Meet Jordan Locklear

1st Year Carpentry ApprenticeHomewood General Contractors How did you get started in the industry?My stepdad was in the field and introduced me to the trade What challenges did you have to overcome?I had to overcome anxiety. I wasn’t used to working around so many people. What do you like most about your job?Honestly, like everything about it: Coming in early …

“Why I Work In Construction”

Meet John T. Lane Division Chief, Fire Marshal Anne Arundel County Fire DepartmentandABC Instructor, Fire Sprinkler Apprentice Class How did you get started in the industry?    I have been a career firefighter since August 1986. I have a BS in Fire Science from the University of Maryland. When I was promoted to Lt. in 1996, I was assigned to the …

‘Why I Work Construction’

Meet Toemore Knight Master ElectricianT.E.I. Electrical Solutions, Frederick, Maryland Toemore Knight knows what it means to want a better life and to start building it through working in the construction industry. Now a master electrician, Knight once struggled with drugs and was homeless. ABC’s Project JumpStart gave him that second chance. He graduated from that pre-apprenticeship program as a top-ranked …

The Modern Face of Construction

Kristina Humm and Siona Glasgow represent the modern face—and spirit–of today’s construction industry. Humm is an apprentice electrician at TEI Solutions in Frederick. Glasgow works at the Greater Baltimore Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors while pursuing her degree in construction management at Coppin State University. Each received a scholarship from ABC Greater Baltimore’s woman’s committee, which is named LOGIC …

Bill Triplett

Sheet Metal Shop ForemanM. Nelson Barnes & Sons, IncCockeysville, Maryland Q: How did you get started in the industry? I was always the kid that worked around the house with my father and grandfather whenever anything was being remodeled or fixed. When I was in high school I decided to work in one of the construction trades and my high …

David Cookson

Foreman/Fitter/ApprenticeAbsolute Fire ProtectionAnnapolis, Maryland  Q: How did you get started in construction?A friend of mine who had been in the industry. Q: What challenges did you have to overcome?To be honest, addiction. I’m in recovery and have been clean and sober for 6 years now. Living and enjoying life. Q: What do you like most about your job? The fact that …

Antoine D. Boykins, Sr.

Field SupervisorScaffold Resource LLCLanham, Maryland Q: How did you get started in the industry?  I promise you that I had no idea I would be on my way to 10 years in the construction industry when I applied, was accepted and subsequently graduated, top of my class, from Project JumpStart back in 2010. Q: What challenges did you have to …

Rob Blevins

Project Manager EstimatorEMJAY Engineering and Construction Co., Inc.Baltimore Q: How did you get started in construction? I was working a dead-end job. A few of my friends were in the industry and talked me into applying. I did and I’ve never looked back. I was hired as an apprentice and after completing the program I went through the ranks of …

Instructor Q & A: Meet Bill Plantholt

Learn about how ABC’s instructors inspire the next generation and what inspires them. Bill PlantholtLead Instructor, Project Jumpstart Q: How did you get started in the industry? A: As an electrician by trade, a friend informed me about an opening with the electrical contractor he was working with. That was almost 40 years ago. I found I liked the work and …

Why I Work Construction – Marty Fulton

Assistant Shop Foreman, M. Nelson Barnes For the past five years, Marty Fulton has taught ABC Greater Baltimore’s fourth-year sheet metal class, taking this class through all four years of the sheet metal apprenticeship. Fulton has been working in the sheet metal trade for more than 17 years, nearly 14 of those spent at M. Nelson Barnes. “Marty is very …