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.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett Talks Tax Fraud at Indiana Statehouse

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Lawmakers, contractors, and construction workers in Indianapolis are preparing for Days of Action events to bring attention to the growing problem of tax fraud in the construction industry.

Over 100 Indiana lawmakers, contractors & construction workers will gather at the Indiana Statehouse on Monday, April 15th, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the north atrium 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 industry, along with wage theft, independent contractor misclassification, and workers’ compensation insurance fraud.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett will share his thoughts on tax fraud in Indianapolis and how it hurts the city. Mayor Hogsett addresses the crowd at 12:15 p.m. “It’s tax fraud, because it’s the taxes that you and I pay that are being manipulated,” said Joe Hogsett, Mayor of Indianapolis. “From neighborhood-based programs to major initiatives, to the public/private partnerships that drive our city forward – all of these things are only possible when everyone pays their fair share.”

The Construction Industry Partnership will be joined by the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters, state & local lawmakers and some of the state’s most prominent business owners in the fight to crack down on these destructive and illegal business practices.

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

Construction industry tax fraud and related crimes and violations are happening every day on large-scale projects, costing Hoosier communities an estimated $405 million dollars statewide in lost federal and state taxes.

Recovering unpaid tax dollars in Indiana could pay for:

  • 8,741 state troopers
  • 7,937 teachers
  • 325 miles of resurfaced highways
  • 783 small business loans

The April 15th rally in Indianapolis 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.

About the Construction Industry Partnership:

Representing the carpenters union and over 700 contractors throughout the state of Indiana, the Construction Industry Partnership is dedicated to create a lasting and positive impact on the construction industry. By acting as one unit, the CIP can advocate for change at a political level, demand high standards are enforced and recruit top talent throughout the state.

Brother Todd Pancake Named IKORCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer

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Todd PancakeNewly elected Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Executive Secretary-Treasurer, M. Todd Pancake, has been a member of the Carpenters Union for nearly 40 years and is a proud member of Local 133 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Union pride runs in his family, his father was a member of the operating engineers and both his brothers are carpenters with the UBC. He completed his apprenticeship in 1984, earning his Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from Ivy Tech. Brother Pancake worked in the field for 10 years as a carpenter, steward and foreman while also serving as the president of his local.

In 1991, EST Pancake accepted a position as a carpenter instructor for the Central Indiana Carpenters Apprenticeship program where he taught general carpentry classes including blueprint reading, layout, health & safety, scaffolding and interior systems.

In 2005, EST Pancake took on a new role as the Director of Education for the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Training Fund. As the Director of Education, EST Pancake oversaw nine training centers in Indiana and Kentucky, grew the apprenticeship and Career Connections programs, and implemented new programs to enhance leadership training.

In 2017, EST Pancake joined the IKORCC as the chief-of-staff working directly with now Midwest Vice President Mark McGriff. In his role as chief-of-staff, EST Pancake had the opportunity to work with contract negotiations, council committees and most importantly focus on exceeding council goals.

In March 2019, General President Douglas McCarron asked then EST Mark McGriff to accept the position of Midwest Vice President. Upon accepting the role VP McGriff said,

“Todd Pancake was an obvious choice for the role. He has served our membership for 40 years as a carpenter, instructor, director of education and chief-of-staff. I’m confident that under his leadership the IKORCC will continue to surpass goals and lead the way for years to come.”

Brother Todd Pancake Named New EST

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M. Todd Pancake has been a member of the Carpenters Union for nearly 40 years and is a proud member of Local 133 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Union pride runs in his family, his father was a member of the operating engineers and both his brothers are carpenters with the UBC. He completed his apprenticeship in 1984, earning his Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from Ivy Tech. Brother Pancake worked in the field for 10 years as a carpenter, steward and foreman while also serving as the president of his local.

In 1991, EST Pancake accepted a position as a carpenter instructor for the Central Indiana Carpenters Apprenticeship program where he taught general carpentry classes including blueprint reading, layout, health & safety, scaffolding and interior systems.

In 2005, EST Pancake took on a new role as the Director of Education for the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Training Fund. As the Director of Education, EST Pancake oversaw nine training centers in Indiana and Kentucky, grew the apprenticeship and Career Connections programs, and implemented new programs to enhance leadership training.

In 2017, EST Pancake joined the IKORCC as the chief-of-staff working directly with now Midwest Vice President Mark McGriff. In his role as chief-of-staff, EST Pancake had the opportunity to work with contract negotiations, council committees and most importantly focus on exceeding council goals.

In March 2019, General President Douglas McCarron asked then EST Mark McGriff to accept the position of Midwest Vice President. Upon accepting the role VP McGriff said,

“Todd Pancake was an obvious choice for the role. He has served our membership for 40 years as a carpenter, instructor, director of education and chief-of-staff. I’m confident that under his leadership the IKORCC will continue to surpass goals and lead the way for years to come.”

EST Pancake started his career like many of our members, as a first-year apprentice. He worked his way up from that point, honorably serving our membership in various leadership roles along the way. His experience on the training side coupled with his work for the council gives him a 360-degree view of where we are as a council and where we need to go.

Please join us in congratulating the IKORCC’s new EST Todd Pancake. 

First-Year Apprentices Learn Tricks of the Trade

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Last weekend we invited first-year carpenter apprentices in central Indiana to an apprentice appreciation breakfast. IKORCC senior representative Steve Hoyt says it’s the first of many events planned around Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio aimed at retaining and mentoring apprentices throughout their training.

“First, we want the apprentices to learn as much as they can & try to get as many tips as they can to be successful in the carpenters union. The other is for our staff to help mentor these individuals,” Hoyt says.

Representatives from Pepper Construction, Gibson-Lewis and Mr. David’s Flooring answered questions & gave tips on succeeding as an apprentice.

“We’re looking for the standouts, those are the kind of people we like to hire and we like to keep on,” says Wes Simpson with Mr. David’s Flooring.

In addition to a great breakfast, carpenter apprentices say they learned a lot of valuable information that will help them succeed with the carpenters.

“The most important thing is to always show up on time for everything, whether it’s your schooling or work,” says first-year carpenter apprentice Christopher Hudson.

“Basically keep a positive attitude, show up for work and do what you got to do to succeed,” said first-year apprentice Antoine Havvard

First-year carpenter apprentice Justin Eastman added, “The most important thing I learned today is how much support we have here and how many outlets we have to avoid a catastrophe with our apprenticeship. These people are here to help us, they have no ulterior motives, they don’t want to make our lives complicated, they just want to help. We aren’t here to make friends, but at the end of the day, we are brothers. Whatever you need help with reach out and make that phone call.”

Click here to learn more about our apprenticeship and how you can start building your future.

Louisville Carpenters Help Homeless Vets

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The Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) Membership Action Committee of Carpenters Local 175 Louisville, KY hung drywall in a home slated to be donated to a homeless Louisville veteran. This is one of three homes Kentucky Carpenters have helped renovate to help homeless veterans.

The project is a part of Operation Victory, affiliated with the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs. IKORCC contractors and suppliers graciously donated the drywall, screws, mud, tape, misc supplies, and even the finishing to make the project a success. Over a dozen members and their families came out to volunteer their time, knowledge and tools to help give this veteran a safe place and a fresh start.

“Our local has a lot of veterans and Helmets to Hardhats members. They put their lives on the line to protect us while serving, they should have a place to sleep when they get back home. It’s why our local is a proud partner in remodeling this home,” says Local 175 member and IKORCC business representative Noah Grimes.

Operation Victory is a coalition of Greater Louisville Area Unions, Non-Profit/Community Organizations, and Local Area Businesses joined together to rehabilitate vacant and abandoned homes for a Homeless Louisville Veteran. Veteran homelessness is an issue that is important to the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters because veterans put their lives on the line to protect us, and we believe they should have a home to come back to. The Operation Victory coalition plans to help at least four more homeless veterans this year with some help from area businesses and the IKORCC.

Special thanks to all who helped the veteran get back on his feet, including: Tony Dobson, Shea Dobson, Ron Gibson, Andrew Kayla Faulkner, Robert Johnson, Kelly Davis, Gleen Koenig, Stephen Sites, Ben Ganote, Ben’s son Angelo Moore, Mike Blevins, Thomas Hacker, Quality Interiors, L&W Supply Louisville, and Intex Systems.