Retired Carpenter Celebrates 102nd Birthday

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Retired member and veteran, Frank Mekina, celebrates his 102 birthday today! Born on September 6th, 1917, Frank grew up in Barberton, OH. At the age of 16 Frank joined the Civilian Conservation Corps where he built roads, log cabins and assisted in construction of University of Berkley campus. After leaving the CCC, he then joined the navy and worked repairing war ships.

When the war ended, Frank continued his work in construction. He joined the Carpenters Union with Local 285 in 1952. He spent his free time building houses and spending time with his wife and two daughters. 

Working with contractors including Ruhlin and Donley Construction; Frank retired after 30 years with the Carpenters Union. He continues to attend Local 285’s monthly meetings for retired members.

Frank is in good spirits and enjoys telling his stories.  From the IKORCC, we want to wish Frank a very happy 102nd birthday!

 

carpenters, community, union

Boys & Girls Club & IKORCC Launch Project Blueprint

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carpenters, community, union

IKORCC Business Rep Kyle Gresham works with students at the launch of Project Blueprint in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

When the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne began their quest for a blueprint for great futures for their students, we knew it was a perfect project for the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.

Not only did union carpenters help build the new Boys & Girls Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we’ve also helped plan, build & introduce curriculum for a one-of-a-kind program called Project Blueprint.

Project Blueprint exposes kids to careers in skilled trades like carpentry, flooring, welding, electric, manufacturing and more. The idea is to show kids career options after high school other than the traditional four-year college pathway.

“That’s the key, exposing kids to careers early on so they can really dream about what is that they really like doing. This is what this program is all about,” says Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne CEO Joe Jordan.

Project Blueprint is the first of its kind in the country. Kids utilize the curriculum and learn to plan, layout, and build structures. A special room in the new Boys & Girls Club will make it easier for students to focus on their projects. The Project Blueprint room features workstations, tools, welding and more.

IKORCC Business Representative Kyle Gresham says, “From its very inception, we’ve been involved. From serving on the advisory board, helping create a curriculum, to working on projects with students.”

“It really recharges me to see how excited these young people are to try something new and realize that they can do anything they set their mind to,” Kyle adds.

Community partners are also excited for the project, on Tuesday night the Boys & Girls Club received over $200,000 in donations for materials to keep the project moving.

Signatory union contractors MKS (Michael Kinder & Sons) built the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne with interior work by Rosema.

 

 

 

 

carpenters scholarships

Congrats to our 2019 Scholarship Winners

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carpenters scholarshipsCongratulations to our 2019 Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Scholarship Program recipients!  40 students received a $1,000 scholarship toward tuition, room, and board, or books to a trade school or college.

Twenty recipients earned scholarships based upon their high school grade point average and SAT or ACT scores. Another twenty were selected randomly.

Recipients were sons, daughters, and dependent children of members of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. Parents or guardians must be members in good standing of the IKORCC for at least one year. The son, daughter, or dependent child must be a high school graduating senior or be attending a college, university or trade school as a full-time student.

Congratulations to the following 2019 IKORCC Scholarship recipients:

 

Jillian Brewster
Gabrielle Conley
Megan Dedelow
Ryan Ennis
Madeline Evans
Molly Fisher
Daniel Fugiett
Dakota Goetz
Erin Gonzales
Lyric Green
Alexis Harmes
Lincoln Howard
Trevor Howard
Blake Jenkins
Joshua Kirksey
Kirstin Knox
Alexis Krizner
Miranda Lavey
Lauren Marsh
Ryan McConnell
Dylan Mecum
Alyvia Messer
Christopher Newlin
Charlie Nunes
Liam Parsons
Andrew W Polen
Hailey Reffitt
Lyndi Reinhold
Tyler Rettig
Kayla Rutter
Autumn Schmidt
Ty Sheahan
Benjamin Smith
Kylie Snyder
Raegan Stinnett
Ashley Talaga
Tanner Tsvetkoff
Lauren Wallace
Skyler Wildfong
Connor Wilson

 

Carpenters Union Donates 170+ Smoke Detectors to local Fire Station

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When Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) Business Representative and Akron Local 285 member Abe Bruner, read in a local paper that 9 in 10 fires around Akron could have been prevented from spreading, he knew it was time to take action. Homes and families without a functioning smoke detector are at greater risk to be affected by a fire.

“More than 22 fire deaths have occurred in the last two years [in Akron].  A number of those homes did not have functioning smoke detectors”, says Lieutenant Lash.

As a Member Action Committee party chairperson in his local, Abe decided to do something about it.  Beginning last year, the committee rounded up their resources and donated around 80 new smoke detectors for the Akron Fire Department.  Lt. Lash says the department strives to get working smoke detectors on every floor or level of homes in need.

With the help of Akron Local 285, Millwright’s Local 1090, Cleveland Locals 435 and 373, Tri-County Building Trades in Akron, and Donley’s Construction; this year they have over doubled the previous years’ donation.

Around 176 new smoke detectors were donated through Captain Haas at the Akron Fire Department this past Friday, July 26th.  The Akron Fire Department will be installing these new smoke detectors into homes of families in need around the City of Akron. Haas hopes to get a new, fully functioning smoke detector in every home.

 

The committee is grateful to have the opportunity to help their community and hopes to get even more donations set up for next year.

 

(Featured in photo from left to right: Captain Haas, Kristin Fox, Rob Treichel, Abe Bruner, LT. Joe Falkenstein, Marcus Wagner.)

Brotherhood: Lima Carpenters Save Christmas

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Brotherhood. It’s not just a word. At the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters its a way of life. It means standing by each other through the good times and the bad, something UBC member Jon Donahue learned over the Christmas holiday. Check out the inspirational story of our journeyman, Jon Donahue.

 

carpenter, apprentice, career, training

Start Your Journey at our 2019 Open Houses

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carpenter, apprentice, career, trainingJoin the Carpenters of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) for our annual Open House & Apprenticeship Competition. Watch competitors battle in our Crafts Skill Competitions, take a tour of the training center, visit vendor displays, meet elected officials, enjoy refreshments and much more!

Below is a list of the 2019 Carpenter’s Training Center Open Houses:

Indianapolis Campus
711 Greenwood Springs Dr.
Greenwood, IN 46143
P: 317.807.1116
Open House: September 24, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm (Local time)

Louisville Campus
1245 Durrett Lane
Louisville, KY 40213
P: 502.366.8668
Open House: October 1, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm (Local time)

Monroe Campus
361 Breaden Drive
Monroe, OH 45050
P: 513.539.7849
Open House: September 12, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm

Columbus Campus
1899 Arlingate Lane
Columbus, OH 43228
P: 614.236.4205
Open House: September 10, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm

Newburgh Campus
5400 Covert Court
Newburgh, IN 47630
P: 812.853.9312
Open House: September 26, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm (Local time)

Merrillville Campus
1565 E 70th Court
Merrillville, IN 46410
P: 219.942.0518
Open House: September 10, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm (Local time)

Richfield Campus
4100 Maple Drive
Richfield, OH 44286
P: 330.659.9495
Open House: September 24, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm

Warsaw Campus
1095 Mariners Drive
Warsaw, IN 46582
P: 574.267.5264
Open House: September 12, 2019
Times: 8am -2pm (Local time)

Ashland Campus
574 Carpenters Way
Grayson, KY 41143
P: 606.929.1362
Open House: October 17, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm (Local time)

Terre Haute Campus
3099 S. 6th Street
Terre Haute, IN 47802
P: 812.466.7899
Open House: October 15, 2019
Times: 8am -2pm (Local time)

Rossford Campus
9270 Bass Pro Boulevard
Rossford, OH 43460
P: 419.872.4651
Open House: September 26, 2019
Times: 8am – 2pm

Apprentice Spotlight: Savannah Engelman Forges Her Own Path

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Savannah Engelman Signing DaySavannah Engelman, named after her grandpa’s favorite fishing spot, is an ambitious, young apprentice rising quickly. Savannah, a Spencer, Ohio native, is a carpentry apprentice at the Richfield Training Center and is only 18 years old. Her parents, in conjunction with the high school and Lorain County JVS, worked with the Richfield Training Center to get her enrolled in the apprenticeship program.

Savannah toured Lorain County JVS as a freshman and felt blown away by all the career choices she had. The tour showed she had many possible career paths. Savannah is an honors student and most people in her life believed she would attend a traditional college after high school.

Some teachers even tried to discourage her from leaving that path to find her own. Thanks to her strong will and supportive parents, Savannah tried four trades for a preliminary period and fell in love with carpentry. Savannah’s mom marched to the school and advocated on her behalf to sign for enrollment in the carpentry program at Lorain County JVS.

Savannah is very organized. Before graduation, her typical week had her fluctuating between high school, JVS, apprenticeship, work, and clubs. She’s also perfecting her cabinet making skills and participated at the state level in the Skills USA competition. Her high school and JVS work together to help Savannah make up hours when she is in the apprenticeship.

“Savannah has completed three classes so far at Richfield and not only has perfect attendance and a 4.0 GPA, but has a great attitude that proves to be contagious in each class she takes. We are looking at an apprentice that is going places,” says Dan Sustin, training coordinator at the Richfield Carpenters Training Center.

Savannah also works two days a week as an intern for RGI where, among other things, she cut all the pieces of the toolbox kits for IKORCC’s event at the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland. She likes the flexibility of RGI but would eventually like to work outside. With RGI for Safety Week, Savannah helped build a replica of a fire station.

When she graduated high school this May, she was well on her way to finishing her first year of apprenticeship. So far, Savannah has completed Hand and Power Tools, Metal Studs & Drywall, and is about to start Concrete Footers & Wall Forms. She says she loves the Richfield Center.

“He’s encouraging and answers every question with no judgment. He was instrumental in getting me organized with all of my school this year,” Savannah says of Dan Sustin.

A wild Friday night for Savannah includes baking chocolate chip cookies (what she was doing as we talked) and meeting up with her boyfriend to muck horse stalls together. If that doesn’t say romance, I don’t know what does. When she does have free time, Savannah likes to go camping with her family at Wills Creek near Coshocton, Ohio.

Savannah’s ambition will serve not just her, but all of us. She is just one example of the extremely talented apprentices at the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.

Tax Fraud

Activism

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IKORCC Welcomes New Members from Carpenters Industrial Council

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The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters is proud to welcome our newest members from the Carpenters Industrial Council. Below you will see a welcome letter from IKORCC EST Todd Pancake. 

Dear Member:

I’d like to take the opportunity to personally welcome you to the Indiana / Kentucky / Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.  As we continue to grow, we strive to remain as adaptable, motivated and responsive to our new members as we are to our customers. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you how each and every one of you plays an important part in our Council.  We pride ourselves by keeping informed on events affecting the union; and staying in tune with public policy changes on federal, state and local levels affecting our member’s industry and livelihood.  One of the most important facets of a union member’s responsibility is having a positive attitude – a positive attitude brings optimism and motivates toward success. Another important role you’ll play is your participation in activities organized by the Union.  Whether the Union calls for the distribution of information, collecting signatures, voting, picketing or striking, it is important for our members to participate whenever possible.

Our Brotherhood is confronting a time of many changes and we’re meeting these changes during a time of larger nation-wide and global change. We’ll continue working to ensure our organization remains on the cutting edge.

We’re continuously transforming the way we operate to improve our ability to be competitive in an ever-changing climate. Our members and partners have continued to meet challenges that arise and we will work together to overcome them. We are very proud of where we are today and excited about where we are headed.

This link will provide contact information for all of your Regional Council Offices. Should you have questions, please contact the office closest to your home local.

Before I finish, I’d just like you to know that you, as part of our team, are our most important and greatest asset. We could not accomplish what we do every day without our members. I’m very pleased to welcome you to the Indiana / Kentucky / Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters and look forward to working with you!

M. Todd Pancake
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters

Call to the Hall! Ohio Carpenters To Rally Against Tax Fraud at Columbus City Hall

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Ohio carpenters & their families will rally outside of the Columbus City Hall on Monday, April 15th from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to shine a spotlight on the corrupt practices of illegitimate contractors who steal billions of dollars from our communities – money that should be spent on education, public safety, and infrastructure. Tax fraud is just one aspect of the illegal business practices plaguing the Ohio construction industry, along with wage theft, independent contractor misclassification, and workers’ compensation insurance fraud.

The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) will join area members in the fight to crack down on these destructive and illegal business practices at the Columbus City Hall. The IKORCC hopes the event will bring awareness of the damage tax fraud causes in Ohio and encourage the Columbus City Council to take action to stop it.

The fraud comes when workers are paid off the books by shady subcontractors and labor brokers, who are hired by contractors to underbid law-abiding businesses. Fraud happens on all types of projects, including taxpayer-funded projects —, which means we all lose.  Rampant cheating in the construction industry makes it difficult to repair roads, bridges and schools, care for veterans and shore up Medicare and Social Security.

Construction industry tax fraud and related crimes and violations are happening every day on large-scale projects, costing Ohio communities an estimated $248 million dollars in state and local taxes.

Recovering unpaid tax dollars in Ohio could pay for:

  • 7,937 teachers
  • 325 miles of resurfaced highways
  • 49% increase in school construction/ renovation

The April 15th rally in Columbus is part of the nationwide Construction Industry Tax Fraud Days of Action by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America to raise awareness and generate action against tax fraud and related crimes.