FINALISTS CHOSEN FOR CRAFT PROFESSIONAL AND CRAFT INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR  (12/17/2009)
ABC Dec. 15 announced the seven finalists for its 2010 Craft Professional of the Year award and the six finalists for the 2010 Craft Instructor of the Year.  The winner of The Craft Professional of the Year award will be chosen onsite Feb. 6 at ABC’s 2010 National Convention in San Diego where the Craft Instructor of the Year will also be announced.  

Craft Professional of the Year 
Participants in the ABC Craft Professional of the Year program are evaluated on several criteria including: the candidate’s mastery of job-related skills, jobsite and safety performance record, leadership, professionalism, community and industry service, personal motivation, credentials, commitment to the merit construction philosophy and recognition by others for the candidate’s excellence in craft skills and teamwork to complete projects safely and successfully.   

ABC’s Craft Professional of the Year grand prize winner will receive a brand-new, full-size pickup truck sponsored by Tradesmen International.   

In 2002, ABC initiated the Craft Professional of the Year awards program to recognize the individual who stands out each year as the industry’s best. After evaluating a pool of outstanding ABC craft professionals from across the United States, a team of national judges selects six finalists, from which the national ABC Craft Professional of the Year is chosen.   

ABC 2010 Craft Professional of the Year finalists:  

Craft: Carpentry
Name: Roger L. Leisure, Jr.
Employer: Danis Building Construction Company, Miamisburg, Ohio
Chapter: ABC Ohio Valley Chapter  

Craft: Electrical
Name: Othniel L. Henry
Employer: D.P. Electric, Inc., Tempe, Ariz.
Chapter: Arizona Builders’ Alliance  

Craft: HVAC
Name: David J. Isaac
Employer: Isaac Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., Rochester, N.Y.
Chapter: ABC Empire State Chapter  

Craft: Masonry
Name: Tranquilino Villegas
Employer: Telligent Masonry, LLC, Potomac, Md.
Chapter: ABC Metro Washington Chapter  

Craft: Pipefitting
Name: Chad A. Dugge
Employer: Lee Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Park Hills, Mo.
Chapter: ABC Heart of America Chapter  

Craft: Plumbing
Name: Jason L. Sewell
Employer: Lake Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Eustis, Fla.
Chapter: ABC Central Florida Chapter  

Craft: Welding
Name: Russell Benjamin Rodolph
Employer: Big J Enterprises, LLC, Albuquerque, N.M.
Chapter: ABC New Mexico Chapter      


Craft Instructor of the Year 
The Craft Instructor of the Year grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $3,500 from the Trimmer Education Foundation, a notebook computer and leather jacket from the National Center for Construction Education and Research, a Craft Instructor of the Year trophy, airfare and hotel accommodations to attend the ABC National Convention in San Diego, one complimentary convention registration (valued at $780) and national recognition through numerous industry publications.     

ABC 2010 Regional Craft Instructors of the Year:  

Region 1
Ray Drinkwater

Electrical Instructor
Construction Industry Training Council of Colorado, Denver, Colo.
Greiner Electric, LLC, Littleton, Colo.  

Region 2
Dennis J. Bartlett

Sheet Metal Instructor
ABC Iowa Chapter, Waukee, Iowa  

Region 3
Chris Weber

Welding Instructor
ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter, St. Rose, La.  

Region 4
Robert Clifton Daniel

Electrical Instructor
ABC Mississippi Chapter, Jackson, Miss.  

Region 6
Tim A. Rogers

Pipefitting/Welding Instructor
ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter, Midland, Mich.  

Region 7
Ed LePage

Millwright/Instrumentation/Pipefitting Instructor
Cianbro Corporation, Pittsfield, Maine