Apr 9

Written by: Cianbro News
4/9/2006 7:00 PM

PITTSFIELD, Maine — Cianbro Corporation team member Jason White has been named the country's best instrumentation fitter by a panel of judges at a prestigious annual competition. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a leading nationwide construction industry association, hosts the Craft Championship each year at its national convention. This year's convention was held last month in Las Vegas. Begun in 1987 to spotlight construction career training, the Craft Championship pits craft professionals in 13 fields against each other in a two-day competition including a written test and a practical exercise – a simulated job task to be completed according to guidelines laid down by the examiners. Competitors' work is then evaluated by judges drawn from among the professionals of ABC's many chapters across the country. White, 27, of Fairfield, Maine, is a participant in one of Cianbro's multiple training programs designed to bring team members to the journeyman level in various crafts. He joined Cianbro at the age of 19 and spent seven years as a painter before joining the instrumentation training program on the recommendations of his co-workers. "I heard from a few people that it was a really good trade," he said. White has participated in the instrumentation training program for almost three years, spending alternate Fridays in class and working in the field. Last month his diligence paid off. He came away from the instrumentation showdown in Las Vegas with the title ‘Best in the Country’ and a gold metal. "I felt fortunate to be in that situation – to be able to show what we can do," he said. He offered thanks to instructor Mike Raven, who went along to Las Vegas to watch his student compete. "He does a great job," White said. "I owe a lot of what I've learned to him." Tommy Barnes, 45, of Troy, Maine, also received honor at the national Craft Olympics. Barnes, a 3-year Cianbro veteran, placed third in the millwright competition. Craft training is serious business at Cianbro. Jon Sacks, who oversees the program, said the team members who enter the training programs are usually generalists and others who are seeking to advance into a skilled trade. Classes meet every other Friday, which is often the students' day off; in addition, supervisors try to involve participants in their chosen crafts in the field whenever possible. "Jason and Tommy took advantage of an opportunity to get involved with training," Sacks said. "They have shown focus and determination with their own studies and both really shined as representatives of Cianbro and Maine ABC at the national Craft Championships. They are leaders in the future of our company." Cianbro was also named Contractor of the Year by ABC, a national association representing 23,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms in 79 chapters across the United States. ABC's membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors of the industry. Cianbro Corporation is one of the East Coast’s largest civil and heavy industrial construction companies. Cianbro is employee-owned and recognized nationally for its safety and health programs. Headquartered in Pittsfield, Maine, Cianbro serves the eastern seaboard from offices in Baltimore, Maryland, Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Portland, Maine. Cianbro was founded in 1949 by Cianchette brothers Carl, Ken, Bud, and Chuck, and is one of the most diversified construction companies in the nation with gross annual sales in excess of $300 million and over 2,000 team members throughout the eastern United States. For more information, please visit www.cianbro.com. —30—

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