TENNESSEE MERIT SHOP CONSTRUCTION










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Nov 11-13
Nov 12
Dec
Dec
Leadership Institute Punta Gorda, FL



President/CEO: Clay Crownover- clayc@abctn.org Director of Membership & Events- Alexandria Lang alang@abctn.org
Marketing & Member Services Manager: Rachel Goreckirgorecki@abctn.org
Director of Education & Safety: Reed Hendricks rhendricks@abctn.org Senior Workforce Development Manager (East): George Lokken, glokken@abctn.org

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2025 Executive Committee
Steven Bishop (Chair) Brasfield & Gorrie
Jamie Holmes (Vice Chair) T.W. Frierson Contractor
Casin Swann (Secretary) Pavement Restorations, Inc.
Thomas Ford (Member) Massey Electric Company
Bryan Hay (Immediate Past Chair) SKANSKA
Justin Marcus (Past Chair) JOSEPH Construction
2025 Board of Directors
Tyler Baldridge BELL Construction
Andy Farmer Rodefer Moss
Steve Garner Blount Excavating
Thomas Hall
Sherrard, Roe, Voigt, Harbison
Kirk Johnson Stowers Cat Machinery
Griff Irby Carter Group
Brent Neal F.E. Neal & Co.
Richard Smith Smith & Cashion
Michael Walker, Jr. Walker Electric
Ray Wallace Gaylor Electric
John Warner
ABEC Electric
Roger White
Rackley Roofing
Dear Members, Partners, and Industry Advocates,
As we move into the final quarter of 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on our progress and share some exciting developments. Our team has been working hard this summer, a period that is traditionally slow, and their efforts have paid off. We have seen significant wins across the board, from our growing membership to the expansion of our trades programs. This momentum is a testament to our collective commitment to building a stronger future for the skilled trades and the commercial construction industry.
One of our biggest successes is the growth of our Construction Trades Academy in Middle and East Tennessee. We have a record-breaking enrollment of 506 students, which includes a whopping 250% increase in our Knoxville enrollment. The official start dates are September 15th and 16th, and we are ready. Our instructors have completed their required training, and our labs are being prepared for a hands-on learning experience. This year, we are also preparing to compete in the National Craft Championships on November 20th. Our students will be tested on their skills with a 50-question exam, and we are confident they will represent us well.
Some of this year’s successes:
• Growing Membership: We met our board goals for membership and achieved a remarkable 90% retention rate, placing us 15th nationally and 2nd in the Southeast Region for retention.
• Trades Academy Expansion: We are seeing record enrollment and have successfully launched a new dual enrollment program with Knox County Schools and other pilot programs in East Tennessee.
• National Recognition: Our success has not gone unnoticed. We are ranked 8th nationally for overall growth and continue to build our reputation as a leader in the skilled trades.
As we come upon membership renewal season, it is important to note that we are not just a trade association, we are a community dedicated to your success. As you consider your renewal, remember that your membership fuels the progress detailed in this letter, from training the next generation of skilled workers to providing the advocacy and support that helps your business continue to thrive. By renewing your membership, you are investing in a future where our industry is stronger, more connected, and more profitable for everyone. Join us for another year as we build on this momentum and create even more opportunities together.
For the Merit Shop, Clayton F. Crownover

President/CEO
N E W M E M B E R S
A L L I E D F I R E P ROT EC T I O N
MAX MCCAULEY 713 858-8782
MMCCAULEY@ALLIEDFIREPROTECTION.COM
C O M M E RC I A L I N S U R A N C E A S S O C I AT ES
CHRIS HART 615 515-6001
CHART@COM-INS.COM
D D C E XC AVAT I N G , L LC
MORGAN DEAL MORGAN@DDCEXCAVATING.COM
G R E E N R I S E
ALEXEI JAGLOWSKI 629 230-2150
ALEXEI.JAGLOWSKI@GREENRISE.COM
KOW B OY F E N C E C O M PA N Y
AMY PINTO 508 816-4824
AMY@KOWBOYFENCE COM
L E X E N T E R P R I S ES , I N C . FRANCISCO CASTRO 615 474-8882
ALEXCASTRO@LEX-ENTERPRISE.COM I
CHUCK ROBINSON 888 265-1211
CROBINSON@INTEGRATEDPROTECTION.COM
J L S H AW C O N S U LT I N G L L P
JOSEPH SHAW 615 572-5775
JOE SHAW@JLSHAWCONSULTING COM























MICHAEL BORJA 615 614-7933
MBORJA@MUSTBESAFETY COM
SANDI SCOTT 615 445-9887
SSCOTT@THINKPROGRESSIVE.COM
&
JAKE WITTE 262 953-7212
JAKE WITTE@RRINS COM
R I S K C A
JESSICA BOGNER 571 235-2359
JESSICA.BOGNER@RISKCAST.COM
JOHN WOODS
865 801-4827
JWOODS@STERLINGELECTRICCO.COM T
SANDRA POTTER
A.HEREIDA@THECLEANINGLEADERS.COM
TRIPP SMITH TSMITH@TEAMBLUEPRINT COM
SO
DEAN ARBUCKLE 615 426-5088
DEAN@VERASCAPECOMMERCIAL.COM

























































Q: How long have you been with ABC?
September 30th, 2025 will be my 1 year anniversary with ABC.
Q: What is your main responsibility as Director of Education at ABC Greater Tennessee?
My main responsibility is to support the team I work with to guide, motivate and encourage our apprentices and Instructors as they navigate the levels of apprenticeship training here at our Construction Trades Academy.
Q: What is your favorite part of working at ABC?
3:00pm when our parking lot starts filling up. When those parking spaces are full, it's such a reward for all of the work our team does to make this Trades Academy successful.
Q: What is your favorite ABC event?

Excellence in Construction, EIC. Witnessing firsthand the monumental task of putting this event together and watching it run so smoothly. Simply amazing.
Q: Who is your favorite singer/songwriter/ band?
Favorite singer/Chris Cornell - Song Writer/Elton John & Bernie TaupinBand/Rolling Stones
Q: What hobbies do you have?
My number one hobby for 35 years is playing guitar.
Q: What do you enjoy most in your free time?
Any chance I get to see my daughters is my most favorite free time. Zoe and Charlotte are my world, the most beautiful aspect of my life and my biggest source of support.
Q: What is your favorite sports team?
This is a loaded question. Knowing I am a New Yorker my physical well-being could potentially be jeopardized based on my answer. Keeping this in mind my answer is going to be authentic. The Vols... who are occasionally known as the NY Giants. For those "in the know".
Q: What is your quote/poem?
Henry Ford - "whether you think you can, or think you can't... you're right"

show/movie?
Favorite TV show was Seinfeld/Favorite movie is easy; Godfather/Shawshank Redemption/True Romance/Pulp Fiction/ Forrest Gump/One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.


GET INTO POLITICS OR GET OUT OF BUSINESS!


Increasing Our Engagement. How do we build influence or in other words increase our civic engagement? We all understand that our different levels of government are a bit like the layers of an onion. First is our local government that provides public safety services, education, and infrastructure. Then, our state government provides public health services, education, and infrastructure. Then, the federal government provides for the common defense, and three major social service/insurance programs, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
2026 Races Shaping Up. Tennessee Governor and former ABC Board Chair, Bill Lee, is term limited and can not seek reelection. The upcoming 2026 election has drawn the attention of two major Republican candidates. Sixth District Congressman John Rose (60) from Putnam County and Senator Marsha Blackburn (73) from Williamson County are
IF YOU WANT TO RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS YOU HAVE TO GET OFF THE PORCH!

2025 Special Election. On July 20, 2025, Congressman Mark Green resigned, his 7th District US House seat for a better, but as yet undisclosed gig. Governor Bill Lee has issued a writ of election to set the date for the special elections to fill the seat. The dates are October 7 for the primary and December 2 for the general election. The qualifying deadline is August 12 at noon. The 7th district is west of downtown Nashville and runs from the Kentucky line south to the Alabama line and covers all of Stewart, Montgomery, Roberston, Houston, Humphreys, Dickson, Cheatham, Decatur, Perry, Hickman, and Wayne counties, and covers the eastern part of Benton County, and the western parts of Davidson and Williamson counties. Most of the voters are in Montgomery, Williamson and Davidson counties. The district is a new one for the Tennessee political map after the 2020 census, and it has tended to vote Republican in the 2022 and 2024 elections. Early voting for the special primary election begins Wednesday, September 17, and ends Thursday, October 2. The day of the special primary election is Tuesday, October 7 and polls will be open from 7am to 7pm. The special general election is Tuesday, December 2. Turnout is expected to be very low.
Candidates of Note: Democrats Republicans
both seeking the nomination in the Republican primary election to be held on August 6, 2026. On September 8, 2025, State Representative Monty Fritts (61) of Roane County made known his intention to run as well. Congressman Rose’s decision to seek the First Floor corner office in the State Capitol creates a race with no incumbent in the Sixth Congressional District. Early candidates are State Representative Johnny Garrett (47) of Sumner County and former congressman Van Hilleary (66) formerly of Rhea County. The sprawling sixth district ranges from Scott County in the East all the way to a portion of Davidson County. Sumner County has the largest population in the district. Get off the Porch! Register and Vote!
Aftyn Behn
Darden Copeland
Vince Dixie
Bo Mitchell
Jody Barrett
Gino Bulso
Matt Van Epps
Lee Reeves




By: Senator Jack Johnson

Tennessee has long been recognized as a leader in economic development, job creation, and conservative, pro-business governance. But as we look to the future, it's clear that our state's most valuable asset isn't just our low taxes or balanced budget — it's the hardworking men and women who build and maintain the foundations of our economy.
In recent years, Tennessee has emerged as a national leader in supporting skilled trades and the construction industry. We’ve attracted major job creators — from advanced manufacturers and automotive leaders to logistics companies and data centers — all of which rely on modern infrastructure and a strong pipeline of construction professionals. But these opportunities don’t materialize by accident. They exist because of deliberate conservative policy decisions that prioritize workforce development, uphold the principles of free enterprise, and protect workers' rights to earn a living without interference from big labor.
Organizations like the Associated Builders and Contractors are on the front lines of this mission, advocating for merit-based employment, expanding apprenticeship opportunities, and preparing the next generation of tradesmen and women. As policymakers, it’s our job to ensure their work is supported — not obstructed — by the laws of our state.
That’s why I’ve consistently sponsored and supported legislation to preserve Tennessee’s Right to Work protections, streamline professional licensing requirements, and invest in career and technical education. In 2022, Tennesseans overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to enshrine Tennessee's Right to Work protections in our state constitution — affirming that no worker should be forced to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment. That vote sent a powerful message to the nation: Tennessee stands with workers, not union bosses.
We’re also making record investments in workforce development. Through programs like the Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) Act, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) system, and partnerships with industry groups like ABC, we’re aligning education with the real-world needs of employers. These efforts are producing results — not just diplomas, but job-ready graduates who are welding, wiring, framing, and pouring the foundations of tomorrow’s economy.
Tennessee’s growth is no accident. It’s the result of intentional conservative leadership, a commitment to economic freedom, and respect for the dignity of work — whether it’s behind a desk or behind the controls of an excavator.
In every corner of our state, you’ll find the fingerprints of the trades — highways, hospitals, schools, small businesses, and the homes where Tennessee families raise their children. We must continue to champion the builders and contractors who make this all possible.



Roughly every 34 seconds
Employees who suffer a heart attack can miss an average of 177 days of work.1
About every 3 minutes & 14 seconds someone dies from a stroke.
Cardiovascular disease costs employers an estimated
$422 billion.
About half of adults have some form of cardiovascular disease.
On average, employees with uncontrolled high blood pressure are more likely to be absent from work.
70% of Americans feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency.
Nearly 1 in 5 cardiac arrests occur in public, such as at work, a job site or a public location.
About 343,000 construction workers have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
Form a company Heart Walk team.
Exposure to dust, fumes, chemicals or secondhand smoke at work may increase CVD risk.
Develop a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan for your worksite. someone dies from cardiovascular disease.
Nearly 3 in 10 construction workers use tobacco.
Approx. 1 in 15 construction workers have diabetes.
Close to 1 in 4 construction workers are obese.
Offer volunteerism opportunties to your employees.
Please
Share mental health and well-being resources with employees.
Offer Hands-Only CPR skills demonstrations at work.
Participate in Well-Being Works Better™
Roughly 45% of construction workers do not meet CDC exercise guidance.

[September 4, 2025] DeAngelis Diamond, one of America’s largest construction firms with over $5 billion in completed projects, is proud to support National Construction Suicide Awareness Week this September 8th - 12th. This year, the firm is encouraging everyone to keep an eye out for signs and hard hat stickers around town, sharing messages of hope and resources for mental health are popping up on job sites across Central Florida and beyond.
At DeAngelis Diamond, people come first. The company is deeply committed to protecting the safety, health, and wellbeing of its team members, trade partners, and community.
The company is proud to build the places where communities live, work, play, and heal. While it is honorable work, construction also carries risks beyond the jobsite. The industry has the second-highest rate of suicide in the United States, four times the national average. To raise awareness and promote mental health resources, DeAngelis Diamond has posted more than 250 signs across its jobsites. Each sign shares words of encouragement in both English and Spanish such as “You Matter / Tú Importas” and “It’s Okay to Ask for Help / Está Bien Pedir Ayuda”, reminding team members and the public that they are not alone. In addition, team members’ hard hats now display stickers with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number, serving as a daily reminder that help is always available.
“At DeAngelis Diamond, we believe every person is created in God’s image and has immeasurable worth. Our mission to have a positive influence on everyone goes beyond buildings,” said John DeAngelis, President and Co-Founder of DeAngelis Diamond. “It’s about caring for people and reminding them that their lives have meaning. As Jeremiah 29:11 promises, ‘For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. By raising awareness about mental health, we want every person to know they are not alone, they matter deeply, and there is always hope.”
Beyond raising awareness, DeAngelis Diamond is actively working to expand access to behavioral healthcare facilities nationwide. Currently, DeAngelis Diamond is working with healthcare clients including the David Lawrence Center, Gracepoint Healthcare, NoliWhite Group, Universal Health Services and Bradford Health. These projects, and others like them, reflect the firm’s commitment to breaking stigma, increasing accessibility, and supporting communities with much-needed behavioral health resources. On these sites, you’ll spot the encouraging signs and hard hat stickers reminding every worker that help, and hope are always within reach.
“Our Hope for Collier Initiative is about building stronger minds together and ensuring all have access to exceptional, compassionate care. We are honored by DeAngelis-Diamond’s partnership with DLC throughout the years and we are excited to continue to shatter the behavioral health stigma with them, raise life-saving awareness, and expand our facilities to see everyone we impact thrive again.” said Scott Burgess, Chief Executive Officer of the David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health.
With nearly three decades of healthcare construction experience, the firm continues to create environments that prioritize patient dignity, staff safety, and long-term well-being through trauma-informed design, ligature-resistant construction, and secure care environments.
DeAngelis Diamond is an innovative, award-winning national construction management firm specializing in commercial, multi-family, and healthcare construction with more than 29 years of experience across the United States and the Caribbean Islands. It’s one of America’s fastest-growing companies, according to Inc. 5000, and is listed on ENR’s Top 400 Contractors list annually. DeAngelis Diamond’s mission is to develop authentic relationships and have a positive influence on everyone they meet. Visit deangelisdiamond.com for more information.




By: Mike Kalinowski, Regional Director of Safety
W.E. O’Neill Construction
In construction, safety isn’t a slogan, it’s survival. Every day, our teams face real, high-risk situations that demand not only the right tools and training, but the right mindset. And the only way to ensure that mindset sticks from preconstruction through closeout is by building a strong, unified safety culture.
I’ve spent the last several years helping unify safety practices across a national general contractor with multiple regions, teams, and leadership styles. Through that experience, one thing has become clear: a true safety culture isn’t driven by one policy or one person. It’s built by creating alignment from the top down and the ground up and keeping it consistent across all jobsites.
The first step in building a unified culture is making safety personal. Compliance and regulations are critical, but people commit when they connect safety to their lives. Whether it’s going home to see their kids or protecting their crew from repeat mistakes, every worker has a reason to work safe.

Instead of just repeating “Be Safe,” we started asking, “What does safety mean to you?” We shared real stories from superintendents, project managers, and tradespeople about close calls, lessons learned, and family moments that shaped their perspective. These conversations helped shift the tone from rules to relationships because the most effective safety cultures are built on care, not just control.
A major challenge in construction is the variation in practices between offices, jobsites, and even individual teams. In one region, daily pre-task plans might be routine. In another, they may be inconsistently documented or skipped altogether. That kind of inconsistency creates risk.
We tackled this by building a centralized framework that established our non-negotiables: daily huddles, task-specific hazard planning, stop-work authority, and incident response protocols. We branded our approach internally, rolled out field-level training, and supported it with site signage and toolbox content. Most importantly, we made sure leadership at every level from the division presidents to the assistant supers were aligned in enforcing and modeling the same expectations. Uniform standards remove ambiguity, and in construction, ambiguity is dangerous.



Empower the Field, They Drive the Culture
Let’s be honest: safety doesn’t live in a policy binder. It lives in the field. If your field leaders aren’t engaged, aligned, and empowered, your safety message won’t survive first lift.
We doubled down on field leader development by providing targeted safety leadership training not just on compliance, but on communication, coaching, and decision-making. We helped superintendents learn how to lead a culture of safety instead of just policing it. We gave them tools to recognize positive behavior, hold critical conversations, and build trust with the trades.
And we listened. Our supers told us what worked and what didn’t, and we used that feedback to improve our programs in real time.

We still track TRIR and DART, of course, but those are lagging indicators. To build a proactive safety culture, we started paying attention to leading indicators like safety observations, stop-work interventions, and participation in daily planning. Then we shared those trends company-wide not just in data reports, but in stories.
When a team intervened and prevented a trench collapse by calling for a redesign, we didn’t just document it we talked about it in safety stand-downs and leadership calls. When a foreman used his stop-work authority without fear of reprisal, we highlighted it as a model for others.
In construction, every incident has a story. But every prevention has one too—and we should tell those just as loudly.
Construction companies have a tendency to roll out “new programs” every few years. But culture isn’t a program it’s a belief system. It shows up in how we walk a site, how we lead meetings, and how we hold each other accountable.
The companies that excel in safety aren’t just doing more inspections. They’re reinforcing the same message, the same expectations, and the same values every single day. They don’t just talk safety, they live it, from subcontractor onboarding to project closeout. It’s a constant presence in the operation, not a seasonal focus.
A unified safety culture in construction is achievable but it takes time, leadership, and buy-in from everyone. It starts with the belief that no deadline is more important than a life, and it grows through consistency, communication, and connection.
When safety becomes more than just a requirement when it becomes your identity you won’t have to remind people to work safe. They’ll already be doing it.


JOIN US AS WE RECOGNIZE AND HONOR PRESTIGIOUS PROJECTS AND THOSE COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE, SAFETY AND MERIT
REGISTER AT ABCTN.ORG/EIC December 11, 2025



BY: Reed Hendricks, Dir. of Education
When Harlan Electric’s Jackson Ard learned he had been selected as a recipient of the Mike Rowe Works Scholarship, the moment carried a weight far beyond financial relief. It was validation. Out of hundreds of applicants, industry leaders recognized Jackson’s work ethic, potential, and commitment to a career in the trades. “They saw something in my application and chose to invest in my future,” Ard reflects. “That makes me really proud.”

For many students, the cost of training programs and essential tools can feel like a barrier to entry. For Jackson, the scholarship erased that immediate obstacle, covering the first year of schooling and outfitting him with the tools needed to step onto the job site. “It gave me breathing room,” Jackson explained. “I can focus on learning the trade, doing the job, and saving for what comes next.”
Unlike a standard application, the Mike Rowe Works Scholarship process required storytelling, commitment, and community support. Applicants had to collect at least 10 references from people who could speak to their character and work ethic, teachers, coaches, employers, and even neighbors. At first, the task felt daunting, but it quickly turned into a reminder of how many people had noticed Jackson’s determination over the years. “My advice to others is simple: be genuine and build a solid reputation. If you show up, work hard, and treat people right, people will vouch for you.”
Hard work is nothing new for Jackson. Growing up, weekends were filled with DIY projects alongside his mother, flooring, plumbing, drywall, demolition, and even concrete work. Those projects built more than skills; they instilled a sense of pride in physical labor and accomplishment. Electrical work eventually captured his attention, combining the hands-on satisfaction of the trades with the challenge of math and science. “It’s not all glamorous,” Jackson laughed, recalling his first day on the job swinging a pickaxe for eight hours. “But it’s real work, and that’s what I enjoy.”
Now working with Harlan Electric, no two days look the same. From pulling wire to troubleshooting or assisting on large-scale projects, every day presents new challenges and learning opportunities. Some of the toughest lessons came early, discovering the physical demands of trenching conduit or relying on duct tape in unexpected ways. But the rewards are just as real: “The camaraderie reminds me of being in the wrestling room. Everyone helps you learn, and there’s a strong sense of teamwork.”
One standout project? Helping with a tennis court at Vanderbilt University. The unique constraints of noise and work schedules taught Jackson adaptability and the importance of precision.


In a world where AI and automation loom over many professions, the electrical trade offers stability and growth. “This is a field that isn’t going away,” Jackson emphasized. Looking ahead, he envisions becoming a journeyman within five years, working toward mastery and eventually project management.
To young people considering their options after high school, Jackson offers a candid perspective. Though offered a chance to wrestle in college, he chose the trades instead—driven by practicality, a clear career path, and freedom from crushing debt. “The trades aren’t for everyone—you have to be willing to get dirty, work in the dust, and put in the effort. But if you do, there’s a good living to be made.”
At Harlan Electric, quality, safety, and production form the backbone of every evaluation. For Jackson, working in a merit shop means being judged on results, not seniority. “I like that. It pushes me to prove myself every day, and I know I’ll be rewarded for the effort I put in.”
The experience has reshaped Jackson’s understanding of education itself. Instead of equating learning solely with four years in a classroom and mountains of debt, Jackson has come to value the immediate, hands-on education of the trades. “Work and education don’t have to be separate. In the trades, they go hand in hand.” Becoming a journeyman within five years, working toward mastery, and eventually project management.
If there’s one thing Jackson Ard wishes people understood about the trade, it’s the scope. “People think it’s just outlets and switches, but that’s the tip of the iceberg. My boss put it best: ‘We’re the first ones here and the last ones out. Everyone depends on us because they can’t work without us.’”
As Jackson prepares for their school year at the ABC Construction Trades Academy, he is eager to deepen his knowledge of the numbers and science behind his work. With the Mike Rowe Works Scholarship as a foundation, his journey represents more than personal success, it’s a testament to the enduring value of hard work, the skilled trades, and the opportunities waiting for those who are willing to seize them.

Restoration is at the heart of everything we do. Across Tennessee, were focused on rebuilding the roads and foundations that keep our communities moving forward.






































