Four Cianbro team members traveled to San Antonio, Texas to represent Cianbro at the ABC National Craft Championships. Students and apprentices from across the United States competed in 13 contests in which they displayed their craft skills. Not only was Cianbro well represented by team members who displayed professionalism and integrity, they also returned home with gold and silver. Zack Perrin of the SNE region and Joe Ducharme of NNE competed in the millwright contest. Joe returned with gold and Zack with silver. Josh Madden competed in the pipefitting contest and returned with the gold medal. Pierre Leclerc competed in the Industrial Electrical contest against 15 other electricians. Though he did not place, he performed well in a very challenging contest.
Each competition is designed and run by a project manager from the industry. In order to compete, the contestants must be students or within six months of completing a training program. They cannot be classified as Journeymen Crafts Workers. Each contest consists of an in-depth written exam and a six hour practical exam. The contestants were given project specifications and the materials required to perform various tasks. They were judged upon craftsmanship, how well they understood and followed the specifications, safety, housekeeping, and accuracy. Time management was an enormous component of the contest. The scope of projects demands that the competitors read and interpret specs, select the proper material, and build a project which would normally be budgeted for more than six hours; all while being observed by hundreds of spectators.
The reward for the hard work came on Friday morning during the awards breakfast when all of the contestants were recognized for their effort and leadership in participating at the national competition. The winners were awarded medals by the CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors Michael Bellaman, and by 2011 Chairman Michael Uremovich. ABC represents more than 23,000 merit shop companies throughout the U.S. and territories. The competitors who took part had each been selected by winning their state, local, or company based contest. Each Cianbro team member who competed expressed appreciation for being able to represent Cianbro in San Antonio.
Cianbro's support team for this year's event included Mike Bennett, Alan Burton, Justin Desrosiers, Dann Hayden, Ed LePage and Jon Sacks.