Meet Collin Cressler, Aerotek
As a young professional, how has your involvement with ABC Keystone helped you?
ABC Keystone has helped me network with people within the industry and has provided an opportunity to get more involved in the community.
Over the past few months, I have asked the question “What’s Next,” when it comes to the storied history and forward thinking of the Keystone Chapter. The answers to that question are beginning to come into focus. On September 15 and 16, 48 people met here at the Chapter office to begin work on the 2022-2024 Strategic Plan. I want to thank all these passionate members for helping formulate the future.
As you arrived at your office this morning, read your emails, caught up on LinkedIn, spoke to your leaders and engaged in the many ways you stay in touch with the daily reality of your company, you likely got some unsettling news. A shipment of supplies or equipment has been delayed, a job has been shut down due to COVID-19, prices have been increased, or some bit of long-awaited news arrived, and now you need to make a decision and deal with the change.
The legislature is back from the summer recess and has started the fall voting session, which lasts through December. Last week, House and Senate Republican leaders held a press conference where they outlined main areas of focus for the reminder of the year. Those priorities include: (1) the Administration’s school mask mandate; (2) election reform; (3) legislative recommendations included in the Auditor General’s report on the pandemic waivers; and (4) legislative measures dealing with the opioid epidemic.
Four ABC Keystone apprentices received top scores at the Keystone Chapter’s annual Local Craft Competition on Saturday, September 18, 2021, held at the Chapter’s state-of-the-art training facility in Manheim. The top scorers who demonstrated their superior skills, training and safe work practices will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the upcoming 2022 ABC National Craft Competition (NCC) to be held March 15-17, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. At the National Craft Competition, they will compete against apprentices from ABC’s 69 chapters nationwide.
Tell Us About Your Company!
As a multi-disciplinary consulting firm, Triad Engineering, Inc. (Triad) provides geotechnical and civil engineering, landscape, architecture, environmental services, land surveying, construction materials testing and monitoring, drilling, and construction materials laboratory services, to a wide range of clients. Established in 1975, we pride ourselves in being an employee-owned firm with nearly 200 employees throughout West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Manheim, Pennsylvania, September 13 — ABC Keystone is pleased to announce three new team members have joined the Chapter staff: Derek Robbins (New Cumberland), HVAC Instructor; Janet Gribble (Ronks), Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications; and Lori Allison (Columbia), Administrative Assistant Member Services. Please see below for more information.
“The best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry.” – Robert Burns
The above quoted line from Robert Burns’ poem “To A Mouse” is often quoted. A translation of this famous passage for modern day contractors would be: no matter how carefully and thoroughly a project is planned, something may still go wrong. Even in the best planned projects, often unanticipated things go wrong before a project can be completed. Suddenly, the unpredictable occurs. One day your project manager calls you and says that while excavating the site, a fully intact Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton is uncovered. Or, a pandemic sweeps across the globe forcing your workforce to quarantine and placing the entire project on hold. Undoubtedly, these occurrences, which could not have been predicted, impact a contractor’s bottom line, potentially converting an otherwise profitable project into potential financial disaster. “But surely the owner will agree to pay my company additional compensation for this,” you may say to yourself. But, when you submit your claim notice and/or change order request, the owner says, “Oh, no, no, no.”
ABC Keystone’s Apprenticeship staff members are gearing up for another successful year of classes! In August, we welcomed Derek Robbins as a full time HVAC Instructor (all levels) and as a Sheet Metal Level 1 Instructor. We are pleased to share that Derek is EPA-certified which will provide HVAC Level 1 apprentices the opportunity to prepare for and take the EPA608 Universal Certification exam. Derek and our instructors are busy preparing for the start of the school year with classes beginning just after Labor Day.
Right now, when you hear “Make your vote count,” it brings up painful memories of election night November 2020. Let me start by telling you that is NOT what I am here to talk about. It is that time of year when your Board of Directors puts forth a slate of candidates to run for open Board seats. For many years, individuals were nominated and put on a ballot mailed to members to provide an opportunity for them to officially vote for their Board of Directors.
In previous Spokesman articles, you read about the progress the government affairs team has made in calling for an end to discriminatory rules in the apprenticeship training standards. In August and September, ABC chapters were proud to host members of the House Labor & Industry Committee to tour training facilities and participate in a roundtable discussion on our concerns. Those events were a tremendous success and put a spotlight on the unfairness between joint and non-joint rules.
Did you know that Millersville University has a Student Chapter of ABC?
Undergraduates in Construction Management, Occupational Safety, Applied Engineering, Robotic Control Systems, Technology, Graphic Communications and more get together every other week to network and learn about the construction industry. Many of them come from outside the local area and are pursuing internship and work opportunities with member firms. They are a captive, eager audience for those members who choose to get involved and can become key partners in growing your future workforce moving forward.
Tell Us About Your Company!We take great pride in serving the homeowners of our community with the highest level of professionalism and technical expertise. Our goal is to build long-standing relationships with everyone associated with our business. Located in downtown Mechanicsburg since 1980, Zimmerman Plumbing & Heating, Inc. continues to remain small enough to be personal, but large enough to provide the peace of mind of expert, 24/7 services. As a family owned and operated residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical company, we provide the best possible solutions to homeowners while following through on our promises and standing behind our work.
It’s time for a bit of reflection. As I look back at my career of over fifty years, it brings me great satisfaction to visualize the journey. If you are like me, I trust that you likewise can look at the history of your career and say, “It was good!”
I’ve heard it said, “Look forward to live and look back to learn!” Just like driving a vehicle, most of your attention needs to be looking forward through the windshield, combined with a small amount of time looking in the rearview mirror. Every one of us has made a mistake at some point in our lives or careers, and we definitely need to look back to learn from it. But if we get fixated on the past – in the rearview mirror – we will surely crash our future! Whether you are early in your race, or nearing the finish line, setting goals and planning for progression sets the tone for victory!
As ABC members are aware, our association has been advocating strongly for changes to state-mandated apprentice-to-journeyworker ratio rules. Under a 60-year-old rule, merit shop contractors are required to have four journeyworkers supervise each apprentice. On the other hand, joint apprenticeship programs have unilateral flexibility in setting ratios through their collective bargaining agreements. We believe two set of standards is unfair and discriminatory.
