ABC presented its Craft Professional of the Year award to Jennifer Jeffords, a certified welder, welding inspector and welding instructor for BE&K Industrial Services at International Paper’s plant in Pensacola, Fla. The award was presented during ABC’s 2008 National Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
ABC honored Jennifer Jeffords, center, a welder for BE&K Industrial Services as the 2008 Craft Professional of the Year. Pictured with Jeffords: Jerry Gorski, left, 2008 ABC National chairman-elect, and Ed Rojeck, right, Director of Marketing of Tradesmen International.
Each year, ABC presents the Craft Professional of the Year to a construction craft professional who excels in his or her field, maintains a lifelong commitment to training and upholds the merit shop philosophy.
“I am proud to honor Jennifer Jeffords with ABC’s most prestigious craft award, the Craft Professional of the Year,” said 2008 ABC National Chairman Bill Fairchild. “Jennifer’s dedication to becoming one of the nation’s top welders and her generosity serving as a mentor and teacher for others in her field have made her an outstanding choice for this year’s award.”
Tradesmen International, official sponsor of the 2008 Craft Professional of the Year competition, awarded Jeffords a new full-size pickup truck in recognition of being named Craft Professional of the Year.
Jeffords has achieved Level II Quality Assurance/Quality Control certification, in addition to three levels of welding certification: structural, stick pipe and tungsten inert gas (TIG) arc welding. Jeffords also holds National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certification as a core curriculum instructor and welding instructor, and serves as an instructor at BE&K’s Training Center. Jeffords has received certificates of training from BE&K, Inc. in the National Board Inspection Code and the company’s Visual Inspection Procedure for Nondestructive Evaluation.
Jeffords was encouraged to enter the field of welding by her husband of 21 years, Lee, who is also an accomplished welder. Jeffords recently served as a key member of the BE&K project team responsible for converting the Number 5 paper machine at International Paper’s Cantonment, Fla., mill from producing 350 tons per year of white writing-quality paper to 500,000 tons per year of unbleached linerboard. During the shutdown, the team installed 72,000 linear feet of pipe and more than 65,000 linear feet of tubing.
The ABC Craft Professional of the Year winner is selected from seven craft category winners. The craft category winners are evaluated on several criteria, with the top candidates being chosen to represent their respective craft.
The ABC 2008 Craft Professional of the Year finalists are:
Carpentry: , Manhattan Construction Company, Falls Church, Va.
Electrical: , DaVeer Electrical & Mechanical Contracting, St. Louis, Mo.
HVAC/Plumbing: , C&H Mechanical Corporation, Millersville, Md.
Pipefitting: , Sanders Bros., Inc., Gaffney, S.C.
Welding: , BE&K Construction Company, Birmingham, Ala.
Fire Sprinkler: , The Fireguard Corporation, Glen Burnie, Md.
Specialty Craft – Drywall Finishing: , Commercial Interiors, Inc., Hanover, Md.
The criteria upon which candidates were judged included: 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 successfully.
For more information, contact Megan Spillane at ABC, mspillane@abc.org.
View the 2007 Craft Professional of the Year winners and finalists.