Ryan Dorsey : Smithsonian

Plumbing & HVAC Why did you get into the trade? I got into the trade because I had a fascination with repairing things. While I was growing up I constantly took things apart and put them back together. I loved working with my hands. My father knew a local plumber who needed a helper when I was 12, and as …

David Johnson: REACH! Partnership School / Baltimore City Public School System

David Johnson brings his 27 years of experience as an electrician to the classroom as a vocational instructor in Baltimore’s REACH! Partnership School. Through his knowledge and enthusiasm, Johnson encourages Baltimore youth to pursue a career in the trades. How did you get into the trade?             I developed an interest in the electrical trade at the age of 8. …

Workforce Development that WORKS Project JumpStart Celebrates 10th Anniversary

It’s been ten years since Project JumpStart held its first class in the footprint of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since that time, more than 700 city residents have gone through the 13-week, 90 pre-apprenticeship program that prepares its participants for a career as a skilled craft professional. Of those 700, 80 percent have graduated. And of those who graduate, more than …

Kyle Zellman : Hirsch Electric

A second-generation electrician, Kyle Zellman has worked as an electrician for more than 14 years. Zellman also passes on his knowledge to the next generation as an electrical instructor for Associated Builders and Contractor’s electrical apprenticeship training program. Why did you get into the trade? My father was an electrician who took pride in his work and showed my brother …

Bill Triplett M. Nelson Barnes & Sons, Inc.

Sheet Metal Shop Foreman For more than 42 years, Bill Triplett has worked in the sheet metal field beginning with his first job in August of 1973, and one month later, becoming an apprentice through the Associated Builders and Contractors apprenticeship program. Triplett became a shop foreman in 1982 and has worked at M. Nelson Barnes & Sons, Inc., based …

James A. Keseling Calvert Mechanical Solutions

Trade: Sales and Technical Support Manager for HVAC & Plumbing Why did you get into the trade? I started out pursuing lay-out and design in high school. I went into the trade making duct work, and then got into plumbing and HVAC within the same company. I got into the trade to make a difference. Over the years, I’ve seen …