Tatton Kilmer never really fit the mold of a traditional classroom student. Growing up around ranchers, electricians, framers and finish carpenters in Utah, he was drawn to working with his hands long before he considered construction as a career. Later, after trying the college route while playing sports, he realized something was missing.
“I couldn’t do the classroom,” Kilmer says. “As soon as sports were done, I was like, this isn’t for me.”
What was for him, though, was building.
Today, Kilmer is ABC’s 2026 Craft Instructor of the Year, a recognition that honors not only his technical expertise and commitment to apprenticeship education, but also the energy, empathy and mentorship he brings to every classroom and jobsite.
When he first heard the news, the longtime ABC Southern California plumbing instructor says he was “dumbfounded.”
“This is something that I genuinely am incredibly honored by,” he says. “It’s such a big passion and part of my life. The money’s not what means anything to me. It’s the fact that I get to help and be a part of these individuals’ lives changing like what happened for me when I was an apprentice.”
SERVICE BEFORE SELF
Kilmer’s journey with ABC began as a student. He entered the ABC Southern California commercial plumbing apprenticeship program in 2007 after hearing about the opportunity from a family member. He quickly immersed himself in the trade, eventually earning his journeyman and master-level plumbing certifications, winning Local Craft Championships and being named Plumbing Student of the Year in 2012.
But even as his own career advanced—from apprentice to foreman, project manager and eventually preconstruction manager at Z3 Plumbing—Kilmer found himself drawn back to the classroom.
“When I started the program, I had a phenomenal instructor,” he says. “Then I had two years of okay instruction, and then I had him again, and I realized I needed to do something to help him and become a teacher like him.”
That experience shaped what would become Kilmer’s teaching philosophy: “Student. Service. Success.”
For Kilmer, instruction is fundamentally an act of service.
“So many times growing up in schools, I always felt left out by my instructors,” he says. “I felt like they weren’t doing it for the right reasons. When you have that service mentality behind you, that’s where you’re going to get your success. That’s where you’re looking for the students’ success—not just your own.”
Over the last 13 years, Kilmer has taught every level of ABC SoCal’s plumbing apprenticeship program, designing lesson plans, hands-on labs and competition projects that connect classroom theory to real-world applications.
His students have taken notice.
“Tatton exemplifies a students-first philosophy,” reads his award nomination. “His positive attitude, creativity and ability to communicate complex concepts foster a learning environment that inspires excellence.”
FRIENDS AND FAMILY: Left, Kilmer walks the National Craft Championships floor with apprentices. Right, Kilmer and his family spend time at Disneyland.
A CLASSROOM THAT FEELS REAL
Ask Kilmer what defines his personality, and he laughs before answering: “Goofy, fun-loving, but very serious and dedicated to what I do.”
That balance, he says, is critical when teaching apprentices.
“Let’s face it—everybody that gets into apprenticeship programs, we didn’t fit the mold to the normal office world,” he says. “Being in the classroom and making it fun, making it entertaining and something more than just ‘you have to be here,’ allows my students to fully get the message I’m trying to get across.”
Kilmer’s lessons extend far beyond pipefitting and code books. Communication, professionalism and accountability are recurring themes in his classroom.
“I always talk about communication,” he says. “Think about the way you email. Think about the way you talk in a foreman’s meeting. Think about the way you talk to your boss or even an inspector. It’s incredibly important to comprehend how communication happens.”
He also emphasizes the value of merit-shop opportunity and self-advocacy.
“You being the biggest proponent for yourself is incredibly important,” he says. “If you want opportunity, that’s where merit shop comes in, because you have that ability unlike anywhere else.”
As chair of ABC Southern California’s Multilateral Apprenticeship Committee, Kilmer helps oversee plumbing, low-voltage and sheet metal apprenticeship programs while also serving on the chapter’s Craft Championships Committee.
One of his favorite parts of teaching? Coaching apprentices for the National Craft Championships.
“I always tell them, set the goal of getting to local craft champs, competing there, winning, going to Nationals and winning there,” he says.
Under Kilmer’s guidance, ABC SoCal plumbing competitors have medaled in the national competition every year since 2019.
BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION
Kilmer’s passion for apprenticeships is deeply personal. The trade gave him a career without student debt, financial stability in Southern California and a pathway to leadership. Now, he wants others to have the same opportunity.
“Apprenticeships are the lifeblood of this country,” he says. “You’re going to come out of it both knowing why to do it and how to do it.”
He carries that mission into outreach events, career fairs and high school presentations, where he speaks with students about alternatives to the traditional four-year college route.
“This industry is dying because of the lack of schools pushing students into understanding there’s more than one option,” he says. “For those of us that want to work with our hands, there are so many other avenues out there.”
Kilmer is also passionate about modernizing the industry through technology. In his classroom, he incorporates digital estimating tools, BIM resources like Revit, smart whiteboards and live interactive quizzes to help apprentices engage with the same technology they will encounter in the field.
Still, for all the advancements in software and AI, Kilmer believes the heart of construction remains deeply human.
“Until computers get thumbs, I don’t see that happening,” he jokes when asked whether AI could replace construction workers.
LEAVING A LEGACY
At home, Kilmer’s world revolves around family. He and his wife spend time gaming, attending Renaissance fairs and raising their two-and-a-half-year-old son. Becoming a father, he says, only reinforced the way he views his students.
“I looked at all my students as my sons for a lot of the time,” he says. “Now it’s reinforced even more how important it is that I do this for both my son and them.”
That care extends to his emphasis on mental health and safety in the trades. Kilmer openly discusses the construction industry’s high suicide rates with students and reminds them that no job is more important than their wellbeing.
“Nothing is so terrible or so unfortunate that it should step in front of you taking care of yourself and your family,” he says. “If you’ve got to take a moment, step away.”
Ultimately, the legacy Kilmer hopes to leave is one centered on compassion and passing knowledge forward.
“It is our requirement to be the ones passing that on,” he says of experienced tradespeople mentoring younger workers. “It is not a trade secret. It is guaranteed success.”
For Kilmer, teaching has never been about recognition or titles. It has always been about ensuring the next generation of craft professionals has the opportunities, mentorship and support he once received himself.
“I love the trades,” he says. “I love the fact that we as individuals have the opportunity to do something so important. Help share the knowledge. Help bring more people into this.”
