acquires Infrastructure Corporation of America

40 Students find success in and out of the transportation classroom

41 Contractor News

45 Education is continuous - Five pillars to ensure you never stop learning

13

Run your raceInspirationalcomments by

CEFGA CEO Scott Shelar

9

Welcome fromLieutenant

Governor Casey Cagle

5March | April 2015

22

NCCERCredentials:

The fast track to arewarding career

Welcome from Governor Nathan Deal

“FELLOW GEORGIANS - Welcome to the 2015CEFGA CareerExpo and SkillsUSA Championships.With thousands of Georgia’s best and brightest inattendance, this expo is an exceptional showcase ofour talented young people and future workforce.”

6Visit www.gobuildgeorgia.com to learn more about the state’s Go Build Georgia program and how you can get involved.


http://www.tcsg.edu

http://www.gobuildgeorgia.com

March | April 2015 9

ith more than 7.2 million em-ployees nationwide, industrialand commercial constructionhas long been one of thelargest industries in the U.S.Today, construction company

owners around the country and in Georgiaare facing a growing shortage of trades-people such as pipefitters, steel workers,boilermakers, electricians, and carpenters.

We know that Georgia is one ofmany states addressing this need forhighly-skilled workers. In fact, by2020, more than 60 percent of jobs inGeorgia will require a college certifi-cate or degree. To ensure the state willmeet the needs for its future work-force, Governor Nathan Deal launched‘Complete College Georgia’ in 2011. Aprimary goal of this campaign is tomake it easier for Georgia adults to re-turn to school and complete their de-grees. Governor Deal has charged thestate’s Technical College and Univer-sity systems together to meet a goalof graduating an additional 250,000students by 2020.

With our 23 colleges serving244,171 students in both technical andadult education, the Technical CollegeSystem of Georgia is ahead of itsbenchmarks in meeting that goal,thanks to some exciting initiatives thatare already paying off in the construc-tion and other industries.

Through Georgia’s Strategic In-dustry Workforce Development(SIWD) grants, we are investing in aworld-class workforce for Georgia byproviding free tuition for Georgia’sstudents in seven high-demand areas,including three that pertain to the con-struction industry: welding, commer-cial truck driving, and dieselmechanics. Four new disciplines pro-posed this year to receive grants are

precision manufacturing, certified en-gineering technician, computer pro-gramming, and film and set design.

These grants are designed to sup-plement HOPE Grant funds to fullyfund the cost of tuition for studentsentering these programs. Dependingupon the hours taken, the SIWDgrants may also cover some or all ofthe mandatory fees.

As of fall 2014, over 12,000 stu-dents were enrolled in SIWD grant-el-igible programs. Early indicators ofsuccess include a five percent increasein welding program enrollment sincelast fall—the first year welding pro-grams were included in the grants.Enrollment in truck driving programsalso increased, by 69 percent in thefirst year of the SIWD grant program.

TCSG has also enhanced its mili-tary support. We have hired astatewide, system-level military af-fairs director to ensure TCSG policiesand procedures are military- and vet-eran-friendly. Also, we are in theprocess of establishing a path forstandard application of credit for mil-

itary training and skills, anticipated byfall 2015. Together with the UniversitySystem of Georgia, we are partneringto create Georgia’s New Military Aca-demic Training Center in WarnerRobins to provide career opportunitiesfor veterans.

We are also collaborating with theUniversity System to encourage Geor-gians who have an incomplete collegeeducation to return and finish their de-gree or certificate. About 1.1 millionworking-age adults, or 22 percent ofthe state’s population, attended col-lege for some time but did not finish.The ‘Go Back. Move Ahead’ campaignoffers a simpler enrollment process,more flexible ways to transfer earnedcollege credits, additional courseschedule options, and a personal aca-demic advisor.

We recognize that many studentshave taken courses in high school, orthrough military or corporate chan-nels, that they would like to transfer totheir relevant courses of study in col-lege. The TCSG has proactively imple-mented system‐wide agreementsallowing the transfer, or ‘articulation,’of course credit between TCSG andUSG institutions for 27 core courses.We also have agreements with nu-merous private colleges for over 50courses and are constantly working toadd new agreements.

For high school students who arealready focused on a career in con-struction or another discipline, weoffer dual enrollment. In fact, the num-ber of high school students who arenow simultaneously enrolled in col-lege has now passed 10,000 and isclimbing quickly. Dual enrollment al-lows high-school students to acquirecollege-level credits and hands-on ex-


Connecting students with industry : the Technical College System of Georgia

WBy Gretchen Corbin | Commissioner | TCSG

Gretchen CorbinCommissioner

perience in their career of choice, ac-celerating their entry into the work-force and their desired career.

The Technical College System isalso focusing on construction-relatedopportunities in Georgia’s boomingentertainment industry. Many maynot realize that 70 percent of film-re-lated jobs are ‘below the line:’ that is,production support and crew jobs,many of them in the constructiontrades. A number of Georgia’s techni-cal colleges offer courses in these dis-ciplines, and in fact, SouthernCrescent Technical College has estab-lished a full-fledged curriculum inwhich more than 60 students are al-ready enrolled. With the passage ofaggressive tax credits in 2008, Geor-gia’s film business exploded: its eco-nomic impact was more than $5billion last year. In order to ensure thestate can continue to supply this in-dustry with the crew strength it needs,TCSG and the University System arepartnering to develop the Georgia FilmAcademy, which will marshal thestate’s resources to further empowerand staff film production in Georgia.

The Technical College Systemsupports economic development notjust in the film industry, but in a num-ber of strategic industries: from bio-science to manufacturing to logistics—all of which need construction-re-lated services. The services of ourQuick Start program, a national modeland the top-ranked customized work-force development program in theU.S., is offered to qualified locatingand expanding companies free ofcharge. Last year, Quick Start trainedmore than 53,000 workers in 123 cus-tomized workforce training programs,creating or retaining a total of 10,024jobs—not even counting the construc-tion jobs involved in building and ex-panding facilities.

In addition, our colleges work in-dividually with businesses in theircommunities to train students for theneeds of local industry. An example ofthis is Savannah State, which partners

with Gulfstream to offer courses thattrain workers for the needs of thisaerospace industry giant.

The Technical College systempartners with the Georgia Departmentof Economic Development (GDEcD)not just in TCSG’s Quick Start pro-gram, but also through GDEcD’s GoBuild Georgia campaign. Go BuildGeorgia was launched in 2012 to edu-cate and inspire young people on thevalue of learning a trade and buildinga career as a skilled tradesperson, in-cluding in the construction industry.

Do our students find jobs? Youbet they do! Today, 85 percent ofTCSG graduates are employed in theirfield or a closely related field. Whengraduates who continue their educa-tion or are employed in an unrelatedfield are added, the successful transi-tion rate is 98 percent. When you re-alize that over the past seven years,TCSG has graduated an average of31,000 students per year, you under-stand that Georgia’s Technical CollegeSystem is a rich resource for the work-force Georgia needs.

What’s more, Georgia’s technicalcollege education comes with a guar-antee: if a graduate educated under astandard program is found to be defi-cient in one or more competencies asdefined in the standards, the technicalcollege will retrain the employee at noinstructional cost to the employee or

the employer. The guarantee is in ef-fect for two years after graduation. Intestament to the high quality of edu-cation our students receive, last yearTCSG re-trained just eight studentsunder this guarantee.

Georgia employers seeking to hirethat 20-year workforce need look nofurther than the 23 colleges and 84campuses of the Technical CollegeSystem of Georgia. Visitwww.tcsg.edu to connect with the col-lege nearest you. v

11March | April 2015

http://www.columbustech.edu

http://www.rhdlocating.com


s Georgia’s business com-munity continues to grow,so does the need for askilled workforce to sup-port our growing indus-tries. Go Build Georgiaaims to equip students

across the state with the necessarytools and information so that they areempowered to make informed careerdecisions. Much like SkillsUSA Geor-gia and the Construction EducationFoundation of Georgia (CEFGA), theGeorgia Department of Economic De-velopment’s Workforce division worksto ensure that tomorrow’s workforceis being educated on career opportu-nities in Georgia today.

Through the Governor’s High De-mand Career Initiative, we had the op-portunity to travel across the stateand hear from the private sector aboutthe positions they are looking to fillover the next ten years. We learnedthat the skilled trade industries willcontinue to grow throughout our state,and employers are looking for appli-cants who will contribute to thisgrowth. In addition to needing em-ployees with credentials, companyparticipants emphasized the need forself-starters with strong soft skills.Our Go Build Georgia program and theSkillsUSA Georgia organization sharea similar goal of educating studentsand preparing them for life after theclassroom.

In February, we celebrated Na-tional Career and Technical Education(CTE) Month at the state Capitol withGovernor Deal. The event spotlightedthe importance of our Go Build Geor-gia program. By having a presence inhigh schools across the state we canhelp educate students and develop astrong workforce to support our grow-

ing businesses. As we wrap-up CTEmonth, we are excited to have the op-portunity to participate as a present-ing sponsor in this year’s GeorgiaCareerExpo and SkillsUSA StateChampionship. This event also givesus the opportunity to educate stu-dents about career opportunities in

the skilled trade industries acrossGeorgia.

The CareerExpo serves as a greatplatform where students are able towitness real world work-based scenar-ios as they participate in more than100 skilled and leadership competi-tions. It’s a great opportunity to shareour Go Build Georgia message withmore than 2,000 students, parents,teachers, and administrators. Ourteam will be positioned at a Go BuildGeorgia booth where students cansee, touch, and learn how practicalskills can lead to rewarding career op-portunities.

I encourage you to visit www.gob-uildgeorgia.com to learn more aboutthe state’s Go Build Georgia programand how you can get involved. v

SkillsUSA and Go Build Georgia: preparing students for life after the classroom

ABy Ben Hames | Deputy Commissioner

Ben Hames

http://www.metropower.com

March | April 2015

highly recommend a newbook called, “You Can YouWill - 8 Undeniable Quali-ties of a Winner,” by JoelOsteen.

The second chapter, inparticular, grabbed me. It’s called “RunYour Race.”

What does this mean?

It means you need to figure out yourunique skills, your unique gifts; yourunique talents, then choose the ‘race’that best suits you.

For parents, counselors, teachers,and other influencers, it also meanswe need to be careful not to moldyoung people to run our race. Theolder I get, the more I realize thatevery individual is unique, and there-fore has a unique race to run.

It’s tempting and natural to as-sume that what works for us in lifealso works for other people. The prob-lem is that because each individual isso unique, each requires individualizedguidance.

That is what makes the standard‘go to a four-year university’ advice,for example, problematic. A four-yeardegree prepares certain types of peo-ple to run certain types of races. In-deed, the numbers say that a four-yeardegree prepares about 33 percent ofthe US population to run their race.

The obvious question is, “whatare we doing to help the other 67 per-cent run their race?”

That’s what is great about theCEFGA CareerExpo. It helps parents,teachers, counselors, and studentslearn about and explore dozens of dif-ferent careers or ‘races.’

It is a unique opportunity to speakwith hundreds of professionals aboutthe specific skills and training and ed-

ucation required. There are represen-tatives from technical colleges anduniversities, private career colleges,and apprenticeship programs. And allof this is in one place, under one roof.

For example, when a student firstenters the CareerExpo, they interactwith safety professionals from OSHA,HB NEXT, and New South Construc-tion to learn about careers in Safetyand Health.

Across the aisle in the World ofWelding, students meet representa-tives from Georgia Trade School andlearn about welding careers in heavyequipment manufacturing, ship build-ing, and construction.

As they continue through theExpo, students meet representativesfrom major construction managementfirms like Holder Construction Com-pany, Parrish Construction, and Bras-field & Gorrie. In the same World ofConstruction Management, Sustain-ability and Design, stu-dents interact withrepresentat ivesfrom Georgia Tech,Kennesaw State,Gwinnett Tech andGeorgia Southern, justto name a few of the col-leges and universities repre-sented this year.

Think your race involves electricalor mechanical contracting? The inter-active exhibits in the World of Heatingand Air, the World of Plumbing andthe World of Electrical Contractingwill be great stops for you. Hereyou can visit with companies likeMcKenney’s, SuperiorP lumb ing ,

PlumbWorks, Rawlins Mechanical,Fitzgerald Plumbing, MetroPower, andEckardt Electric.

Have you ever wanted to operatea big, yellow piece of equipment, everthought that might be your race? Youwill want to be sure and visit theWorld of Heavy Equipment Opera-tions and Utility Contracting. TheGeorgia Utility Contractors Associa-tion and its members always do agreat job explaining their various ca-reers and giving students lots ofhands-on learning opportunities.

The World of Energy features awhole other exciting sector, with em-ployers from Southern Company,Georgia Power, Georgia Transmissionand Georgia System Operations, andMEAG Power.

We also have three exciting newWorlds this year in the World of Land-scape, the World of Mining, and theWorld of Sheet Metal.

But back to Joel’s book forjust a moment. An-

other great bitof advice in the“Run Your

R a c e ”

chapter isto remember thatyou are not goingto please every-

one.We shouldask for ad-vice andseek guid-ance, butat the end

Run your race

IBy Scott Shelar | CEO of CEFGA | Construction Education Foundation of Georgia

13

of the day, we have to know ourselves,follow our gut, and be careful to not getdistracted by all of the various opin-ions we will hear from parents, coun-selors, teachers, friends, the media,etc. Process the ideas and opinions,but at the end of the day only youknow what Your Race should be.

I love this story that Joel shares:

“It’s like this country grandfather whotook his grandson to town on a don-key. He started off letting his grandsonride the donkey as he walked along-side. Somebody passed by and said,“Look at that selfish boy making thatold man walk.”

The grandfather heard it and tookthe boy off. Then he rode the donkeyas his grandson walked by his side.Somebody came along and said, “Lookat that man making that little boy walkwhile he rides.”

Hearing that, the grandfatherpulled the little boy up with him, and

they both started riding the donkey. Ina few minutes, another person said,“How cruel of you and the boy to placesuch a heavy load on the donkey.”

By the time they got to town, thegrandfather and the grandson werecarrying the donkey!”

The point is that you will never pleaseeverybody.

Take this opportunity at the 2015 Ca-

reerExpo to learn as much as you can

about all of the different ‘races’ that

are out there, ask lots of good ques-

tions, collect information, participate

in all of the hands-on activities. And at

the end of this experience, we believe

you will be better prepared to know

and Run Your Race. v


Scott Shelar Runs his Race as the

CEO for CEFGA - the Construction

Education Foundation of Georgia,

and as a husband and a father. He

is in his 17th year with CEFGA.

Scott and his wife have been mar-

ried for 19 years and they live in

Decatur, Georgia, with their two

children, ages seven and four.

CEFGA is the lead organizer of the

CareerExpo and SkillsUSA State

Championships for Georgia.

www.cefga.orgScott Shelar

http://www.georgiatradeschool.com


Board Chair - Ryan Byars, Holder Construction Company

Vice Chair - Tony Varamo,MetroPower

Secretary - Debra Howell, Georgia Power

Kenny Adkins, Technical CollegeSystem of Georgia

Jimmy Medina, All State Waste

Carol Burke, Georgia Department ofEducation

Jeffrey Diamond, Goodman

John Doherty, Pyramid Masonry

Tim Grimes, Dollar ConcreteConstruction Company

Jake Nellis, JE Dunn

Andy Rogers, Winter ConstructionCompany

Michael Rogers, Blount Construction Company

Dave Schoendorf, Baston-Cook Company

2015 CEFGA CareerExpo and

SkillsUSA State Championships

Planning Committee

EV Bennett, Holder Construction Company

Scott Brumbelow, Georgia UtilityContractors Association

Ryan Blythe, Georgia Trade School

Ryan Byars, Holder ConstructionCompany

Kenneth Cook, Pyramid Masonry

Charles Crosby, CORE ProjectManagement

Todd Hawkins, Independent ElectricalContractors (IEC)

Jim Holt, Georgia Power

Michele R. Huber, MasonryAssociation of Georgia

Jody Klodner, Marek Interior Systems

Jerome Sabol, PlumbWorks

Cherri Watson, AGC Georgia

Ellen Whitaker, Plumbing andMechanical Association of Georgia(PMA)

Donnie Woodham, McKenney's

Rod Owen, C.C. Owen Tile Company

Dana Kilpatrick, Georgia Departmentof Transportation (DOT)

Tom Bosley, OSHAJohn Cardosa, Georgia Construction

Aggregate Association (GCAA)

Bridgette Moore, United Rentals

Dixie Speck, Sol Terra

Mary Kay Woodworth, Urban AgCouncil

Diane McClearen, Oglethorpe PowerCorporation

Chuck Little, Atlanta Electrical Contractors Association (AECA)

Linda Moore, Georgia Construction

Aggregate Association (GCAA)

Daniel Maxson, New South Construction Company

CEFGA Staff

Scott Shelar, CEO

Kevin Ward, COO

Tina McDaris, Executive Assistant

Jamie Buck, Director, Training andPlacement

Jessie Sadlowsky, Assistant Director,Training and Placement

CEFGA

1255 Lakes Parkway, Suite 390Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043www.cefga.org

2015 CEFGA Board of Directors

2015 CEFGA CareerExpo and SkillsUSA State ChampionshipsSponsors and Participating CompaniesThis event is made possible through the generous financial support of our sponsors

and involvement and passion of our participating companies. Thank you!

1st Mechanical3M/Reflective Apparel FactoryAce Electric, IncAECAAGC GeorgiaAGC Georgia Young Leadership Prog.All State Waste

Allison-Smith CompanyAlondras DecorationsAmerican Technical PublishersAnderson Grading & Pipeline, LLCASC/GCAAAtlanta Electrical Contractors Assoc.Auburn University / McWhorter

School of BSCIBatson-Cook CompanyBlount Construction Co., Inc.Brasfield & GorrieBrooks-Berry-Haynie and Assoc. Inc.Burke County Board of EducationC. C. Owen Tile Company, Inc.

C.A. Murren & SonsCompany, Inc.Caterpillar, Inc.Center for DiseaseControl & PreventionCentral Georgia EMCChuckE2009City of College Park

City Of MariettaCity of Marietta - Marietta PowerClayton County Water AuthorityCLP, A True Blue CompanyCMAA - South Atlantic ChapterCobb County School DistrictCommunity & Southern BankCompTrust AGC Mutual Captive In-surance CompanyConstruction Education Foundation of

Georgia (CEFGA)CORE Project Management LLCCowin Equipment CompanyCustom Building ProductsDal-TileDay & ZimmermannEckardt ElectricElectric Cities of GeorgiaFitzgerald & Sons PlumbingFluorFortune-Johnson General ContractorsGalloway's Masonry comGeorgia 811Georgia Construction Aggregate

AssociationGeorgia Department of Economic

Development, Workforce DivisionGeorgia Department of EducationGeorgia Department of TransportationGeorgia Energy and Industrial

Construction Consortium (GEICC)Georgia PowerGeorgia Sheet Metal ApprenticeshipGeorgia System Operations Corp.Georgia TechGeorgia Trade SchoolGeorgia Transmission CorportationGeorgia Urban Ag CouncilGeorgia Utility Contractors

Association (GUCA)Go Build Georgia

GUCA - Georgia Utility Contractors Association

GUCA FoundationGwinnett Technical CollegeGwinnett Technical College,

Horticulture DepartmentHanson Aggregates / Lehigh HansonHB NEXTHolder Construction CompanyHolder Construction FoundationHome Builders Association of Georgia

(HBAG) House Calls Complete Home ServicesHuntington Ingalls IndustriesIBEW 613 Atlanta, GAIEC Atlanta/Georgia ChaptersIndependent Electrical Contractors

(IEC) Ivey Mechanical Co LLCJackson Masonry Contracting, LLCJATC - Sheet MetalJE Dunn ConstructionJeffreys/Manufacturing SolutionsKennesaw State UniversityLabor Ready, a True Blue CompanyLincoln ElectricLocal 72 / MCAG Joint

Apprenticeship ProgramLU72 Mechanical Trades InstituteMarek Interior Systems, Inc.Marietta PowerMartin Marietta MaterialsMasonry Association of GeorgiaMcKenney'sMcKinney Drilling Company, LLCMEAG PowerMechanical Industries CouncilMechanical Trades InstituteMemco SolutionsMetroPowerMillerMSANeal Davis HomesNew South Construction Company Inc.Oglethorpe Power CorporationOSHAParrish Construction GroupPearson/NCCERPenco Electric

Petty and AssociatesPiedmont Construction GroupPirkle Electric CompanyPlumb Works Inc.Plumbing and Mechanical Association

of Georgia (PMA)PlumbritePRAD GroupPurdue University, Building

Construction ManagementPyramid Masonry Contractors IncQuarry Services/GCAARDJE, Inc.Rock Services / GCAARoss-Bain Green BuildingSavannah River RemediationSchool of Building Construction,

Georgia TechSelecSource Staffing, Inc -

Tradesmen SolultionsSelect StaffingSnapping Shoals EMCSolterra, IncSouthern CompanySouthern Company ServicesSouthern Crescent Technical CollegeSouthern NuclearSouthern Polytechnic State University

CMAA SACSuperior Plumbing Service, Inc.Technical College System of Georgia Tekla CorporationThomas ConcreteTri-County EMCTulsa Welding SchoolTwo Twigs Enterprises LLCU.S. Department of Labor - OSHAUnited ElectricUnited RentalsUniversity of North Western OhioUrban Ag Council GeorgiaURJANET INC.Vulcan Materials CompanyWayne J Griffin Electric Inc.West Georgia Technical CollegeWinter Construction CompanyWirthwhile RemodelingWm. J. Redmond & Son, Inc.Yancey Bros.



or 25 years, my construc-tion company has builtmany structures thatgrace the metro Atlantaskyline, from office build-ings to schools to sportsfacilities. Yet, no matter

how well we do our job, the one thingwe cannot seem to build turns out tobe the most important element in ourclients’ setting: their culture.

The word culture became so pop-ular in 2014 that Merriam-WebsterDictionary chose it as its No. 1 Wordof the Year based on the number oftimes it was searched. I find that to beironic as culture is a word that’s al-most as hard to define as it is to build.You can’t see it or touch it, but inmany organizations, you can feel it.

Young people report a company’sculture is more important than com-pensation in choosing where to work.In October, Apple™ and Facebook™—already known for extravagant bene-fits—announced a new perk: payingfor female employees to freeze theireggs. As Atlanta attracts more tech-nology and entertainment firms, we’llbegin to see Silicon Valley benefitssuch as slides between floors, beerkegs in lobbies, and free food in cafe-terias.

I agree that company benefits areimportant, but the real foundation toa company’s culture is the quality ofthe individuals you hire, the relation-ships you foster between manage-ment and employees, and the valuesthat you establish and instill—some-times during the initial interview withprospective employees.

I remember early in our firm’s his-tory, when we were hiring new teammembers who had already been of-fered positions by competitors, wetold them to take their time making

the decision, but to keep in mind thatat our company, they would never beasked to do anything during the daythat would make them lose sleep atnight. A company’s values should beevident from the very beginning, as itwill attract and retain the people thatbest fit with your firm.

Our values were the first thing Iestablished and committed to whenfounding the company, and they arestill the drivers for each decision wemake today. In order to maintain yourculture, you must continually reinforcethe values and relationships. This canbe as simple as celebrating wins withyour team, as we do with each newproject award. It may be celebratingwith an ice-cream gatheringor an event after work –but whatever it is, weensure our teamknows they areappreciated.

A n o t h e rtenet in build-ing a culture ise s t ab l i s h i n gclear and au-thentic com-munication with

your team. In our training, we empha-size what we call, ‘Grandma’s Rule,’which is, “Do what you say you’ll do,when you say you’ll do it and do itright the first time.” When leadersmodel such genuine interactions tofront-line employees, the team mem-bers will in turn foster trustworthy re-lationships and create long-lastingbonds with clients.

Culture is also about integrity.When we were awarded a project byone of our industrial developer clients,we told him that if we could savemoney in the construction process,we’d let them have the savings, eventhough we were under a lump sumcontract. A year later, when we fin-ished the project under budget, wewent over to present our client withthe savings realized from our ability tofind ways to be more efficient andsave money on the project. He hadforgotten our commitment to returnthese savings and was shocked wehad followed through on our promise.The result of this integrity is a lifelongclient for whom we have constructedmany projects.

As hard to define as it is, cultureis one of the most important buildingblocks of any organization. Our com-pany values have been the foundationof our culture, and the additional perks

have been just that—perks. Cul-ture isn’t about the Silicon

Valley benefits we sooften read in theheadlines. It’s aboutyour people. v

Originally appearedin The Atlanta Jour-nal-Constitution

Culture reflects a company’s values

FBy Douglas Davidson, Founder and President of New South Construction Company

DouglasDavidson

Georgia Contractor18

hile contractors are enjoy-ing today’s reboundingeconomy, the improvedmarket presents chal-lenges. One of the mostpressing is finding skilledworkers. Speak with any

owner of a general contractor or spe-cialty contractor firm, and they willshare how badly they need qualified,hard working, responsible people tohelp build projects.

Recent statistics show that forevery four workers retiring from theconstruction industry, only one isready to help fill open positions. Whatdoes this mean for young people con-sidering career options after gradua-tion? It’s great news! It means youhave a wealth of job opportunitieswaiting for you; just apply yourself andtake advantage of resources availablein your community.

Careers in construction resources

• High school constructionteacher

• Career Coaches/GuidanceCounselors

• Local contracting companies• Go Build Georgia (www.gob-

uildgeorgia.com)• Regional chapter of SkillsUSA

Georgia (www.skillsusageor-gia.org)

• Construction Education Foun-dation of Georgia - CEFGA(www.cefga.org)

• Find a Training Center atNCCER (www.nccer.org)

• ACE Mentoring Program(www.acementor.org – link toGeorgia affiliate)

• AGC Georgia’s Regional Work-force Development Alliancemembers (www.agcga.org)

Words of Wisdom from Industry

Experts

Do You Have What it Takes?

Students interested in exploring a ca-reer as an electrician are encouragedto take the construction pathways inhigh school so they can begin gainingthe knowledge and skills needed forthe trade. Many electricians enter afour-to-five year apprenticeship afterhigh school so the baseline knowledgeand skills gained in the constructionpathways will transfer over to the ap-prenticeship. Most construction

trades will require workers to be out-doors most of the day, so those whohave this desire for outside work willreally excel in a construction career.The electrical trade, as with all con-struction trades, requires safe and re-liable workers who are committed toaccomplishing goals in a team envi-ronment and who want to grow bothpersonally and professionally.

~ Tony Varamo, Workforce Develop-ment Manager, MetroPower

Contracting is a Woman’s World, Too!

When introduced to others as presi-dent of Collins and Arnold Construc-tion Company, people often give me aquizzical look. It’s as if they are won-dering “how did SHE become presi-dent?” To be honest, it’s not a path Ithought I’d ever take. Early in my ca-reer, I worked in a construction office,but participated in field operations.However, my mentors encouraged meto believe there was nothing I couldnot do and to set high goals. The moreI learned about construction, the moreit intrigued me. Over the years, I de-veloped a love for construction. I love

Attention young people : Construction’s challenge is your opportunity

WBy Mike Dunham | Chief Executive Officer | Associated General Contractors of Georgia Inc.

MikeDunham

http://www.atlantatech.edu


http://www.atlantaelectrical.org/


the process. I love the smell of dirtbeing pushed around. I love the soundof safety devices on equipment whenI visit a job site. I take a lot of pride indriving past a building or a shoppingcenter built or renovated by our firm;that never gets old!

I encourage all young women toconsider a career in construction.Often, you find incredible opportuni-ties in places you never expected. Re-gardless of whether you are looking toenter an apprenticeship program, en-roll in a technical college or attend auniversity, rewarding opportunities areavailable for you. For those interestedin a four-year degree, majoring in busi-ness, engineering, and/or constructionmanagement can help pave your wayinto the construction industry.

Throughout my career, I haveworked with women who have takenall of the paths mentioned above tolaunch their career in the industry. Asa group, we are good managers oftime and talent, and have a knack ofbringing a sense of calm to an other-

wise fast-paced industry. There’s not one day (in over 30

years!), I started my morning wishingI was in another industry. For bothyoung men and women interested inconstruction, I welcome your call if Ican ever help you with your construc-tion industry career path!

- Jennifer W. Horton, President, Collinsand Arnold Construction Company

Why Construction?

Men and women on our commercialconstruction job sites see their hardwork and contributions to our teamcome to life every day. Each of thesepeople play an important part in build-ing schools, roads, shopping centers,hotels, churches, hospitals, sports sta-diums, office buildings, bridges, and somuch more.

Construction is where ideas froma set of architectural drawings cometo reality. Without a contractor, it’sjust someone’s vision—nothing more.Another incredible aspect of the con-

struction industry is that it has no lim-its. Do you dream of leading a con-struction company? Many successfulconstruction companies are led bypeople who began their careers in thefield. With guidance from mentors andan understanding of the results oftheir hard work, they were able to seeka comfortable and financially-securefuture. Do you have a desire to travel?If so, amazing opportunities are avail-able on all continents of our globe.American-based construction compa-nies have employees located on proj-ects far and wide. Whether youchoose to travel abroad or stay in yourlocal community, the construction in-dustry provides endless opportunities.

If you see yourself as a leader, assomeone who enjoys meeting a chal-lenge head-on and wants to be thebest at what they do—you are on yourway to a great career in construction.

– Mike Kenig, Vice Chairman, Holder Construction Company v

http://www.calulated.com


http://iecatlanta.org/#7322-20130423_153117


NCCER credentials : The fast track to a rewarding career

SkillsUSA masonry competitor at

the 2014 SkillsUSA

National Leadership

and Skills Conference

in Kansas City,

Missouri


ndustry recognition is akey component of a valu-able credential, and cre-dentials have proven tosignificantly increaseearning potential and up-ward mobility. According

to the Construction Industry Institute,craft professionals who becomeNCCER Certified Plus receive an aver-age of $2 more per hour than uncerti-fied workers in the same field.Contractors often times increasestarting salaries for new craft profes-sionals who produce NCCER creden-tials and many contractors will evenoffer their craft professionals trainingthrough tuition reimbursements for

coursework, paid craft training pro-grams and in-house training, whichcan lead to promotions or salary in-creases. It is also common for contrac-tors to institute wage structures thatreward craft professionals for reachingmilestones in NCCER training, such asthe helper and journey stages.

What is NCCER?

NCCER is a not-for-profit educationfoundation that was created in 1996by more than 125 construction CEOsand various association and academicleaders. Sharing the common goal ofdeveloping a safe and productiveworkforce, these companies createdNCCER as a standardized training, as-

sessment and credentialing program.NCCER provides a consistent programof accreditation, instructor certifica-tion, standardized curricula, assess-ments, and certifications. As a result,NCCER has become industry’s trustedsource for developing craft profession-als. In fact, eight of the top ten con-tractors on Engineering News-Record’s Top 400 Contractor List for2014 are NCCER Accredited TrainingSponsors, and one-third of the top 100contractors are affiliated with NCCER.

The Need for Credentials

As the skills gap widens, industriesthat require skilled professionals areplacing additional emphasis on cre-dentials. This is particularly evident inthe construction industry where theskilled workforce shortage is becom-ing more pronounced, and employersare recognizing the increasing impor-tance of credentials as a way to vali-date the training of craft professionals.

According to ManpowerGroup’sannual Talent Shortage Survey, whichhas 36,000 participants worldwide,skilled trades have been the hardestjobs to fill globally for the last threeconsecutive years. The inability ofcontractors to find qualified skilledworkers only highlights the immediateneed for craft professionals to receivetraining that provides industry-recog-nized and portable credentials. AsAmerica recovers from the economicrecession, the right credentials andtraining provide graduates and jobseekers successful career paths intothe construction industry, which ispoised for dramatic growth. The Con-struction Labor Market Analyzer fore-casts that more than two million newcraft professionals will be needed inour industry by 2018. Credentialedcraft professionals who are in high de-mand today will also be the frontrun-ners for the hottest jobs in the future.

Certification or formal trainingcan put craft professionals on the fast

IBy Amy Saxton | Communications Manager | NCCER

Electrical trainee

competing in a regional

competition hosted by

CEF of North Texas for a

chance to move on to

ABC's National Craft

Championships.

track to upper management or owner-ship positions, and, in conjunctionwith work experience, is the best wayto achieve advancement. The path toownership is one that few industriescan offer; however, in the constructionindustry, there are many stories ofpeople who begin as an apprenticeand become the owner or CEO of acompany. NCCER’s recruitment andimage enhancement initiative, BuildYour Future, offers a graphic thatshows the various career paths an in-dividual can take within the industry,starting with a middle school studentand ending with a CEO. After highschool, students can go into an indus-try training program, receive a degreeor certificate from a community ortechnical college or receive a univer-sity degree. All three of these avenuescan lead to the top position in a com-pany. However, there are multiple

entry points regardless of what stagesomeone is in their career. The bestpart about the construction industry isthat it offers career paths that enabletrainees to earn a paycheck while theylearn and avoid high college debt.

Standardized Craft Curricula

In cooperation with publishing partnerPearson and subject matter expertsrepresenting contractors and schoolsfrom across the country, NCCER de-velops and publishes curricula formore than 70 craft areas. NCCER’scomprehensive library of craft curric-ula is used worldwide by contractors,associations, construction users, andsecondary and postsecondaryschools. The standardized curriculumoffered by NCCER is comprised oftraining levels for each craft, and indi-viduals receive credentials after suc-cessful completion of these levels.

NCCER’s Core Curriculum coversbasic construction and safety topicsand complies with OSHA-10 trainingrequirements.

Industry-Recognized Credentials

Contractors want to be certain thatthe craft professionals they employ onjob sites have reached a standard levelof competency. NCCER credentialsvalidate the training individuals re-ceive and provide proof that they havethe proper training for their specificcrafts. NCCER credentials are industryrecognized, which means they are ac-cepted by contractors throughout theindustry and therefore eliminate theneed for individuals to get retrainedfor a certain craft each time theychange employers.

Journey-level written assess-ments and Performance Verifications,which are based on NCCER curricula,


High school students

learning about careers in

construction through

crane simulators at the

Build Your Future Career

Day in Dallas, Texas.


CLP: Closing the Skills Gap One Job at a TimeClosing the Skills Gap – what does that mean? To CLP it means providing workforce solutions to our customers and creating opportunities to putpeople to work every day. We change lives of our customers and workers by doing one thing anddoing it well: skilled trades staffing! We provide qualified workers to customers throughoutGeorgia and the entire United States. We partner with some of the largest and best constructioncompanies to provide safe, reliable employment opportunities to thousands of workers each day.

CLP is proud to align with CEFGA as its placement program leader. We take certifiedstudents and work with our customers and CEFGA members to place these students astemporary workers or as temporary to permanent employees, affording you the cost benefit oftesting a workers skills set and match for values prior to signing that person on permanently.

This model creates win-win for both the employer and the employee. We invest in thestudents training and meeting our customer’s priorities and objectives remains our clear directive.The CEFGA System, a construction Workforce Development Plan for Georgia, is shown below:

AWARENESS WEBSITES, OUTREACH, MEDIA

TRAINING/EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEVEL SKILLED TRADES PROGRAMS

PLACEMENT/EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT THROUGH

CLP, LABOR UNIONS, AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY

TERRY DAUGHERTY | CLP RESOURCES 8975 Roswell Road Suite 207 Atlanta, GA 30350 678-710-0826 678-710-0829 fax 404-987-9325 cell [email protected] www.clp.com

are also provided by NCCER and leadto industry-recognized credentials andcertification. Many craft professionalshave never received official recogni-tion for the knowledge and skills theypossess. Therefore, a craft assess-ment and Performance Verificationcan quickly determine the knowledgeand skills an employee has acquiredthrough work experience or trainingand reward him or her with appropri-ate credentials. Candidates who passboth a written assessment and Per-formance Verification become Certi-fied Plus, which is the highest NCCERcredential available in most crafts.

The NCCER Registry System is thecredentialing and certification systemthat assures portability of skills withinthe industry by providing transcripts,

certificates, and wallet cards. Aftersuccessful completion of training lev-els and/or assessments, individualsreceive an NCCER wallet card with aspecific identification number that al-lows employers to verify their trainingand/or assessment history.

Unlimited Potential

It is clear that employers hold creden-tialed and certified individuals in highregard, and those credentials are crit-

ical to future success and career sat-isfaction for craft professionals. Asmore contractors recognize the valueof standardized training and assess-ments, career prospects for creden-tialed craft professionals will onlycontinue to grow.

Get the credentials you deserve. To findan NCCER training and assessment cen-ter near you, visit www.nccer.org/center-search. v

http://www.clp.com


s the cost of energy con-tinues to rise, the amountof natural resources avail-able continues to dwindle.As a result ‘green’ buildingtechniques are becoming

more prevalent in residential and com-mercial construction, repair, and re-modeling,

To address this shift in construc-tion trends, Georgia NorthwesternTechnical College (GNTC) developeda new Residential Energy EfficiencyTechnology program to train studentsin green building techniques that differfrom standard building techniques.Students learn not only how to saveenergy, but also how to build a struc-ture that will last longer.

“We knew that when residentialconstruction came back and the econ-omy got stronger then more peoplewould want to build with energy effi-ciency in mind and be able to hope-fully lower their utility bills and live ahealthier lifestyle inside their ownhome,” said Donny Holmes, directorof GNTC’s Residential Energy Effi-ciency Technology program and Con-struction Management program.

The program trains students ingreen building techniques and prac-tice, such as energy audits, indoor airquality, measuring how much leakagea house may have, and combustiontesting. Students also learn to use en-ergy efficient building methods out-side of the house for landscaping andwater conservation.

“The main concept we teach issimply to build with sustainability inmind,” said Holmes.

Students also are trained inBlower Door and Duct Blaster testingand perform carbon monoxide moni-toring on appliances and HVAC equip-ment.

“The Residential Energy Efficiency

Technology program was developedbecause we wanted to offer some-thing different that will make an im-pact on our everyday lives,” saidHolmes.

A key factor in the implementa-tion of the Energy Efficiency Technol-ogy program at GNTC is theEarthCraft Education Project. Earth-Craft is a green building programbased in the southeastern U.S. that of-fers certification based on a pointssystem. Projects that receive Earth-Craft certification typically havehealthier indoor quality, high stan-dards of energy and water efficiency,reduce resource consumption, andprovide savings on maintenance, re-pairs, and utilities.

The EarthCraft Program was cre-ated in 1999 as a partnership betweenthe Greater Atlanta Home BuildersAssociation and the Southface EnergyInstitute to teach builders the latestmethods of resource and energy-effi-cient construction.

For the EarthCraft Education proj-ect at GNTC, two houses were builtside by side on the Gordon County

campus. One house was built undernew green and energy efficient speci-fications using new materials andtechniques with EarthCraft Houseguidelines. The other house was builtunder standard building practices andtraditional construction typical formost houses in the U.S. This househad the common air leaks, older appli-ances and water heater, and an 80-percent efficient gas furnace.

“The eco-friendly house uses aCarrier Infinity, which is a 96.5 effi-cient furnace,” said Holmes. “It’s a gasfurnace that burns and retains theheat as much as possible. Older fur-naces are less efficient, but this fur-nace is so sealed tight and it usessome great technology.”

The average energy cost at anEarthCraft certified home is 28 per-cent lower than at a standard dwelling.

“The energy efficient building wasbuilt to show the contrast between thestandard home, and the focus was onusing materials that were environ-mentally safe and also to keep out asmuch draft as possible,” said CharlesBurns, a Construction Management

Training students in green building techniques

ABy John Kenyon | Georgia Northwestern Technical College | Rome, Georgia

Donny Holmes (left) director of the Residential Energy Efficiency Technology pro-

gram at GNTC, shows Bo Dooley (right), a Construction Management major from

Calhoun, how to use a thermal imager to find faulty insulation.


major at GNTC.The EarthCraft house has a sealed

crawlspace with a dehumidifier, andthe walls of the crawl space are insu-lated with two-inch ridged foamboard. The dehumidifier removes all ofthe moisture from the air so there arenot any sort of moldy conditions thatare commonly found in a standardhouse crawlspace that isn’t sealed.This creates better overall air qualityinside of the home.

Zip System® sheathing with half-inch foam board was used for exteriorwall sheathing and Zip System® roofpanels used for the roof sheathing. Allsheathing joints and corners werethen taped to give you a sealed exte-rior envelope.

“That means everything is airtight, and we have created a buildingenvelope,” said Holmes.

The EarthCraft House usesblown-in insulation in the wall cavitiesand spray foam insulation for the roofdeck. This creates an envelope start-ing with the crawl space that goes up

the walls and then into the attic androof. Since everything inside the house

is inside the building envelope, thereis no condensation, rusting, or mildew.

http://www.northgatech.edu

http://www.newsouthconstruction.com/


The house uses Nichiha cementboard siding, and the mulch on theoutside of the house is made of recy-cled tire treads. All of the fixtures arewater sense fixtures, and all of thelighting is LED. There is also a So-latube for daytime lighting and rainbarrels connected to the gutters toconserve water.

“It’s good for the economy; itsaves energy, not only for yourself butalso for the community,” said ShaneMcLaughlin, a construction manage-ment major at GNTC.

The program uses Onset HOBO®UX100 temperature/relative humiditydata loggers in the crawl space and at-tics of both houses to measure andrecord temperature and relative hu-midity, 24 hours a day, over the nextyear. Data from the loggers will be an-alyzed and used to show energy-effi-ciency gains that happen with greenbuilding techniques.

“The data loggers are collectingdata every six hours in the two testhouses,” said Holmes. “These data

loggers will be a huge part of this on-going project and will provide theneeded data that we can share withmany others to prove energy effi-ciency and that building this way isjust smart,” said Holmes.

Energy efficiency and building sci-ence are concepts that many will findpractical, whether they are buildingsomething from the ground up or ren-ovating an existing house.

“The cost of energy is continuingto rise and if we can get contractors orbuilding inspectors on board with howto build with energy efficiency andgreen building techniques, then ourhouses are going to use less powerand hold up and perform better,” saidHolmes.

Approximately 16,000 peoplebenefit from GNTC’s credit and non-credit programs, making it thelargest college in Northwest Georgiaand the fifth largest technical collegein Georgia. v


loyd Foster wears a micro-phone on one shoulder. AniPhone is clipped to theother. A walkie-talkie hangsfrom a pants pocket. In hisnew job in security on the

Atlanta Falcons stadium site, Foster cer-tainly is well connected.

Thanks to Westside Works’ con-struction training and certificationprogram, Foster is connected in abroader sense as well. After graduat-ing with Westside Works’ first class inJuly 2014, he was hired immediatelyfor a gatekeeper position, and he’s ex-cited about the potential for careergrowth.

“I wanted something where Icould make a decent starting wageand progress into a higher-paying job,”says Foster, 49. “The construction in-dustry provided that. You can get in,

Atlanta resident thrives in new job at stadium project

LBy Allen Allnoch

Lloyd Foster


and it’s up to you how fast you moveup.”

“He’s eager to learn, that’s forsure,” says Danny McCall, safety di-rector for Holder, Hunt, Russell,Moody (HHRM, the joint venture incharge of the stadium’s construction).“He came in, he knew what he had todo, and he’s doing it. He’s very profes-sional.”

That’s welcome news for JamieBuck, Director of Training & Placementfor the Construction Education Foun-dation of Georgia (CEFGA), whichoversees training at Westside Works.“We want to make sure our studentsrepresent the industry well and aresuccessful out there,” Buck says.

Foster was a tattoo artist prior toentering the Westside Works pro-gram. The increased pay, coupled withbetter job stability, has enabled him tobegin making some long-hoped-forimprovements on his English Avenuehome. The new role also affords himmore time with his wife and children,ages six, eight, ten and 12.

“I like the job because there’s lessstress,” Foster says. “With my old job,I had to do marketing and other things.Here, I just have to be here on time, dowhat I’m supposed to do, and once Itake my hat off, I can go home andthere’s no stress.”

Foster came to Westside Worksthrough Integrity TransformationsCommunity Development Corporation(Integrity CDC), which recruitsprospective students and serves as aliaison between Westside Works andthe surrounding neighborhoods.

Thanks to the street-level connec-tions and networking of Integrity CDCand its executive director, Rev. HowardBeckham, local residents like Fosterare learning about career opportuni-ties that are bursting with potential.

Foster had been in the tattoobusiness for more than 15 years. Hedoesn’t speak negatively of it, but it’sclear he’s happy with his new career.After countless days hunched overbare skin with a needle in hand, henow works outdoors in a fast-paced

security role that he has embraced.“I didn’t envision being here,” he

says, “but once I found out aboutWestside Works, I was really happy Istepped forward and was accepted aspart of that first class. I really like theprogram.”

Westside Works is a long termneighborhood program focused oncreating employment opportunitiesand job training for residents of theWestside community, including VineCity, English Avenue, Castleberry Hill,and other contiguous neighborhoods.Westside Works is a partnership ofthe Construction Education Founda-tion of Georgia (CEFGA), IntegrityCommunity Development Corpora-tion, (Integrity CDC) and New HopeEnterprises. Investors of the projectinclude Invest Atlanta, the AtlantaWorkforce Development Agency, andthe Arthur M. Blank Family Founda-tion. Read more at www.westside-works.org or cefga.org v

http://www.getintoenergyga.com/


n a job site of such vastscope and complexity as thenew Atlanta Falcons Sta-dium, career opportunitiesabound for skilled laborers—even those with little prior

experience.Bennie Bell has been on the site

since summer 2014 after graduatingwith Westside Works’ ConstructionGroup #1. He works for TechniqueConcrete, and despite coming to thejob as a novice, he’s quickly estab-lished himself as a ‘go-to’ guy.

“What I really like about Bennie ishe’s always ready to step up,” saysJimmy Martin, Bell’s supervisor. “Youget a lot of guys out here in the con-struction industry and they’ll be a littletimid, but he wasn’t timid. He cameright out, saw what we were doing andtook off. I’ve been working with him onbeing a leader because I see a lot ofpotential in him. I’d love to have fouror five more of him.”

Clearly, Technique has been agood fit for Bell, who says “All the wayup to the owner, everyone has wel-comed me with open arms and toldme there is room for growth. It’s beena blast. I’ve been working hard andhopefully my hard work pays off.”

Westside Works was a welcomeopportunity that arrived in the middleof a dry spell in Bell’s work life. “I hadworked various jobs, just trying to findmy way and make an honest living, butI was out of a job when I heard aboutthe program through word of mouth. Ididn’t know exactly what to expect,but it sounded promising, so I gave ita shot.”

After four weeks of demandingclassroom work and more than six

months of on-the-job experience, Bell,27, is proficient in pouring and finish-ing concrete, cutting pile caps, andother tasks that are helping the sta-dium take shape on Northside Drive.

“Bennie is very smart and hecatches onto things quickly,” Martinsays. “There are a lot of times whenhe’ll analyze something and bring it tome and tell me about it, and we’ll worktogether on it.”

The job has enabled Bell to moveinto a new residence in Decatur, andhe, like Martin, has an eye on his fu-ture. “I want to get married and havekids one day, and if I do, I can tell mykids I had a hand in something that’s

going to be historical,” he says. “Thisis going to be there for a while, longafter I’m gone. It’s a real honor to workon this site.”

Bell appreciates the structure anddiscipline of the Westside Workstraining regimen, as well as the man-agement behind it.

“It was exciting, and I felt like I ac-complished something,” he says.“There are a lot of scams out there, alot of people who will lead you to be-lieve they want to help you. But thestaff at Westside Works—people likeScott Shelar, Jamie Buck, and JohnnyHughes—those are good people andthey are actually there to help you.”

The crash course in constructiontraining, Bell adds, “has shown methat I have more willpower than Ithought before—that if I really wantsomething, I can endure and get it. It’salso taught me that if I stay focusedand keep a positive attitude, there’snothing I can’t do. The whole experi-ence has been positive for me.”

Westside Works is a long termneighborhood program focused oncreating employment opportunitiesand job training for residents of theWestside community, including VineCity, English Avenue, Castleberry Hill,and other contiguous neighborhoods.Westside Works is a partnership ofthe Construction Education Founda-tion of Georgia (CEFGA), IntegrityCommunity Development Corporation(Integrity CDC) and New Hope Enter-prises. Investors of the project includeInvest Atlanta, the Atlanta WorkforceDevelopment Agency, and the ArthurM. Blank Family Foundation. Readmore at www.westsideworks.org orcefga.org v

ORemarkable rookie : Bennie Bell has distinguished himself as a leader-in-the-making in the construction business

By Allen Allnoch

Bennie Bell


ith more than fifty percent ofUS products requiring weld-ing including ships, racecars, bridges, oil rigs, cellphones, and computers andwith an estimated 250,000

new welding jobs created by 2019- thedynamic industry of welding and fabrica-tion is both the present and the future.Perhaps the most significant challenge tothis dynamic business is an aging work-force. Fortunately, organizations likeSkills USA and Go Build Georgia arehelping to close that gap by creating op-portunities and connecting young peopleto employers in dire need of their talent.At Georgia Trade School, we understandthis challenge and embrace it every sin-gle day. Here are just a few examplesfrom the 127 welders we have recentlytrained and their great success stories.

Kramer Bolton has welded in Ten-nessee, Georgia, and Colorado build-ing houses, banks and churches. Bytraveling all over the country, Kramerhas embraced the limitless possibili-ties welders enjoy. He talks of the pas-sion that learning to weld andfabricate brought him and how hegives 100 percent effort with every-thing he has on every job he works.

Quinton Cychosz attended col-lege which is not unusual in the stu-dents we teach. But following hiscollege experience, Quinton was not ina job with much advancement andcertainly not in a career. So with a lotof hard work and determination, hebecame a pipe welder. Today, Mr. Cy-chosz earns enough money to pursuehis expensive hobbies including mo-torcycles and aviation.

Tyler Wyman also went to collegeand saw how his friends in Texas weremaking far more money in the trades.It is reported than in places like Hous-ton, there are three pipe welding jobs

for every qualified welder. So Tylercame to Georgia Trade School andearned his welding credentials leadingto employment with the nation’slargest railcar manufacturer, Trinity In-dustries.

Deshei Hiraoka changed careersto become a TIG welder. With a back-ground in audio engineering, she al-ready had learned the discipline andhand/eye coordination that allowsyou to excel in welding. Within a fewmonths of graduating, her employercould see she was a natural leaderand promoted her to a supervisoryposition.

But perhaps my favorite story isJohn Norris. John studied industrialdesign in college and enjoyed the in-novative and creative side of his majorbut disliked the university experience.John comes from a family that is com-prised of college educated profession-als so deciding to pursue a trade to

find fulfillment required convincing

skeptical parents. Just three years

after John graduated from Georgia

Trade School, he is a first class welder

for the Navy’s largest shipbuilder,

Huntington Ingalls Industries. He

works for an exceptional company

that provides a highly paid lifestyle

with full benefits and continuing edu-

cational opportunities.

While attending the 2015 Georgia

State Skills USA Championship, I per-

sonally invite you to stop by the World

of Welding, to meet YouTube sensa-

tion Lanse Edwards aka ChuckE2009

and our fantastic industry leaders in-

cluding Caterpillar, Ingalls Shipbuild-

ing, and the Local 72 Plumbers and

Pipefitters Union who will all be re-

cruiting the next generation of success

stories. v

Rebuilding America

WBy Ryan Blythe | Founder | Georgia Trade School

2014 Skills USA Welding and Fabrication Contestant


he Masonry Association ofGeorgia (MAG) is pleasedto announce the reinstate-ment of their apprenticeshipprogram after a brief hiatusdue to the economic down-

turn. In partnership with Argos, studentswill have the opportunity to work on a’live’ project throughout their training.

Now, more than ever, masons areneeded in the Atlanta area with thebuilding boom provided by the newAtlanta Braves and Falcons stadiums.And it’s not only the stadiums that willneed to be constructed—many newbusinesses will be planned aroundeach of these new sports complexes.

With this surge in construction,apprentices will be able to get the onthe job training they need while at-tending MAG’s apprenticeship train-ing program. Masons work with brick,concrete block, and stone and mayspecialize in one or more of these ma-terials. These materials demand thehighest level of skill because the fin-ished product is what the public sees.

The association especially likes totarget high school students currentlyin masonry programs for recruitmentinto the apprenticeship program. Ex-ecutive Director Michele Huber notes“we have structured our apprentice-ship program around the NCCER textthat is currently used in Georgia highschools. This will ensure that thosestudents who have already demon-strated a willingness to learn the tradein high school can get a head startwhen they join the MAG program.”She continued, “if we can continue toengage these students after highschool and train them correctly, wewill have masons who build with qual-ity and future foremen and superin-tendents to carry on the art of themasonry trade. We want to show stu-

dents a profitable career path in ma-sonry.”

MAG is also targeting high schoolconstruction teachers to provide themwith an opportunity to attend the ap-prenticeship classes on Tuesdaysalong with the apprentices. This al-lows the construction teachers whomay not have a masonry backgroundto critique their basic masonry skillsand techniques to take back to theirclassrooms. “Instructor training is im-portant, so future apprentices fromhigh school programs can get a headstart with the correct methods andtechniques prior to starting our ap-prenticeship program.”

The MAG apprenticeship pro-gram is registered with the GeorgiaDepartment of Labor’s Bureau of Ap-prenticeship and Training and consistsof 432 hours of classroom and hands-on training divided into six semestersof 21 weeks each. Subjects includemason tending, brick and block laying,mortar composition and mixing, wallperformance, tools and equipment,specialty products, stone work, safety,

scaffolding, and blueprint reading. Tobecome certified, apprentices mustalso complete 6,000 hours of on-the-job training with a MAG participatingcontractor.

The apprenticeship program in-cludes a job placement component,and apprentices commonly finish thethree-year program while on the job.Apprentices can get a jump on theircareer that translates into higher paybecause of their higher skill level.

Member contractors periodicallystop by the training center on classdays to see the continued progresswith apprentices and to assist withany training needs (brick, block, sand,etc.) of the program. This also givescontractors a chance to see laborersthat are looking for work and are gen-uinely interested in masonry as a ca-reer. These unemployed student/apprentices pay their own tuition forthe first semester with a goal of em-ployment with a member contractor.

By the end of the first semester,most apprentices have the basics ofmasonry under their belt and can be

Building the future

TBy Michele Huber | Executive Director | Masonry Association of Georgia

Hands-on training area for students

productive on the job. “Apprenticesmust meet the competencies andstages of the program before movingon to the next level and pay grade,”states Kenneth Cook of Pyramid Ma-sonry and chair of the MAG Appren-ticeship Committee. He adds, “We tryto get them working out in the field assoon as possible to reinforce theirtraining and expose them to real-world job conditions.”

Fact is, anyone can buy the mate-rials and the tools, and look in a bookor attend a workshop to figure out away to lay brick, block or stone. Butwhat separates amateurs from profes-sionals is not only skill, but the profes-sional pride in doing the job right.

For more information about a ca-reer in masonry, contact MAG at 770-310-1885 or www.masonryassocga.com. v

rick and mortar, if done cor-rectly, will last forever. Thatwas the positive outlook of ayoung Lewis Singleton as heprepared to compete in the2014 SkillsUSA nationals in

Kansas City this past summer. This do itright the first time attitude was long inthe making and his journey up to thismoment had been seasoned with somany great influences.

Carl, Lewis’s older brother, was asenior and was actually in an automo-tive class. His automotive teacher in-troduced Carl to SkillsUSA. Hewanted to compete in the automotivearea, but those slots were full. Carlwas advised to talk to the construc-tion teacher about masonry since hehelped out with the family construc-tion business. Carl soon went to re-gion and won first in masonry andmoved on to state and secured a third

Building a strong future for skills success

BBy Ashley Brown | Director | SkillsUSA | Georgia

Live projects work area for students

Jeff Johnson, SkillUSA advisor with Lewis Singleton


place win. Lewis was in eighth gradeat the time. He saw what his olderbrother did and was determined tomatch and surpass his brother. Intalking to Lewis, he said, “I may neverreally tell Carl, but I really do look upto him. He has motivated me to do mybest.”

During the summers and week-ends, Lewis would spend time aroundthe jobsite with his father, Carl Sr., andhis uncle, Mr. Lewis Coleman, whoboth work in the mason and carpentrytrades. It was here that Lewis beganlearning a strong work ethic and re-ceived more on the job training thanany average high school student couldget. Lewis explained that, “My unclewould let me string mortar for the ma-sons and if I could finish a line quickenough, he would let me lay a brick ortwo.” Lewis also has a great mother.She supported, encouraged and pro-vided the best atmosphere for suc-cess. Lewis’s family was always ateach event to cheer him on. “I knowmy family loves me and have alwaysbeen my strongest supporters.”

As a freshman, he competed forhis first time at the region level. Thecompetition did not turn out as he

hoped; there was a setback. Thishumbling outcome at region was agreat learning moment and a strongcharacter building experience. He re-turned home even more determined tosucceed. Lewis states, “When I lost atregion, I made up my mind that some-day I would go to nationals”.

As a freshman, Lewis enrolled inthe construction program at BurkeCounty High School. By the time hefinished high school, he had earnedthree NCCER credentials: Core Cur-riculum, Carpentry I, and Masonry I.Lewis was vice president of his SkillsChapter and served as president fortwo years. As a sophomore, he wonsecond in region and third in state. Asa junior he won first in region and firstin state and went to Kansas City forthe first time. As a senior, he wonfirst in region and first in state. Hecompeted in masonry for a secondtime at nationals.

As a freshman, he attendedCEFGA’s Career Construction Expoand the SkillsUSA State Competitionas an observer. He reflects that thecareer expo opened his eyes to howbig the construction trade is and howlarge SkillsUSA was. “As I watched

the masonry competition, I knew Iwould be there soon.”

Mr. Jeff Johnson, Lewis’s con-struction teacher, said, “Lewis was al-ways a joy to teach; he was alwaysupbeat, had a great positive attitude,and was always willing to go the extramile. He is one of those students whocome around once in a while and trulymake your job as an educator a joy.He was very teachable, took criticismin the way it was intended, and was aleader in the program”. Mr. Johnsonalso added that he believes that muchof the success of the school’s Skill-sUSA chapter was because of Lewis’sdedication.

Lewis now attends Albany Techni-cal College and is studying masonryunder Mr. Clifford Singleton (no rela-tion). Lewis said, “The technicalschool has provided great hands onexperiences and has also taught mehow to figure jobs”. Lewis wants tofinish the masonry program and thencontinue into the welding program.Although he wants to leave his op-tions open after technical school, hehopes to one day go into educationand become an instructor in the areaof construction and masonry. v


hether at home or at work,technology has captivatedour lives and has altered thestandard of means andmethods for how tasks arecompleted in the era that we

live in today. In fact, it’s scary to thinkhow much our daily lives depend ontechnology. What would someone dowithout a cell phone? What would a per-son do without internet access or a com-puter? Would that result in having toactually send conversations via thepostal service? Having to pull an ency-

clopedia off of the shelf to find an an-swer? In fact, I bet that if you asked achild today to find something in an ency-clopedia, the child would respond with aquestion asking what an encyclopediawas, or instructing you to ‘Google’ it. Isthis new ‘standard’ a potential issue or isit a remarkable solution to completingtasks in the modern world?

I am an employee for New SouthConstruction where we strive to stayon the cutting edge of new technology,both industry-specific, as well as op-erations as a whole. The construction

Industry as a whole, is farther behind,in terms of technology, than most in-dustries. A surprising statistic from arecent study shows that 75 percent ofall construction dollars are spent inthe field, while 90 percent of all con-struction technology is used in the of-fice. With a career in the constructionindustry and sharing a passion fortechnology, I am currently involved inpaving a new path within the companyby researching and evaluating newtechnological advances and softwareto implement and apply more efficient

Can technology replace the wheel?

WBy Jon Minick | Project Engineer | New South Construction

means and methods to complete day-to-day tasks in the construction indus-try. With the use of BuildingInformation Modeling (BIM), tablets,drones, and different computer andmobile programs, we have found waysto be more efficient in our industry.This in turn, not only saves us timeand money, but also does the same forthe project owners, architects, andsubcontractors. The owner is receivinga product that is superior, completedat a much faster schedule, and less ex-pensive. Staying on this cutting edgenot only results in savings and gives usa competitive edge, but it also placesour company among the top contrac-tors in the country.

So if applying advanced technol-ogy into your company results in suchgreat returns, where is the downfall?Why would anyone not be on-boardthe ‘technology bandwagon’? The an-swer lies with the previous generation

of baby boomers. Imagine giving oneof your grandparents the new iPhoneand just leaving them with it. This isthe same concept as giving an iPad toan old-school, weathered and ruggedconstruction Superintendent andtelling him to use it to build his nextproject. What’s going to happen?You’re going to go back to his officethe next week to find a dusty iPadlying under scattered paper. That su-perintendent will continue writing hisnotes on a legal pad and reading hisplans from a huge set of hard copydrawings. His response? “I don’t needthat. I like paper.” Why does someonewith an old-school mentality adhere tothe old-school means and methods?The answer is because they have al-ways done it that way.

So why is this answer so impor-tant? This new generation relies solelyon this new technology and nothingelse. Though I have a passion for tech-

nology and base my career on it, I trynot to blind myself from the founda-tions of how things are really accom-plished. One of our vice presidentsonce told me that he was excited forall of the new technology that we areusing, that is making our work moreefficient and streamlined, but he didnot want the entry-level employeesmissing out on the foundation con-cepts like reviewing shop drawings,conducting quality control, and com-munication skills. This statementcould not be more powerful. Thoughtechnology is advancing more eachday, we do not need to lose sight ofour foundation or ‘old school’ meansand methods. I am not implying thatwe should all stop using our phonesand bring back the Pony Express; I amsimply stating that we should not losesight of the basics that got us to wherewe are today. v

he Atlanta Electrical Con-tractors Association (AECA)is a not-for-profit trade as-sociation which representsover 40 plus electrical mem-ber contractors. These con-

tractors employ some 3,500 people.Workforce development has always beena top priority with the association. It isincreasingly important as the economyimproves and baby boomers continue toretire. AECA recruits from urban, subur-ban, and rural areas in an effort to recruitthe best and brightest career-minded in-dividuals. The world of electrical con-tracting is dynamic and constantlychanging. We need individuals who areeager to learn and grow with the electri-cal industry. Chuck Little, AECA H.R. Di-rector, first met Eric Allen when he wasa senior at Franklin County High School,

in rural northeast Georgia. Although Ericcould have started in AECA’s ElectricalApprenticeship program as soon as hegraduated, he elected to head to a two-year technical college. Shortly thereafter,he enrolled in the apprenticeship pro-gram which is a combination of full-timework and part-time (tuition-free) school.AECA recently caught up with Eric to talkabout his chosen career path

AECA: What got you interested inconstruction in general and electricalspecifically while in high school?

Eric: I got my start in an agriculturemechanics class, where I learned thebasics of electrical circuitry. I thentook more classes that taught me howto wire common devices such as re-ceptacles and switches. Eventually, I

A commitment to an apprenticeship program

TBy Chuck Little, H. R. Director, AECA

Eric Allen is following an electrical

layout drawing to mount electrical

control equipment in a new Hot Oil

temperature control panel



learned how to wire whole circuits onmock up wall panels.

AECA: Did you participate in any com-petitions while in high school andwhat kind of results did you have?

Eric: While in high school I was askedif I would like to compete in competi-tions for FFA and Skills USA. I com-peted in the EMC wiring competition,where I placed first in the area. As Imoved up to the regional competitionI placed fifth. I was asked to do resi-dential wiring for Skills USA where Iwent to regionals and placed firstthen moved to the state level and wonthe competition which led me to thenational contest in Kansas City,Kansas. I didn't do as well at this con-test because at the time I really didn'tknow much about bending conduitwhich was the main content of thecontest.

AECA: What did you decide to doafter high school and what sent you inthat direction?

Eric: Once I graduated high school, Iwas looking at going to a four-yearcollege. When I found out the school-ing was costly, I looked into a techni-cal college that was close to home. Igot accepted into the Electrical Sys-tems Technology program at NorthGeorgia Technical college. I wastaught even more about electrical cir-cuits, motor controls, conduit bend-ing, and even electrical systemscalculations.

AECA: Did you participate in anycompetitions outside of high schooland what were those results?

Eric: While at North Georgia Techni-cal College I competed in two types ofcompetitions. One was the GeorgiaOccupational Award of Leadership inwhich I made it to the finals. Theother was a wiring competition for thecollege which decided who would

represent the college. I was beatenout in the second tie breaker. The nextyear I was able to advance straight tostate level where I placed first. Thecollege then sent me to the nationalcompetition in Kansas city where Iplaced 12th out of 26 competitors.

AECA: You finally decided to get intoour electrical apprenticeship program.What led you to that decision?

Eric: After doing well in most of thewiring competitions that I competedin and after getting the five-yearscholarship to the AECA-IBEW Ap-prenticeship program that I won in mylast state competition, I decided to goon and further my education by sign-ing up for the program.

AECA: Who are you working for nowand what kinds of experiences haveyou had as an electrician apprentice?

Eric: I currently work for C & M Elec-trical Contractors in northeast Geor-gia. I have learned a lot on the job andfrom the journeyman that I workunder. I mainly work at a pharmaceu-tical plant and I have seen a lot of de-vices and fittings I never knewexisted. I mainly like to work in bigcontrol and PLC cabinets. There is notmuch that I dislike except ditch workbut if it needs to be done, I get ashovel and get to digging.

AECA: You live quite a ways outside ofAtlanta. How difficult is it to partici-pate in the school portion of appren-ticeship? What kinds of new thingshave you been learning in school?

Eric: I live about 82 miles away fromthe training center. It does get a littleaggravating having to get up veryearly to get there, and it’s a long ridehome after a day of learning somepretty intense stuff. I have learnedhow to use different types of metersand testing equipment. I am mainlylooking forward to learning some of

the things I have been told about inlater classes of the apprenticeshipprogram.

AECA: Where do you see yourselfthree to five years from now?

Eric: In the next three to five years Ihope to see myself finishing the ap-prenticeship program, getting myjourneyman card and maybe getting astate license. I also hope to be able toget out on my own and find a nicehouse and land that I could have a lit-tle farm so that I could raise cattle.

AECA: In looking back, would youchange anything in the path you took?

Eric: Some days I think that if I wouldhave started the apprenticeship pro-gram when I heard of it in high schoolI would be almost done, but then Iwould not have been introduced tothe people and the experience ofgoing to a technical college, so I don'treally think I would change anythingabout the path I chose. I would like toencourage high school students tojoin extracurricular activities and or-ganizations. They give students anopportunity to sharpen their skills andbe introduced to new ideas and expe-riences. If it hadn't been for the stu-dent organizations that I was part of,I might not be as successful as I amtoday.

Eric’s path involved high school, atechnical college, and then an electri-cal apprenticeship program. It’s notuncommon for young adults in Amer-ica to meander a little bit before find-ing their ultimate career path. InEric’s case, even though he lives outin rural Georgia, he is still a successfulpart of an apprenticeship programsponsored by the Atlanta ContractorsAssociation. It just goes to show thatno matter where you live, if you are adetermined individual, you can makethe system work for you. v


overnor Scott’s $9.9 billionbudget proposal for revamp-ing state infrastructurehighlights the need for asteady demand of skilledconstruction workers and

presents opportunities for women in con-struction.

Florida infrastructure is getting a$9.9 billion makeover this year. (1) In2012, Florida’s infrastructure receivedan average of a C rating in transit bythe American Society of Civil Engi-neers. 14.7 percent of Florida bridges—1,764 of 11,982—are consideredfunctionally obsolete, and 26 percentof Florida’s roads are in poor ormediocre condition. (2) The 2015budget will allocate funding to handlethis, a move that will generate morethan 680,000 jobs and $96 billion intotal economic value in the state’sseaports alone. The budget allocates:• $3.8 billion for highway

construction projects

• $350 million for aviationimprovements

• $109.6 million for seaportinfrastructure enhancements

• $242.6 million for scheduledrepair or replacement of over100 bridges

• $38.3 million for bike andpedestrian trails (1)

However, this comes at a time whenthe industry is experiencing a workershortage—46 percent of builders re-ported a worker shortage last year, ahigher shortage than the peak of thehousing boom in 2005. (3) The lack ofskilled workers in construction is an

opportunity for more people to enterthe industry, in particular, says onegeneral contractor, more women.

Doreen DiPolito is the owner andpresident of D-Mar General Contract-ing and Development in Tampa Bay,Florida, and says this is a generationalissue and urges more women to ex-plore construction as a career. “Be-tween the recent resurgence inresidential and commercial buildingand the massive investments in sea-ports, airports, and other transporta-tion projects, there are lots of great,high-paying jobs awaiting the rightcandidates.”

DiPolito is a testament towomen in construction, exem-plified in her work with mul-timillion dollar apartmentcomplexes in Fort Laud-erdale, commercial proj-ects for popularfranchises like Dunkin’Brands, and recentwork on a rebrandproject for Marathon’sSpeedway. She assertsthat women and men inconstruction alikehave an opportu-nity with the re-covering Floridaeconomy in thisindustry: “Theopportunities arevirtually unlim-ited for thosewho pursue rele-vant training andapprenticeships.”

The shortage inskilled work-ers contributes to con-struction projects

taking longer to be completed or cost-ing more than expected. There is apush to bring in workers from in-stateto contribute to these new projects.(3) DiPolito says that many develop-ers hire from out of state to fill all theiropenings, and the enormity of the in-frastructural construction projects tocome illustrates the definite need formore skilled workers from Florida.

Doreen DiPolito can speak to the

following:

• Why is there still a skilledworker shortage in Florida?

• How can theindustry rebound andbring in new workers?

• Why do womenneed a stronger

presence inthis industry?

• What areyour

GSkilled worker shortage will impede Florida’s $9.9 billion construction proposal By Allen Allnoch


recommendations to womenthinking about coming into theindustry?

• How will this budget proposalimpact Florida infrastructure?

• Why has construction beenslow to rebound after therecession?

• In what ways can the industryprepare for the generational

change when older workersretire and new workers are hardto come by?

1. Florida Department of Transportation. “Rick Scott Proposes $9.9 Billion Transportation Budget”; MassTransit; January 28, 2015. masstransitmag.com/press_release/12039087/rick-scott-proposes-99-billion-transportation-budget.

2. American Society of Civil Engineers. “Florida Key Facts”; Infrastructure Report Card; 2012.infrastructurereportcard.org/florida/florida-overview.

3. Harrington, Jeff. “Florida’s Surging Construction Industry Faces Worker Shortage”; Tampa Bay Times;February 20, 2015. tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/floridas-surging-construction-industry-faces-worker-shortage/2218378.v

If you would like to interview Doreen DiPolito of D-Mar General Contracting and Development please contact me via [email protected] or call 888-202-4614 X 803.

DR continues to expand itsservice capabilities with theacquisition of Brentwood,Tennessee-based Infrastruc-ture Corporation of America(ICA), which specializes in

transportation engineering, asset main-tenance and management. ICA will dobusiness as HDR | ICA. Financial termswere not disclosed.

“We’ve set a goal of cutting 10percent of the owner’s cost over thelife cycle of HDR-designed and con-structed facilities by improving the de-livery process,” said George A. Little,HDR, Inc. chairman and CEO. “ICA of-fers unique capabilities that will helpour clients stretch their capital dollarsand maximize operational efficiency.”

With the addition of ICA, HDRnow employs more than 9,200 staffworldwide.

ICA Background and New Roles

Infrastructure Corporation of Americais a leader in transportation assetmaintenance and management. Itmanages over 20 long-term assetmaintenance management contracts

in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Vir-ginia, Texas, Missouri, Arizona andSouth Carolina, including approxi-mately 3,650 structures, 190 facilitiesand 4,700 lane-miles of roadway. ICAemploys 400 asset management staffacross eight states.

“ICA excels at helping clients getthe most from their infrastructure in-vestments,” said Little. “Their per-formance-based approach to assetmanagement has helped state govern-ments save up to 20 percent on main-tenance costs. Combined with ourcapabilities in consulting, design andconstruction, we can help owners re-fine the delivery process in order tolower costs over the asset life cycle.”

“Joining HDR was the logical nextstep in ICA’s growth,” said ICA CEOButch Eley, who will join HDR as pres-ident, HDR |ICA. “They’re well-re-spected in the industry and it wasimportant for us to join forces withsomeone who has the same client-fo-cused approach we have. We’re ex-cited we’ll be able to reach moreclients and offer continued ownershipopportunities to our employees.”

The ICA acquisition includes itsengineering division, ICA Engineering,Inc., which complements ICA’s assetmanagement portfolio with high-valuecivil engineering services. With 300employees in 13 regional offices, ICAEngineering significantly bolstersHDR’s presence in the southeasternUnited States. Mark Acuff, divisionpresident, will join HDR as chief oper-ating officer for ICA’s engineering di-vision, which will operate as HDR |ICA Engineering.

The Environmental Financial Con-sulting Group served as exclusive fi-nancial advisor to InfrastructureCorporation of America in its sale toHDR. v

HDR acquires Infrastructure Corporation of America

HGeorge

A. Little


pportunities in the trans-portation industry can takemany forms, but the com-mon string that holds allthese areas of expertise to-gether is the ability to move

people and goods from one location toanother in a safe and efficient manner. AtChattahoochee Technical College, stu-dents in these technical programs arelearning the skills that will prepare themfor careers, according to the Bureau ofLabor Statistics, with tremendous growthin the coming years.

For Chattahoochee Technical Col-lege graduate Mark Kennedy of At-lanta, a labor dispute with his publicutilities employer left him unpaid andneeding a new career. He was workingwhere he could in door-to-door can-vassing and telemarketing, and evenhad a stint as a dishwasher in arestaurant when Chattahoochee Tech-nical College found him with an e-mailabout careers in the transportation in-dustry, including what Kennedy finallychose to study—Diesel EquipmentTechnology.

“When I started the diesel pro-gram, I considered myself the ‘lowman on the totem pole’ because Iknew so little about the automotivetrade,” Kennedy said. “I try to keepthat attitude because I know there’llalways be someone out there that’sforgotten more about my chosen tradethan I will ever know.”

The breadth of specializations inthe industry meant he had to be will-ing to learn, determined and flexible tofinding the right niche in the industry.Kennedy, who is now employed as adiesel technician by Drillers ChoiceInc. in Marietta, also credits learningoutside of the classroom for giving

him an edge when it came to success.For this honor graduate, his time atChattahoochee Technical College in-cluded membership in Student Veter-ans of America and the NationalSociety of Leadership and Success. Healso honed his skills competing in the2014 SkillsUSA Georgia Competitionwhere he earned a silver medal andwas one of eight students to win a fulltool kit for his career through the MikePeterson Memorial Scholarship andthe Chattahoochee Tech Foundation.

Another transportation profes-sional and Chattahoochee TechnicalCollege graduate who stepped outsidethe traditional classroom to advancehis career and education was GeneSoloman of Brighton, Tennessee, Orig-inally, the 2012 graduate began his ed-ucation at Chattahoochee TechnicalCollege because of its convenient lo-cation to his home in Kennesaw. Nearthe end of his degree program, Solo-man applied and was accepted into

the prestigious BMW MetroStep pro-gram that allows automotive studentsattend a BMW sponsored automotivetraining school for six months andwork as an apprentice in a local deal-ership.

“The instructors at Chatta-hoochee Tech are great,” said Solo-man, who had been working as atechnician in a retail store and dab-bling in automotive repair. “They werewilling to share their expertise andknowledge of the business, if you werewilling to listen and take heed to whatthey were teaching.”

For Soloman, the keys to successin the industry are loving what you do,being willing to learn, paying attentionto the details, and having a sense ofurgency. Soloman is now a lead tech-nician for Roadshow BMW in Mem-phis and is Level II tech with only twocourses to go before becoming a LevelI – Master Tech for BMW. v

Students find success in and out of the transportation classroom

OBy Rebecca Long | Specialist for P/R External Affairs | Chattahoochee Technical College

Mark Kennedy (center) with scholarship sponsors Alan and Claire Peterson


Phil Greeves was recently installed asthe 2015 chairman of the board of di-rectors of the Associated Buildersand Contractors of Georgia Inc.(ABC). The association also installedits 2015 board of directors at its an-nual business and dinner meeting atthe Cobb Energy Performing ArtsCentre.

“ABC of Georgia is an extremelyworthwhile association in the con-struction industry because it connectsthe entire construction community notjust one segment of it,” Greeves said.“My company and I have found it veryvaluable and a great return on invest-ment.”

Greeves serves as chief executiveofficer of the Johnson Group, consist-ing of JAMCo (Johnson ArchitecturalMetal Co., Marietta, Georgia), JEMS(Johnson Engineered Metal Systems,Cartersville, Georgia), CES (CustomEntrance Solutions, Acworth, Georgia)and JAMCo/JEMS Fabrications, Bas-trop, Texas. Previously he worked atJAMCo for 25 years, the past 16 aspresident. JAMCo is a commercialconstruction subcontractor that engi-neers, manufactures, furnishes, andinstalls curtainwalls, glass and glazing,and exterior envelopes for high-riseoffice buildings in the Southeast. Hehas more than 40 years of experiencein the construction industry.

Greeves graduated from the NewJersey Institute of Technology with aBS degree in Civil Engineering. He andhis wife Phylis reside in Smyrna, Geor-gia, and have one grown son, Adam.

Other ABC of Georgia officers in-

stalled at its business meeting are:

Officers/Executive Committee

members:

• Chairman-Elect, Jeff Toebe,McCarthy Building Companies

• Vice Chairman, David Black,Argos Ready Mix

• Immediate Past Chairman, SamStiteler, MetroPower Inc.

• Treasurer, Al Clark, SmithAdcock & Company

• President & CEO, Bill Anderson,ABC of Georgia (non-votingmember)

Directors:

• Polo Bascunan, Argos Ready Mix

• Gary Bishop, PCL Industrial

Construction Company

• Rob Cooper, Ivey Mechanical

Company, LLC

• Neil Dostie, Balfour Beatty

Construction

• Alex Henry, DPR Hardin

Construction

• Daniel Herr, McCarthy Building

Companies

• Joe Jenkyn, Fortune-Johnson

General Contractors

• Katie Leonard, BDR

Partners, LLC

• Tammy Pace, Pace Drywall, LLC

• Collin Skutt, All American

Construction Services

• Adam Wheeler, Brasfield &

Gorrie

Legal Counsel:

• Scott Walters, Thrasher Liss &

Smith, LLC

ABC of Georgia represents nearly 300

commercial and industrial contrac-

tors, suppliers, and service firms, rep-

resenting more than 10,000

employees. Associated Builders and

Contractors Inc. (ABC) is a national

trade association with 22,000 mem-

bers representing more than 19,000

construction and industry-related

firms. Founded on the merit shop phi-

losophy, ABC and its 70 chapters help

members win work and deliver that

work safely, ethically, and profitably

for the betterment of the communities

in ABC and its members’ work. v

Contractor NewsPhil Greeves Installed as Chairman of the Board of Atlanta-Based ABC of Georgia Inc.

2015 ABC of Georgia Chairman Phil

Greeves (left), the Johnson Group, re-

ceives the chairman’s gavel from 2014

Chairman Sam Stiteler, MetroPower.


IEC has played host to many successstories over the years. This is to beexpected when you offer the best cur-riculum, top instructors with a lovefor the industry, and willing and eagerstudents to pour into. KristenWilliams was one of those students,and in 2001 she graduated from IEC’sapprenticeship program with theknowledge and skills that assist herin running Penco Electric today.

This IEC graduate and presidentof an award winning organization isnow IEC’s first female president of IECAtlanta’s 2015 Board of Directors. Shewas sworn in at the end of 2014 andhas effortlessly stepped into the roleof president. Having already servedon the board, 18 years as president ofPenco, and being active throughout

the industry with organizations suchas NAWIC, AGC, and MAGIC camps,Mrs. Williams has the connectionsand know how to guide the IEC At-lanta agenda. According to Niel Daw-son, IEC Atlanta’s Executive Director,“I am thrilled to have not only a formergraduate of the apprenticeship pro-

gram but also our first female!” Thisis a historical moment for the IEC thatcoincides with its 50th anniversary.Mrs. Williams, thank you for makinghistory with IEC.

IEC is a trade association for meritshop electrical contractors and offersa wide array of training programs forapprentices and experienced electri-cians. In addition to the electrical ap-prenticeship training program, IECprovides personnel referral includingloan/borrow programs, and providesa broad range of informational re-sources for electrical contractors inAtlanta and Georgia.

For more information about IECand its programs, contact Niel Daw-son, Executive Director at 770-242-9277 or [email protected]

Kristen Williams of Penco Electric is IEC Atlanta’s First Female President

The construction industry continuesto see an escalating demand forskilled field supervisors. Tradition-ally, the industry has identified craftprofessionals to move into supervi-sory positions, however, proper skillassessment and training has not al-ways occurred as a part of thisprocess.

Field supervisors drive the con-struction team toward effectivenessand efficiency, while stabilizing it withconsistency and good judgment. To fillthis role, field supervisors need morethan experience in the field, and whilemany organizations offer supervisorytraining, the contents of their pro-grams are not always consistent.NCCER’s Supervisor Assessment is anindustry-recognized tool that can val-idate the skills supervisors have in re-gards to leadership, human relations,problem solving, quality control, esti-mating, planning, scheduling, resourcecontrol, communication, constructiondocuments, and safety. The assess-

ment also sets a clear path for reme-diation, if needed.

In a joint effort between NCCERand Carolinas Associated GeneralContractors of America (AGC),NCCER’s Supervisor Assessment hasrecently been updated and is now en-dorsed by Carolinas AGC. NCCERmade the announcement on Feb. 5 atthe 94th annual Carolinas AGC Con-vention in the Bahamas. The two or-ganizations collaborated to evaluate,improve, and align the assessment toboth NCCER’s Project Supervisioncurriculum and to Carolinas AGC’sProject Super VISION training pro-gram. Carolinas AGC provided sub-ject matter expertise from theirmember contractors as well as fromCentral Piedmont Community Col-lege, which also offers Project SuperVISION training.

“The Supervisor Assessment as-sures employers that their supervisorshave been validated against an indus-try standard to manage field opera-

tions,” said Don Whyte, president ofNCCER. “Building on NCCER’s long-standing relationship with CarolinasAGC and having them participate inthe update of our written assessmentand Performance Verification has ben-efited the program greatly. Our goal isto have more organizations and con-tractors endorse the Supervisor As-sessment and, ultimately, evolve itinto a consensus credential, making ita common link for supervisory skillsvalidation.”

“The Supervisor Assessment andPerformance Verification utilize real-world scenarios that field supervisorsface regularly, preparing them to ef-fectively and efficiently manage all as-pects of the work,” said ChristaDavenport, committee chair for Car-olinas AGC Project Super VISION.“This assessment, along with the cor-responding training material andclasses, levels the playing field by en-suring a strong understanding and ap-plication of the foundational skills

NCCER’s Supervisor Assessment Now Endorsed by Carolinas AGC

Kristen Williams

required for successful field manage-ment. The assessment adds credibilityto our training curriculum and pro-grams, while directly impacting theheart of the construction industry.”

NCCER credentials are awardedto eligible candidates for passing ei-ther the written assessment or Per-formance Verification components.Completion of both components re-sults in a Certified Plus credential, thehighest achievement awarded byNCCER. To find out how your organi-

zation can become an endorser, or tohave your management training pro-gram aligned to NCCER’s SupervisorAssessment, visit nccer.org/manage-ment or contact NCCER at888.622.3720.

About NCCER — NCCER is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education foundationcreated by the construction industryto develop standardized curriculumwith portable credentials and to helpaddress the skilled construction work-

force shortage. NCCER is recognizedby the industry as the training, assess-ment, certification, and career devel-opment standard for the constructionand maintenance craft professional.For more information, visitwww.nccer.org or contact NCCER cus-tomer service at 888.622.3720.

Carolinas AGC proudly serves as anAccredited Training Sponsor and Ac-credited Assessment Center forNCCER. v


2015 is a crucial year for the Swedish,family-owned Thomas ConcreteGroup AB. Through its size, inde-pendence, and high technical compe-tence, the Group occupies a uniqueposition in international concretemarkets. After a few financially weakyears, the Group is now taking furthersteps to strengthen its position whilecelebrating its 60th jubilee year.

The business was founded in Karl-stad, central Sweden, by Mr. MartinThomas in 1955. The Group, stillowned by the Thomas family, hasgrown substantially over the past 60years. Today, it is the largest inde-pendent supplier of ready-mixed con-crete in Sweden, Poland, andGermany, as well as in the US statesof Georgia, South Carolina, and NorthCarolina.

In the last five years, ThomasConcrete Group has grown by morethan 30 percent. Last year it produced3.3 million cubic meters of concretefrom 120 plants, a volume growth ofmore than 15 percent. During this year,Thomas has the ambition to acquirefurther concrete plants in Germanyand the United States, which will bringthe Group even closer to its customersand markets.

Key success factors for theThomas Concrete Group include itsindependence from international con-struction and cement companies,

which makes the Group a long termreliable partner to the entire construc-tion industry. Another key successfactor is a high level of technical com-petence, exemplified by the operationof the Group’s own Research and De-velopment Centres i.e. C. lab inGothenburg and one at each nationalsubsidiary, which is unusual for a con-crete company.

In addition to a clear growth strat-egy and a continued focus on improv-ing the Group’s profitability during itsjubilee year 2015, Thomas will createa stronger group structure, with allemployees working together as one,united team, irrespective of plant lo-cations or national boundaries. Thegoal is to ensure Thomas ConcreteGroup as the best operator in its in-dustry. The subsidiaries will work in amore integrated way, particularly inthe field of research and development,with enhanced liaison between theGroup’s various experts and special-ists in different countries. Co-opera-tion in marketing activities will also beintensified. For suppliers and cus-tomers alike, Thomas Concrete Groupwill be perceived as a cohesive and in-tegrated company with strong localpresence.

"Economic development hasgained momentum in the UnitedStates, although growth in Europecontinues to be weak,” says Hans Kar-

lander, Thomas Group’s President andCEO. “The situation is stable in Ger-many, while Poland is showing signs ofimprovement. In Sweden, there areplans for major infrastructure invest-ments, although these have not yetstarted, while house building and in-dustrial investment remain at low lev-els. However, we are hopeful about thefuture. Thomas Concrete Group isready to meet increased demand. Weproduce high quality, ready-mixedconcrete tailored for specific applica-tions, we operate reliable deliveryschedules, provide a high level of serv-ice and, not least, we are in a positionto meet our customers' growing needfor in-depth knowledge about themany opportunities provided by theuse of concrete.

Thomas Concrete Group is an independ-ent family-owned group which producesand distributes high-quality concrete forplace cast construction. The companywas established in 1955 in Karlstad, Swe-den, by Martin Thomas and operatestoday in the United States, Poland, Ger-many, Norway, and Sweden. Its head-quarters are located in Gothenburg. In2014, the Group had a turnover of aboutSEK 3.2 billion and produced 3.3 millionm3 of concrete. It has 1,300 employees.Its subsidiary company in The UnitedStates is Thomas Concrete Inc. v

Thomas Concrete Group Strengthens Its Unique Market Position

Steven Jarrett, P.E. has been namedmanager of the structural departmentin the Atlanta office of Parsons Brinck-erhoff, a global infrastructure strategicconsulting, engineering, and program/construction management organiza-tion. In his new position, Mr. Jarrettwill lead the firm’s structural engineer-ing operations in Georgia.

Mr. Jarrett has over 30 years of ex-perience in the transportation industry.He has managed numerous bridge de-sign and structural rehabilitation proj-ects and has served as project managerand lead structural engineer on a vari-ety of rail and airport facility projects.

Mr. Jarrett previously worked atParsons Brinckerhoff for 15 years andwas responsible for several projects forthe Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit

Authority, including the North-East lineextension. Prior to returning to ParsonsBrinckerhoff, he was the lead structuralengineer in the Atlanta office of a na-tional engineering firm responsible forthe design of several bridge structuresassociated with a managed lane projectfor I/75-I/575 in North Atlanta.

Mr. Jarrett received a B.S.C.E de-gree from The City College of New York.He is a member of the American Seg-mental Bridge Institute, American Con-crete Institute, and Precast/PrestressedConcrete Institute.

WSP and Parsons Brinckerhoffhave combined and are now one of theworld's leading engineering profes-sional services consulting firms. To-gether we provide services to transformthe built environment and restore thenatural environment, and our expertiseranges from environmental remediationto urban planning, from engineeringiconic buildings to designing sustain-able transport networks, and from de-veloping the energy sources of thefuture to enabling new ways of extract-ing essential resources. v


A consolidation between ASHRAE andthe Indoor Air Quality Association hasbeen finalized by both organizations.The consolidation was approved by theboards of directors for ASHRAE andIAQA at ASHRAE’s recent 2015 Win-ter Conference in Chicago.

“We are excited about the oppor-tunities presented by this consolida-tion,” ASHRAE President Tom Phoenixsaid. “It opens the door to alignment ofASHRAE and IAQA programs to createhigh-impact resources for building pro-fessionals around the globe.”

“This is an historic event for bothassociations and has great promise forgrowth and development for both or-ganizations,” IAQA President KentRawhouser said. “The opportunitiesand possibilities for members are onlylimited by our own imaginations.IAQA and ASHRAE are committed togrowing and developing the IAQAbrand. The consolidation will opennew avenues for programs and bene-fits for our members.”

In July, ASHRAE announced it hadagreed in principle to join forces withthe IAQA, combining resources to im-

prove indoor air quality in the built en-vironment. Since August, the twogroups have been undergoing a periodof due diligence. That diligence wascompleted earlier in January.

Under the consolidation, IAQAwill become a part of the ASHRAE or-ganization while maintaining its ownbrand and board of directors. IAQAwill operate independently withinASHRAE’s organizational structure.

The Indoor Air Quality Associa-tion (IAQA) is a nonprofit organiza-tion dedicated to bringingpractitioners together to prevent andsolve indoor environmental problemsfor the benefit of customers and the

public. IAQA was established in 1995and is the nation’s largest indoor airquality trade association with over2,600 members and more than 20local chapters across the UnitedStates and Canada. More informationis available at www.iaqa.org/news andat www.ieso.org.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is aglobal society advancing human wellbeing through sustainable technologyfor the built environment. The societyand its more than 50,000 membersworldwide focus on building systems,energy efficiency, indoor air quality,refrigeration, and sustainability. v

ASHRAE, IAQA Approve Consolidation

Tom Phoenix Kent Rawhauser

Steven Jarrett Named Head of Structural Department in Atlanta’s Parsons Brinckerhoff

Steven Jarrett


any talented people feel thatthey do not have anythingnew to learn in their chosenfield. They believe what gotthem there is enough.

Those who are deter-mined and who work hard often spenda lot of time and effort to learn newskills and maintain their existing ones.They display the most current knowl-edge of new technology and ideas.Having employees who will improvethemselves over and above the com-pany-sponsored training is critical toan organization wanting to innovateand improve.

Eleven years ago, Ben got a jobworking in the mail room at a localbusiness during the summer beforestarting college. The company hadbeen in existence for over sixty yearsand was currently being led by Jack—a long-time employee and companylegend who started in the mailroom.Three weeks into the job, on his wayfrom the basement to the top floor, theelevator stopped and who shouldenter the elevator but Jack. He smiledat Ben, introduced himself, and men-tioned that he started out in the mailroom. Ben was a little star struck, butas they both exited the elevator, Benasked if Jack had any advice for him.

“Never stop educating yourself,”Jack said. “In fact, come into my officeand let me elaborate. I have 15 min-utes before my next meeting.”

Jack proceeded to share these five pillarsfor continued education:

1. You are responsible for your

education

You alone are responsible foryour education. Whether or not

it makes sense to invest in aformal education, there are freeand for-fee learningopportunities available toeveryone. The public library andthe Internet are two examples.

Another invaluable source ofeducation is through people.Spend time with people who cando things that you can’t. It may

mean volunteering to stay late toobserve someone, going to lunchwith more experiencedassociates, or finding a mentor.

You can also learn by taking onchallenging assignments that areabove your skill level. Discuss thehelp you will need to besuccessful and the companyleadership may reward your

MEducation is continuous Five pillars to ensure you never stop learningBy Walt Grassl


initiative by providing anexperienced staff memberoversee your on-the-job training.

You can learn pretty much anything, ifyou work hard at it.

2. No entitlements

Time in service should be noguarantee of advancement in asuccessful business. It is whatone learns with his or herexperience that determines thevalue of the service time. In otherwords, if you put in your time,you are guaranteed nothing.

As your time with the companygrows, seek lateral transfers orincreased responsibility withoutnecessarily a correspondingincrease in title or pay. Realizeyou are making yourself morevaluable to your employer andview the stretch assignments asan investment in yourself.

Although we are living in a timeof an increasing sense ofentitlement, we must all takecare of ourselves.

3. You can’t rest on your laurels

Many talented people feel thatthey do not have anything new tolearn in their chosen field. Theybelieve what got them there isenough. They become

complacent. They decide theydon’t need to put in more effortand stop striving for success.

When you reach a goal, celebrateyour success, but identify yournext goal and begin to takeaction. When you stop movingforward and rest on your laurels,in actuality you are falling behindall the others who continue tomove forward.

4. Staying current

Likewise, you need to staycurrent with industry trends byreading industry literature andblogs. If you are moving intomanagement, read leadershipbooks and blogs. New trends arefrequently entering theworkplace. You have the choiceto be aware of and lead thechange or try to catch up—oreven worse—resisting thechange.

Joining industry and tradeassociations is another way toeducate yourself on currenttrends.

5. New and old generation

A big issue in many industries isgetting several generations towork well together. Eachgeneration has different learningand working styles. You have

several options to handle thisreality. The first is to do nothing,since it’s your fellow employee’sresponsibility to get with theprogram. You can leave it to yourcompany’s leadership toimplement a program to fix theproblem. The higher percentagechoice is to educate yourself onthe differences betweengenerations, the issues thesedifferences bring to theworkplace and some thingsothers are doing to address theissues.

You can use this information tochange how you interact and tothe extent you can, help yourcompany improve theirprocesses.

Ben took Jack’s advice to heart. Aftergraduating from college, he got a jobwith another company in anotherfield. His education did not stop whenhe left school. He subscribes to indus-try and management blogs, has joinedhis industry association, seeks outchallenging assignments, and devel-ops relationships with other success-ful employees at his company. He hasbeen identified by his management asa high-potential employee and is oneof the youngest employees at hislevel. Ben’s future is bright. Amazingwhat a chance encounter in an eleva-tor can do. v

Walt Grassl is a speaker, author, and performer. He hosts the radio show, ‘Stand

Up and Speak Up,’ on the RockStar Worldwide network. Walt has performed

standup comedy at the Hollywood Improv and the Flamingo in Las Vegas and is

studying improv at the Groundlings School in Hollywood. For more information

on bringing Walt Grassl to your next event, please visit www.WaltGrassl.com.

http://www.waltgrassl.com


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The Georgia Contractor Mar-Apr 2015