CMEF Summer Newsletter 2014

Summer 2014 • Training Connection 1www.cmefhouston.org

Knowledge Is A Power Tool

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TRAINING Connection

Summer 2014

Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation | 2950 East X Street, La Porte, TX 77571 | (281) 478-3900www.cmefhouston.org

Hands On Experience at Construction Careers Expo

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CMEF Graduates 44 Students

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Message From the ChairmanAs my board colleagues and I reflect over the last six months, one main thought comes to mind – evolution. When I began the Chairman position, CMEF had some challenges and uncertainties. I am pleased with the way the Board of Directors, the interim Director of Education, Dr. Steve Horton, the current Director of Education, Glen O’Mary, the CMEF staff, and all the volunteers came together to keep the organization moving forward.

The hiring of a new Director of Education, Glen O’Mary, coupled with realignment of CMEF and ABC has helped us further our goals and bring some real value to those we serve. One of our biggest accomplishments this year was the opening of a Performance Verification Center (PVC). The PVC fulfills a great need and meets the requirements of many plant owners. We’ve updated and rebranded the Training Contributor Agreement (formerly known as COIPA), making it easier to navigate while also expanding the agreement’s outreach to the Owner community, with the help of our

relationship with HBR. We’ve also launched Training Connection, the quarterly newsletter I’m using to communicate with you today. Our social media platforms are active and engaging, with new followers and connections each day (remember to find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter!).

Most importantly, with the combined resources of CMEF and ABC, we are able to provide better services and training programs for the men and women who will be the future leaders of this industry. I was reminded of the importance of recognizing the craft professional during the recent CMEF Graduation. The inspirational event served as a catalyst for continued commitment to craft workers—from both the industry and owner community. The current workforce shortage is an obstacle that no one organization can tackle alone, and fortunately we have some very strong allies. By partnering with like-minded organizations, such as the Houston Area Safety Council and the Houston Business Roundtable, and increasing our community outreach through activities with Deer Park and La Porte Chambers of Commerce, Deer Park Citizen Advisory Committee, Economic Alliance and La Porte Citizens Advisory Council, we will impact the workforce shortage. One day, I would personally like to see a future graduating class that numbers in the hundreds, if not greater. To make that vision a reality it will require greater participation from today’s industry leaders, contractors and owners alike.

To continue evolving, we must band together, and remain steady and bold in pursuit of outlined goals. My challenge to you is to get involved. Find some time to give back to the industry that has given so much to you. Be a committee member, a board member, a mentor, an instructor– whatever your calling may be, we can find a place for you. Trust me, you will make an impact.

Phillip MorganCB&I2014 CMEF Chairman

CMEF BOARDOF DIRECTORS

Phillip Morgan- Chairman CB&I

Neil Adams - Chairman-ElectGilbane Company

Tim Ricketts - ABC ChairmanChannel BioRefinery & Terminals

Danny Donaldson -Treasurer/Director-at-LargeBrock Services, LTD

Barry Babyak - Industrial DirectorAustin Industrial

Rusty Barnhill - Past ChairmanForce Corporation

John Benson - HBR RepresentativeEastman Chemicals

Russell Dodge - Director-at-LargeBrand Energy & Infrastructure Services

John Golashesky -ABC DirectorTurner Industries Group, LLC

John Graham - HBR RepresentativeINEOS

Mike Gremillion - Director-at-LargeISC Constructors, LLC

Mike Holland - Apprenticeship Director

Marek Brothers Systems

Scott Lemoine - HBR RepresentativeLyondellBasell

Rod Molyneau - Industrial DirectorJACOBS

Laura Price Gautreau - Apprenticeship Director

Polk Mechanical

Mike Stilley - Industrial DirectorS&B Engineers & Constructors

Randy Woods - Director-at-LargeKBR

MORGAN

Locals Win Big at National Craft Championships

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2 Training Connection • Summer 2014 www.cmefhouston.org

CMEF MISSION STATEMENT To develop and administer cost effective training, skills assessment, and other workforce development programs that will increase the quality and availability of construction and maintenance employees, communicate career opportunities, promote a positive image for the industry, and satisfy the needs of Owners, Contractors, and their employees in the Greater Houston area.

What’s the most important tool available for a craft professional? Knowledge. At least, it is for those in the construction industry. Michael Villar, CB&I Site Manager, has transformed into a powerful tool for his company after 14 years of consistent, individually-sought training. At CB&I, Villar develops new policies, manages client relations, and ensures employee safety. But his day at the office now is very different from his early beginnings.

“I was actually hired right out of high school as a pipefitter,” Villar said. “I had no idea what I was getting into…I was going to be a helper.”

He had never intended on following a pipefitting career path. With every intention of attending Louisiana State University to study mechanical engineering, Villar’s start as a pipefitter began as a summer job. The summer job just never ended.

“I didn’t really choose [construction], I think it chose me. I like being in the field. I like learning. When I started looking into [training]…that’s when I started looking at planning and scheduling. It put me on the path,” Villar said.

Looking back, he could not believe he had reached 20 years old and never heard about becoming a pipefitter, or even entering the construction industry in general. It’s not just residential, he said. This is a theme for Villar’s field; managers struggle to hire trained individuals simply because they are unaware of the career options. Since entering the industry, Villar said it’s getting better, but the message isn’t hitting the right market needed to make the necessary change.

“The skilled crafts workforce is more diluted than it was 14 years ago…I think that needs to be talked about more in school levels. And not just when we get employees into a construction site and then try to get them to go to training. I know that’s something we’re working on through [the Construction & Maintenance Education Foundation],” Villar said.

This led Villar to describe the actual workforce. Villar said he was lucky to have had mentors to guide him down a successful path, a path bearing enough fruit to provide for his growing family over the past 14 years. The tool that helped provide? Training.

Villar’s career, if chronologically detailed, is a list of work and training courses aligning with what Villar hoped to be the next step on his career path. “Knowledge is power,” he repeated. As a manager, Villar encourages all of his employees to seek out training to maintain a safe working environment and progress in their own careers.

“I take a lot of safety leadership [classes] now. There’s a lot of stuff online. If you want that information, you can go out there and get it,” Villar said. “It’s out there. It’s easy to get. Why not take advantage of it?”

Knowledge is power, so they say. But for Michael Villar, knowledge has been the most powerful tool of his career, aiding him in his climb up the ladder. His success shines a light on a path for the next generation of craftsmen and construction professionals. He advises future professionals in the field to not only seek training, but to always look to the future.

“If you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll find someone to put the same effort into you…and take pride in helping you grow.”

Knowledge Is A Power Tool


Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF) honored 44 graduates in millwright, instrumentation, pipefitting, industrial painting and sheet metal at a graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 5. More than 200 people, including graduates, guests, instructors, and managers, filled the banquet hall to applaud the graduates’ accomplishments. Anthony Mullings, an industrial painting graduate, sat outside the banquet hall with his wife, children and parents, waiting for the event to begin. He said he did not know what to expect from the graduation, but was extremely happy to complete the class. Mullings had sought out the class to ‘better himself in life.’

Jairo Luna, also an industrial painting graduate, said this class was only the beginning of his training journey. “I want to get into another craft,” Luna said. “But I wanted to get the feeling of what it was like going to school after work.”

Balancing time is not a foreign struggle to this graduate class. Many of them have jobs, families and personal lives to juggle while studying. Luna said instructors do their best to be as flexible as possible for their students.

Pipefitting instructor Pete Medina was one of the many teachers in a room full of students, families and friends. Medina and his fellow instructor George Vance joked that opportunities for the craft professionals have improved so much, they might return to the workforce. Joking aside, Medina said it was extremely gratifying to see his students at the graduation.

“They have to want to be there in class,” Medina explained. “It’s hard for them to balance everything. It’s nice to see the ones who stayed be rewarded for their hard work.”

The ceremony proceeded with speeches by construction professionals, many offering advice and words of encouragement. The podium and stage served as a place to honor growing opportunity, and a place where industry ideas were shared. Guest Speaker Pat Kiley of Kiley Advisors stood at the podium in front of the graduates and offered advice.

“Every facet of construction is on fire,” Kiley began, reassuring graduates in the career they’ve chosen. “And what an accomplishment you have achieved...unlock a great life for yourself.”

Going forward, Kiley listed four tasks to guarantee post-graduate success: 1) show up for work on time; 2) take pride in your craft; 3) speak well of the company who writes your paycheck; and 4) learn the construction and maintenance business. These steps, he told them, will help them excel in work and in life.

Scott Lemoine, Manager of Maintenance, Turnarounds & Capital projects at LyondellBasell Houston Refinery, followed with remarks for the graduates, stating that he too was once in their shoes. As a graduate of the craft programs offered at the ABC Pelican Chapter, Mr. Lemoine worked his way up the skilled craft ranks to his current position with one of the largest refineries in the area. “I stand before you tonight as living proof of what your future can hold,” he then urged the graduates to never stop learning and aspiring to be the best they can be.

After each name was called, each graduate was presented with a certificate of completion, each hand was shaken, and each picture was taken, before graduates excitedly returned to their seats. There were murmurs of congratulations. There were flashes of light from the many cameras in the crowd. There were whistles and cheers from the family and friends attending. In those final moments of the celebration, the graduates were enthusiastically recognized for their accomplishments.

“To all of our graduates,” CMEF Director of Education Glen O’Mary said, building up the tone in his voice, “congratulations!”

CMEF Graduates 44 Students

From Program


If you had 800 eyes closely watching you “do what you do” for six hours, how would you perform? This was National Craft Championship Chairman Greg Sizemore’s way of describing the ABC hosted National Craft Championship’s intensity, rigor and difficulty. All in all, this competition is the triathlon for craft professionals. Trainees from across the United States travel to compete in electrical, carpentry, HVAC, plumbing and more! More than 160 individuals competed in 13 different crafts at this year’s competition in Birmingham, Alabama. The two-day challenge begins with a written exam on the first day accounting for 25 percent of their overall score, and then a 6-hour competency-based practical performance test on the second day accounting for 75 percent of their overall score.

“This is the Super Bowl of the craft training world,” Sizemore said. “Contractors and training programs send competitors they absolutely believe can hold their own and win.”

Two Greater Houston locals walked away with medals at the 2014 National Craft Championship. Houston Hall, with Zachry Industrial, won a silver medal in structural welding; and Ross Capps, with JVIC, a subsidiary of Zachry Industrial, was awarded the gold medal in

pipefitting. Both of these young men put in numerous hours of studying and training prior to the event. “Houston trained after work 2 days a week in our shop for multiple months,” Sizemore said. “And Ross put in a lot of time and effort training while on the job.”

On the day of the competition, contestants entered a lockdown room for their written examination. After everyone submitted their tests, all participants were hustled down to the floor where they would be competing the following day.

“At 8 a.m. on the second day, they compete side by side against competitors in their craft,” Sizemore said. The craft professionals compete directly next to their fellow competitors with a crowd and judges watching their every move for six hours. Hall and Capps competed in front of friends and family as well as hundreds in the audience. Sizemore described the test’s intensity by reiterating that these trainees are the best in their class and must be able to handle the pressure.

And the benefits of winning a competition like this are endless for these trainees. “First and foremost, there is a sense of pride in accomplishment. They know they are one of the best of the best in the industry [they’ve] chosen. There has to be excitement,” Sizemore explained.

The companies and training programs that send these contestants also receive some validation in their training program. The National Craft Championships, after all, is meant to display the credibility and rigor of merit-shop training. Lastly, the competitors get to display

Two Local Crafts Professionals Win Big At ABC National

Craft Championship

Houston Hall, with Zachry Industrial, is awarded a silver medal in structural welding at the 2014 ABC National Craft Championship.

Ross Capps, with JVIC, a subsidiary of Zachry Industrial, was awarded the gold medal in pipefitting at the 2014 ABC National Craft Championship.



a high level of competency in front of their peers. When a difficult project arises in the field, leaders can depend on these winners to handle the difficulty and know they can perform under pressure.

But no one can leave out that there is also monetary incentive to medaling at the National Craft Championship. First place wins $750, second wins $500, and third wins $350.

And it all paid off at the podium for Hall and Capps. As chairman of the National Craft Championship, Sizemore got the opportunity to medal the local winners. He said that he couldn’t speak to their emotions, but they had a big smile on their face “that you wouldn’t be able to wipe off with an Emory cloth.”

“They have that steel hanging around their neck,” Sizemore began, “and the emotion those winners feel simply cannot be put into words.”

The next ABC Craft Championships will be held March 3-6, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To learn more about the Craft Championships and how to participate contact the CMEF office at 281-478-3900.

Craft professionals from around the country compete directly next to their fellow competitors with a crowd and judges watching

their every move for 6 hours.


With the blasting sound of an air horn, approximately 360 high school students moved from station to station to participate in hands-on construction demonstrations at the 2014 Construction Careers Expo on Thursday, May 1st.

The event hosted students from 20 Houston-Metropolitan Area high schools who demonstrate interest in a career in the construction industry. Thirty-eight CTE teachers/administrators also attended to connect with professionals and learn about current trends in the industry. The Expo was held by Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF) and Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston (ABC).

Students enthusiastically got to try their hand at pipefitting, welding, scaffolding, painting, insulating, drywall, carpentry, rigging, instrumentation, and electrical. They also had the opportunity to operate crane and excavator simulators. All of these activities took place with an emphasis on the importance of safety in the workplace. CMEF Schools Program Director Dr. Steven Horton said students not only benefit from the hands-on demonstrations, but also communicating with the 35 respective contractors, owners, colleges, and suppliers who helped sponsor the event.

“The students really enjoyed speaking one-on-one with the industry professionals at the Career Information Booths where the volunteers spoke about their respective companies and the numerous Construction Industry career opportunities as well as having the opportunity to see and participate in the hands-on activities that construction professionals perform on a daily basis,” Horton said.

Aaron, 18, wants to start his career in pipefitting after graduating from Ross Sterling High School. He said most of his peers in his CTE class were interested in a career that was discussed at the Expo.

“I think this is very helpful,” Aaron said. “It’s helping me find a job that I am already interested in. I think we all found something that we could do later on in life, after college or high school.”

After cutting tile, Alvin High School Student John, 17, said that he liked the activity, but he would have to brush up on his math skills.

Alvin High School CTE Teacher Sergio Cantu said the Expo gave his students a look beyond the textbook.

“The textbook only takes them so far. I can only teach them so much in a classroom. Today, the students got to see and take part in what they read about,” Cantu said.

Each student had approximately 30 minutes at each station, ample time to either practice their skills or discuss their career options. One of the “stations” was a full auditorium of vendors and professionals ready to answer all of the students’ questions. From colleges to companies, the students walked from booth to booth participating in the vendors’ activities and informative sessions.

No stone was left unturned with the help of nearly 200 volunteers who donated their resources, services and time to make the Expo happen. Horton said he wanted these students to walk away knowing that construction is a viable career option for them. With that, he thanked the volunteers, staff and students for taking part in this important event.

Horton stated, “I want to thank the CMEF Board Members for supporting the event, all of the companies that participate in the CMEF Training Contributor Agreement whose contributions helped support the event, the companies that allowed their respective employees to participate, and each of the nearly 200 volunteers who shared their time and expertise to make a positive difference in the lives of the close to 360 students and 38 school chaperons who attended the 2014 Construction Careers Expo.”

Construction Careers Expo students get real hands on experience as electricians as they learn how to correctly - and safely - wire an electrical outlet.

High School Students Get “Hands On” Experience At Construction Careers Expo



It’s been touted many times that Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation’s (CMEF) newly released Training Contributor Agreement is saving contractors thousands of dollars on training and education programs. But just how much are Contributors really saving?

CMEF’s Director of Education, Glen O’Mary, recently sat down and put pen to paper to help illustrate potential savings that Training Contributors receive as part of the program. “We are asked this a lot, and it is an excellent question,” says O’Mary. “When I ran the numbers with some of our partners, the results were simply staggering. For craft training classes, conducted at our affiliated college campuses, our Level 2 Training Contributors are saving over 80% per semester class.” The savings are even greater at 92% for Level 1 Training Contributors, who pay only $50 per college course.

To further illustrate the savings for Training Contributors, O’Mary developed a table of savings examples (seen to the right). Based on one of the current Training Contributors training needs profile, he discovered that this Contributor saved over $122,000 in training costs as a Level 2 Contributor.

When asked the difference between the two levels of Training Contributors, O’Mary explained, “The Training Contributor agreement is written so that the partnering contractor can choose to contribute $.06 per work hour worked at a jobsite based on reimbursement status from the jobsite owner. Our Level 1 partners pay the cents per work hour regardless of owner reimbursement. The Level 2 partners pay cents per work hour only if the owner reimburses the expense.” When asked about owner support for the Training Contributor program O’Mary stated, “Owners too can become a Training Contributor. The owner community is just as invested in a safe, skilled, and trained workforce as we are. They are very supportive of our initiatives and I have been pleased with the input and feedback we receive though our relationship with the Houston Business Roundtable (HBR).”

In exchange for participation in the program, Training Contributors receive additional benefits above and beyond reduced craft training

Non Training Contributor/Non ABC Member

Level 1 Training Contributor - 92% Savings

Level 2 Training Contributor - 84% Savings

classes. Training Contributors also receive extensive discounts on Performance Verifications, NCCER Certifications (both written and practical), as well as customizable training based on the contractors unique needs.

To learn more about the Training Contributor Agreement, visit www.cmefhouston.org or call Glen O’Mary at 281-478-3900.

New Training Contributor Agreement Saves

Contractors Thousands


Performance VerificationsStarting in 2015 NCCER will require both a Performance and Written Verification to be officially certified. CMEF is your one-stop-shop for

NCCER certification in one of the following crafts. All PVs are offered to CMEF Training Contributors at a discounted rate, contact us to learn more.

Verifications Offered:

Industrial PipefitterIndustrial Boilermaker

Industrial ElectricalInstrument Fitter

Industrial Scaffold BuilderIndustrial Insulator

Industrial CarpenterIndustrial Millwright

Reinforcement Steel & RebarConcrete Finisher

Heavy Equipment Operator* - (Excavator, Backhoe, Dozer)

Not a Training Contributor? Learn how to become one at

CMEFHouston.org and start saving on your training needs today!

Training Contributor Price $95Non-Training Contributor Price $190

*Pricing and scheduling for HEO varies, contact CMEF for more details.

Prices good through December 31, 2014

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDHOUSTON TXPERMIT 542

2950 East X StreetLa Porte, Texas 77571(281)478-3900

CMEF Summer Newsletter 2014

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