Each year, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) selects one Craft Professional of the Year, but the reality is that field leaders devoted to safety, training and quality craftsmanship are present on jobsites all across the country. Meet the three finalists who captured the essence of this year’s award.
Troy Clinger
Superintendent
Kent Companies, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Clinger left community college, where he was studying to become a secondary level teacher, to turn a summer job in concrete construction into a full career. Now, after 25 years in the industry, he gets the best of both worlds: overseeing teams of more than 40 craft professionals on a daily basis as they complete massive foundations and flatwork projects, as well as volunteering at local colleges and tech centers to build the next generation of construction workers.
He also helped develop the concrete construction curriculum for the ABC West Michigan Chapter, and his safety first attitude contributed to Kent Companies’ EMR improving from 0.63 to 0.50 during the past five years.
Colleagues describe Clinger as detail oriented, competitive, highly respected and a great trouble-shooter who is always willing to jump in to perform hands-on work.
WHY TRAINING MATTERS – “It’s important to get trained on the nuts and bolts of construction, but safety and leadership training are even more important. These two things can help separate people through the ranks. You also have to consider people from all different generations, and each one needs to be treated and trained differently so they can be successful as part of the team.”
LEADING BY EXAMPLE – “I love to jump in with my crews and challenge them to get something done first or come up with a different idea to build something faster. Now the leaders I’ve trained are coming up and challenging me, which is great.”
BIGGEST WORKFORCE CHALLENGE – “I spend a lot of time talking to kids from technical schools, but the message needs to go deeper to counselors. They spend too much time telling kids they have to go to college or they are going to fail. I was one of those kids; I didn’t finish college and I didn’t fail.”
ADVICE FOR YOUNG WORKERS – “Attitude plus aptitude equals altitude. If you come to this industry with a good attitude and a willingness to learn, the sky’s the limit. Commit yourself to the work; don’t go half in.”
Jeff Dickman
Project Supervisor
VanDyken Mechanical, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Dickman was born into the construction industry as the son of a self-employed excavator who instilled a love of building and taught him the satisfaction of a job well done. After college, he joined Van Dyken Mechanical and within six months was enrolled in ABC’s pipefitting apprenticeship program.
Never one to be done learning, he was quickly motivated to master other piping and welding skills and eventually took on the roles of leading toolbox talks and supervising award-winning projects. Today, the company uses Dickman’s success as an example when recruiting new technicians.
Colleagues describe Dickman as trustworthy, knowledgeable, organized, positive, productive, a quick learner and a great communicator who holds people accountable.
WHY TRAINING MATTERS – “It brings legitimacy to what we do. It empowers people who receive education that they can go forward with the task at hand. Our industry also is unique in that there are opportunities for people with everything from a GED to a six-year college degree.”
BENEFITS OF THE MERIT SHOP PHILOSOPHY – “You can advance based on what you know and how you work rather than how many years you’ve worked there. It also better connects workers to customers because employees have more ownership of the work they do. We know our long-term customers’ needs and wants, and are in a better position to give them a quality product in the end because there are fewer restrictions.”
ADVICE FOR YOUNG WORKERS – “Now is the best time to get into the construction industry. The quantity and quality of work out there are great. There’s job security, and the industry has never been safer.”
Jaime Ramos
Foreman
MAREK
Houston
Ramos came to the big city of Houston via Pierson, Fla., where he would drive through the tiny town’s two traffic lights and imagine skyscrapers.
He was drawn to the industry’s job security and ability to care for his family. Within five years of joining MAREK, he moved up to be a foreman with 10 to 20 people under his management, often working on highly regulated occupied hospital construction and renovation projects.
He is frequently recognized for safety, quality of work and beating budget, and is quick to accept requests to speak to groups at career and technical education events in order to promote the industry to others.
Colleagues describe Ramos as down to earth, humble, tech savvy, resourceful and a safety champion with incredible attention to detail who does all the good things that often go unnoticed.
WHY TRAINING MATTERS – “If you train someone, their mistakes in the past won’t happen again. If you have a guy with 15 years of experience doing the same work without growth from training, it’s really like having a person with one year of experience doing the same thing 15 times over.”
BENEFITS OF THE MERIT SHOP PHILOSOPHY – “If someone is excelling, they should be rewarded. It’s good for your peers to see you progress; it serves an as example of what they can achieve too.”
ADVICE FOR YOUNG WORKERS – “Do your research and know what your options are. Find a company with a strong training program that will motivate you and allow you to be more than just a number or a body.”
