2020 ABC Top Performers

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For more information on the solutions we provide, please contact us on: 225-418-6896

Spring golf tournament 2020 SWINGING IN TO SPRING BY MACIE MORGAN, MEMBER SERVICES COORDINATOR

MARCH 13, CARTER PLANTATION Springtime offers us warmer temps and longer days, so it is nice for our members to take a Friday in early Spring, network with Merit Shop colleagues, clients and competitors and enjoy a round of golf. ABC Pelican begins the season with a member favorite, the Spring Golf Tournament. On Friday, March 13 about 200 of our members came out to Carter Plantation in Springfield, Louisiana to play a round of golf, enjoy some excellent food and drinks, and mingle with other members. With the help and dedication of our 2020 Member Services Committee, this year’s Spring Golf Tournament was a complete sell out! 36 teams, 18 on-course sponsors, seven clubhouse sponsors, 18-hole sponsors, two beverage cart sponsors, one breakfast sponsor and two lunch sponsors. Wow!

As always, our sponsors offered up great food and drinks. This year we also saw much hand sanitizer and “elbow bumps” because #safetyfirstlastalways! From breakfast sandwiches to bread pudding to truffle fries to seafood pasta to charbroiled oysters to fried shrimp and signature cocktails, the golfers did not leave with empty stomachs. Our 48 event sponsors made this a delicious and memorable event. We would also like to thank ACE Enterprises and Glen Elrod for donating four handwashing stations, placed around the golf course, for our golfers to clean their hands often.

Full stomachs, friendly competition and lots of laughs were had on the golf course. Current members, new members and prospective members were competing for first, second and third place prizes and trophies. We also had two special competitions, longest drive and closest to the pin. Eric Faveau with Group Industries won the Closest to the Pin competition, sticking one close at 7’7” from the hole. Robert Stuart with Hancock Whitney Bank dropped a bomb and was the winner of the longest drive contest. The third-place winning team was Brown & Root Industrial Services. In second place was Performance Contractors and the first-place winner was Great River Industries. Congratulations to all the winning teams!

On behalf of ABC Pelican, thank you again to all our members for making this golf tournament another success! We look forward to next year.

2020 state convention agenda Roaring 20

Wednesday, July 29, 2020 3:00 – 7:00 PM: Convention Check-In 4:00 PM: Hotel Check In 5:00 – 6:00 PM: Breakout Session 6:00 – 8:00 PM: Welcome Reception 6:30 PM: Legislative Update 5:00 – 10:00 PM: Kids Krewe Welcome Reception 8:00 - 9:00 PM: Young Professionals Cocktail Hour

Thursday, July 30, 2020 7:00 – 8:00 AM: Convention Check-In re-opens 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Kids Krewe: Breakfast & Activities 8:00 – 9:30 AM: Breakfast & Keynote 9:45 – 10:45 AM: Educational Seminar 1 11:00 – 12:00 PM: Educational Seminar 2 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Kids Krewe: Parent’s Night Out 6:00 – 7:00 PM: PAC Cocktail Reception/SpeakEasy 6:30 – 8:00 PM: Cocktails & Dinner 8:00 – 11:00 PM: Casino night Friday, July 31, 2020 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Kids Krewe 9:00 – 10:30 AM: Educational Breakfast 10:30 – 11: 30 AM: Breakout Session 1:30 – 4:00 PM: Family Beach Bash & Volleyball Tournament 6:00 – 8:00 PM: Family Dinner & Indoor Fun 8:00 – 8:30 PM: Glow Deck Party 8:45 PM: Fireworks Presentation & Farewell

Reserve your room today by calling 850.267.9500 (Group code LAA)

2020 state convention July 29-31, 2020 Hilton Sandestin, Fla. Roaring 20s sponsorship opportunities

BEACH BASH: $6,000 •Logo prominently displayed during event •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app

THURSDAY NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT: $5,000 •Logo prominently displayed during event •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app Secured by:

KEYNOTE BREAKFAST: $5,000 •Logo prominently displayed during event •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app Secured by:

FAMILY DINNER: $4,000 •Logo prominently displayed during event •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app Secured by:

WELCOME RECEPTION: $3,000 •Logo prominently displayed during event •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app Secured by:

CONVENTION APP: $3,000 •Exclusive sponsor of the app used by attendees during convention •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app

CONVENTION BAG: $3,000 •Logo prominently displayed on family giveaway bags •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app Secured by:

FIREWORKS: $3,000 •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app Secured by:

PHOTO BOOTH: $2,500 •Logo recognition on pictures printed in photo booth on Thursday night •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media Secured by:

THURSDAY NIGHT DINNER (2 AVAILABLE): $2,000 Sponsored by:

•Logo prominently displayed during event •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media •Sponsored posts on event app

PIANO BAR: $1,500 •Logo prominently displayed around piano bar Friday night •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media Secured by:

CONVENTION T-SHIRT (2 AVAILABLE): $1,500 •Logo recognition on back of ocial convention t-shirt •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media Secured by:

CASINO NIGHT PRIZE (11 AVAILABLE): $1,500 •Logo recognition throughout casino night (prizes provide by ABC) •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media Sponsored by:

CONVENTION SPONSOR (14 AVAILABLE): $500 •Recognition on event signage, app, website, social media

Contact Macie at 225.753.2596 or mmorgan@abcpelican.com to secure your sponsorship. All sponsors can provide promotional items to include in family giveaway bags. For more info on accommodations and registrations visit abclouisiana.org.

PERFECT YOUR TRADE THROUGH IN BATON ROUGE CRAFT & TECHNICAL COURSES

Established in 1980, ABC Pelican has educated more than 25,000 craft professionals, provided a variety of professional continuing education offerings, and promoted construction as a career to tens of thousands. Perfect your trade with us through nationally accredited curriculum developed for the construction industry!

CRAFT COURSES • NCCER Core • NCCER Electrical Levels 1-4 • NCCER Millwright Levels 1-5 • NCCER Heavy Equipment Levels 1-2 • NCCER Instrumentation Levels 1-4 • NCCER Mobile Crane Levels 1-2 • NCCER Pipefitting Levels 1-4 • AWS Welding Levels 1- 3

SUPERVISOR CLASSES •NCCER Construction Site Safety Technician (CSST) (Must have at least 3.5 years field experience)

•Project Coordinator (three semesters) •First semester: Print Reading •Second semester: Estimating •Third semester: Planning and Scheduling

Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, handicap, union affiliation or veteran status. Persons who enroll in ABC Training Center courses acknowledge that they are physically fit to participate in these courses. In the event of an accident or injury, participants will hold harmless from all liability and/or loss or damage, the Pelican Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. or its agents. This information is subject to change without notice due to enrollment numbers and requirements. Completion of all or part of a training program does not guarantee employment. While it is our goal to train for the construction/maintenance industry, our primary purpose is to train our members’ employees. About ABC Pelican

NEW: Fall 2020 Dates

Early Registration: May 4 – 28 (current students only) ICC/GBRIA Registration: June 1 – 30 Open Registration: July 1 - 30 Semester Begins: August 3, 2020

Spring 2021 Dates

Early Registration: October 1- 29 (current students only) ICC/GBRIA Registration: November 2 - 30 Open Registration: December 1 - 22 Semester Begins: January 11, 2021

BATON ROUGE training center update A FULL BEGINNING OF SPRING; NOW CLOSED BECAUSE #SAFETYFIRST BY KELLY CARPENTER, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION In response to COVID-19, our training center closed on March 16th. The training center staff is working remotely to answer any questions regarding the status of classes and assist our contractors and can be reached via email or cell phone. At this time, the staff and instructors have requested the students to study while classes are suspended. The contingency plan is to utilize the summer to complete the spring semester. If students cannot make up the time during the Summer, then we will offer an option to transfer to next semester. We welcomed 45 National Guard Job Challenge Program students on January 21 to our Baton Rouge Campus. These students are all graduates of the Youth Challenge Program and are expected to attend ABC until they complete this semester – first completing NCCER’s Core during the initial 6-7 weeks and then selecting a craft in which they will continue training in for the remainder of their time. Thanks to Brown & Root, EXCEL, and Turner for stopping by to welcome the students. Contractors and training center staff will work closely with the students this year to help develop them into entrylevel craft persons. was included with the MOU agreement. Mr. Jeff Hand with the Zachary Community Schools District mentioned the possibility of ABC using another facility owned by the school district. In 2014, the school district built the Zachary Career & Technical Center located a ½ mile off highway 61 with the hopes of their continued partnership between Georgia Pacific and BRCC. Unfortunately, the partnership did not kick off as planned and the facility has not been used for the purpose in which it was built. In fact, it’s been turned into an expensive climate control storage facility for the school district. The Superintendent voiced through Mr. Hand strong interest in letting ABC have full access to use the building during the day, night or both for craft training to help industry, surrounding communities, other parishes and Zachary students for continuing education. The school officials quickly set up a tour of the facility that same day. It is a magnificent space with the layout and design making an excellent location for industrial craft training in electrical, millwright and pipefitting. The building has an office, four classrooms (student capacity of 120) with adjoining lab space, covered exterior work area and plenty of parking.

Kelly Carpenter, ABC, Danielle Labbe, ABC and Steve Bomar, Performance, met with Tim Jordan, Zachary High School Principal, Lindsey Spencer, Zachary Freshmen Guidance Counselor and Jeff Hand, Zachary School District to discuss ABC Pelican hosting evening welding class at the Zachary High School welding shop. The discussion was well received, and an MOU was sent on January 20th for ZHS officials to approve. The plan is to start the recruiting process in April for the Fall Semester start date of August 3. During this meeting, ZHS indicated a strong interest in participating in ABC Course Choice Basic and Advanced Welding program as a satellite location. A detailed outline of the welding program with tuition information On March 9 we met again with Zachary Community School Superintendent, Scott Devillier and Jeffery Hand, Supervisor of Secondary Programs regarding the facility in Port Hudson. Both parties agreed that a partnership would be beneficial to the community as well as ABC Pelican and our industry. Mr. Hand shared the 14,000 square-foot blueprint of the building. The startup for Core and Level One classes in electrical, millwright and pipefitting is approximately $55K, which includes lab equipment and all related expenses. The evening classes would be offered at the traditional tuition rate of $200 per student. In addition to the evening training at the Port Hudson facility, Mr. Devillier and Mr. Hand are very interested in participating in Course Choice under CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

the ABC umbrella. The tuition for Course Choice could potentially help offset some of the expense of these classes without having huge impact on the cents per manhour income. The proposal to the Zachary Community School would include $800 per month for rental based on the utility bills for the last six months. The Fall semester start would be covered by the grant request to LCEF.

On January 27, ABC started an Incumbent Workforce Training Program in Specialty Welding for Performance Contractors. This course is designed to take an existing stick welder and educate them on the advanced levels of TIG and MIG processes to meet the demands of industry. When classes resume, it will be held two nights per week for three hours each night for a total of 120 hour of focused training. they also must have an A/B average. •If a student does not meet this criterion (i.e. the student is 16 and/or a junior), they will be reviewed by the contractor or high school welding instructor or Goynes for an exception to be made.

The welding supply list has been updated and we will be working with vendors to establish a “package” for students to purchase in the next couple of months.

We are no longer offering Level 4 welding classes after this semester. There are three students that are currently enrolled, and ABC will allow them to finish this semester. In the next year, it is the intention that shorter specialty classes will be developed for those existing, employed welders that need specialty training.

The Welding Taskforce Group met on January 30 to iron out a few details regarding enrollment of welding students in the evening program. The committee agreed to implement the following rules and policies for the upcoming Fall semester.

For Course Choice students that never took a weld test for Level 1 and passed while in Course Choice (never passed the plate weld test), if they want to attend again in the future the following will take place:

•They must sit out for at least one semester. The student will not be allowed to return for welding until at minimum the spring following their high school graduation. •The student will have a 60-hour (first half of the semester) probationary period where they must demonstrate that they are grasping the skill and making progress towards testing out of Level 1. •If the student does not make sufficient progress after the probationary 60-hour period, that student will be dropped and not permitted to return to welding unless approved by ABC Pelican’s welding coordinator, Ross Goynes.

For a high school student to be enrolled in 3-6 or 6-9 welding, they must meet the following criteria: •At least 17 years of age and a high school senior. •If they are enrolled in the Course Choice program, 37 www.abcpelican.org/newsletter

Goynes will initial ALL applications before we reenroll the student. Ross’s initials will mean that he approves them to re-enroll.

Goynes will be in the orientation lab for new student enrollment, which is set for May 1 for the time being, during contractor enrollment and he will review all welding applications for his approval.

Shifting gears, thank you to the PVF Roundtable for the kind donation. Laranda Andrews with PVF Roundtable delivered a generous check for $50K to the Baton Rouge Campus on February 4. A portion of these funds will be used for the Fall classes in Plaquemine.

ABC Staff along with plant owners, site managers and contractors attended the GBRIA 50th Annual Conference and enjoyed listening to the guest speakers recap 50 years of industry history. The partnership with GBRIA has proven time and time again to be a win for all parties. As we move forward, we need to concentrate our efforts on enticing the young adults to pursue a promising career in industry.

GBRIA’s two subcommittees regarding developing specialty and advanced millwright training for existing millwrights and expanding millwright training opportunities to high school students spoke

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

during phone conference on February 5. There was conversation amongst both groups regarding providing internships and entry-level positions to help individuals get into the millwright craft. There was also conversation about better communication to schools and students regarding the opportunities to learn millwright and what the millwright craft entails.

Tim Johnson, along with 20 East Iberville Site Managers, Councilmen and School Officials visited our training center on February 11. The group learned how ABC is a resource to high school students and community members to learn a craft or skill. The group also took a tour of the training center.

Labbé and Richard Laird, Crane and Rigging instructor, traveled to the Chalmette Refinery to give three days of training. Laird provided basic rigging and carry deck training for some of the plant’s maintenance technicians. Upon completion of the training days, individuals took the corresponding NCCER assessment and practical exam to earn their certifications. Since May 2019, ABC has trained and tested 31 Chalmette employees, with a revenue just over $25,000.

Labbé attended the Youth Challenge Program career fair in Carville on February 13. The current program has just over 200 attendees. If the attendees continue to the Job Challenge Program, they have the potential to attend ABC Pelican as part of that program.

ABC Pelican’s Kacie Blanchard began sharing her time between ABC and GBRIA in June 2019 to increase the awareness with plant owners of the partnership with ABC and GBRIA. In addition, it landed the opportunity to meet new plant personnel and share the value of cents per man hour regarding training. Year to date, Blanchard along with the GBRIA team have collected $95K not previously reported. The partnership has proven to be well worth the investment.

Carpenter and Labbé traveled to Birmingham, AL on March 10 for a Power Up event. The evening celebration reflected on the on-going collaboration with community, education and industry, and further introduces daughters and mothers to industry career pathways. This event allowed participants to become educated, engaged and explore through hands-on activities. In addition, there were informational sessions with successful women currently working in industry.

In collaboration with GBRIA’s taskforce to expand millwright training opportunities to high school students, ABC participated at a presentation by BASF millwright personnel to Dutchtown high school students on March 13. The presentation was well received by the nearly 20 sophomore and juniors interested in attending ABC’s course choice program during the 2020-2021 school year. Many of the students did not know what a millwright was at the beginning of the presentation but learned a great deal about the craft and its career opportunities.

Current enrollment for Spring 2020 is holding strong at 1096.

southwest training center update The ABC Pelican Southwest Training Center thoroughly enjoyed hosting the 2020 FFA District 9 and Area 3 electrical, small engine, and welding competitions. Students from Allen, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jeff Davis Parish competed for the opportunity to advance to the Area 3 FFA Competition. Students from Avoyelles, Evangeline, Allen, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis, Acadia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Vermilion Parish competed in the Area 3 FFA Welding and Small Engine Mechanics. CELEBRATING INDUSTRY STARS BEFORE COVID-19 BY BLAISE THEARD, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST, SWTC

More than 200 high school students traveled to our campus to participate in these competitions. We relish the opportunity to host these young men and women on our campus. Many of these students have a passion for the construction industry and ABC Pelican will do everything we can to help fulfill their dreams.

Among the 27 welding teams who competed at the Area 3 competition, only four teams were able to punch their ticket to the state competition. We are absolutely thrilled and pleased, two of the top four teams advancing to state are ABC Pelican dualenrollment students. These students attend our satellite classes at Grand Lake High and Rayne High. Way to go guys!!

Keeping up with tradition, the 2020 Southwest Jambalaya Cook-off was paired with the FFA competition on March 5. We were able to enjoy delicious Cajun cuisine while witnessing the next generation of craftsmen and craftswomen perfect their craft. Many thanks to the following members for participating in the cook-off and providing lunch for everyone in attendance: 24-HR Safety, Aptim, Performance Contractors and Turner Industries.

A great number of industry professionals were also in attendance. The high school students truly enjoy a day full of competing and interacting with industry. Thank you to everyone for the support.

Little did we know, these two events would soon be the last occasion for any type of large gathering at the ABC SWTC. Due to the rapid developments of COVID-19, all ABC Pelican classes were suspended until further notice, beginning March 16. This global crisis will undoubtedly impact our industry with great magnitude. Please know the ABC Pelican team is here to provide unwavering support to all our members. If we can be of help in any way throughout these trying times, please do not hesitate to reach out to anyone on our team.

PERFECT YOUR TRADE THROUGH

IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA CRAFT TRAINING

Established in 1980, ABC Pelican has trained more than 25,000 craft professionals, provided a variety of professional continuing education offerings, and promoted construction as a career to tens of thousands. Perfect your trade through nationally accredited curricula developed for the construction industry with us!

Questions? Contact: Kirby Bruchhaus, Director of Education (kbruchhaus@abcpelican.com | 337.882.0204) Blaise Theard, Workforce Development Specialist (btheard@abcpelican.com | 337.882.0204)

• NCCER Core Classroom

• NCCER Scaffolding Level 1

• NCCER Electrical Levels 1-4

• NCCER Millwright Levels 1-5

CRAFT COURSES • NCCER Heavy Equipment Levels 1-2

• NCCER Instrumentation Levels 1-4

• NCCER Pipefitting Levels 1-4

• AWS Welding Levels 1- 3 (afternoon & evening)

• NCCER CSST Safety 100 Hours

About ABC Pelican

Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, handicap, union affiliation or veteran status. Persons who enroll in ABC Training Center courses acknowledge that they are physically fit to participate in these courses. In the event of an accident or injury, participants will hold harmless from all liability and/or loss or damage, the Pelican Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. or its agents. This information is subject to change without notice due to enrollment numbers and requirements. Completion of all or part of a training program does not guarantee employment. While it is our goal to train for the construction/maintenance industry, our primary purpose is to train our members’ employees.

NCCER Accredited Assessment Center NEW: Fall 2020 Dates Spring 2021 Dates

Early Registration: May 4 – 28 (current students only) Contract Employee Registration: June 1 – 30 Open Registration: July 1 - 30 Semester Begins: August 3, 2020

Early Registration: October 1- 31 (current students only) Contract Employee Registration: November 4 - 28 Open Registration: December 1 - 23 Late Registration: December 1 – 31 (current students only) Semester Begins: January 4, 2021