ABC Jan. 13 announced the six finalists for its 2009 Craft Professional of the Year award and the four finalists for the 2009 Craft Instructor of the Year.  The winner of The Craft Professional of the Year award will be chosen onsite Feb. 28 at ABC’s 2009 National Convention in Honolulu 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 2009 Craft Professional of the Year finalists:

Craft:Boilermaker
Name: William T. Lawings
Employer: Fluor Corporation, Dallas, Texas
Chapter: ABC North Texas Chapter  

Craft:Carpentry
Name: John H. Roberts
Employer: Three Rivers Corporation, Midland, Mich.
Chapter: ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter  

Craft:Crane Operator
Name: Bryan Brown
Employer: Manhattan Construction Company, Falls Church, Va.
Chapter: ABC Metro Washington Chapter and ABC Virginia Chapter  

Craft:Electrical
Name: Chesley Stevenson
Employer: SME Inc. of Seattle, Seattle, Wash.
Chapter: ABC Western Washington Chapter  

Craft: Pipefitting
Name: George C. Baxley
Employer: The Shaw Group Inc., Columbia, S.C.
Chapter: ABC Pelican Chapter and ABC Virginia Chapter  

Craft: Welding
Name: Kenneth Ross Welch
Employer: Ogletree's, Inc., St. Helena, Calif.
Chapter: ABC Golden Gate 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 Honolulu, Hawaii, one complimentary convention registration (valued at $760) and national recognition through numerous industry publications.    

ABC 2009 Regional Craft Instructors of the Year:

Region 1
Christopher Scott Davis
Electrical Instructor
ABC New Mexico Chapter, Albuquerque, N.M.  

Region 3
James Crainer
Welding Instructor
ABC Texas Gulf Coast Chapter, Freeport, Texas  

Region 4
Raymond W. Kosach
Electrical Instructor
ABC Florida Gulf Coast Chapter, Tampa, Fla.  

Region 6
Michael Pope
Insulation Instructor
ABC Saginaw Valley Chapter, Midland, Mich.  

For more information about the Craft Professional of the Year or the Craft Instructor of the Year, contact Bob Piper at ABC, piper@abc.org.