keynote speaker
Bob McCall
Getting Safety Performance to the Next Level
Bob McCall, President of Inspire High Performance, LLC, draws on more than 30 years of experience in the utility industry, addressing leadership, culture, expectations, and behaviors that need to be changed. McCall will follow up his inspirational opening presentation with a workshop providing battle-tested tools to help erectors improve these areas of their organization.
McCall took his degree in Building Construction Technology to work for Bechtel Power Corporation Alliant Entergy, and Progress Energy, ultimately responsible for five plants, traveling maintenance, engineering and project management. He has worked in both Transmission and Distribution. After 33 years in the industry, Bob retired from Duke Energy as General Manager of Fleet Services, where he was responsible for managing over 13,000 vehicles and mobile equipment value over $600 million dollars, operating in six states with 58 locations. His true passion is helping organizations build a culture of high performance where all can work at their top potential every day, thus preventing injuries, saving lives, recognizing errors, and improving processes.
session speakers
Tim Eldridge
How to Become a SEAA/NCCER Training Unit
Find out how to become a member of SEAA’s network of Craft Training providers, offering SEAA/NCCER training and assessments. Participation in the program provides SEAA member companies with access to nationally recognized credentials for ironworkers. Benefits include reduced costs and administrative requirements. Because of SEAA’s affliation with NCCER, members also have access to the dozens of other construction craft training materials, assessments, and certifications.
Tim Eldridge is SEAA’s Craft Training and Assessment Administrator.
How to Become a SEAA/NCCER Training Unit
Find out how to become a member of SEAA’s network of Craft Training providers, offering SEAA/NCCER training and assessments. Participation in the program provides SEAA member companies with access to nationally recognized credentials for ironworkers. Benefits include reduced costs and administrative requirements. Because of SEAA’s affliation with NCCER, members also have access to the dozens of other construction craft training materials, assessments, and certifications.
Tim Eldridge is SEAA’s Craft Training and Assessment Administrator.
Scott Seppers
Common Rigging Mistakes Never assume riggers have the knowledge and training needed to correctly account for the many factors that affect rigging scenarios. Mistakes are frequently made when determining sling angle, tension, and rigging capacities. Many riggers do not know how to read capacity charts or perform basic math calculations. Scott Seppers, a former rigger and ironworker, now applies his 19 years of field experience and leadership as a general foreman to training for Trivent Safety Consulting. |
Lee Pialaet
Managing and Updating Your Company's AISC Certification Continuous change to the AISC Certification program has companies scrambling to keep up with Quality and Safety Management Systems. Lee Pielaet brings practical advice, best practices and case studies to help companies manage these systems. The open forum is intended for participant Q&A. Lee Pielaet of Pioneer Steel Services, Inc., is an AISC/QMC contract auditor. He has personally conducted over 1,100 audits, and uses that experience to help companies achieve, manage, and upgrade AISC certifications. |
Jim Fisher
Structural Steel Field Fixes & Solutions Problems encountered during construction and erection of structural steel buildings often requires field fixes. Several case studies will examine solutions, as well as how to prevent the occurrence of common problems in the first place. Topics include misplacement of anchor rods, out of plumb columns, beam lines that are too long or too short, and reinforcing members and connections. Find out how to respond when you learn about field problems and how engineers can minimize the potential for problems. Dr. James Fisher, Ph.D., P.E., is Vice President Emeritus for CSD Structural Engineers. He has authored or co-authored several books and technical publications. He served as Chairman of the AISC Specification Committee from 2003 to 2010, and continues to be active on several AISC committees, as well as serving as consulting engineer to the Steel Joist Institute. |
Frank Kollman
Responding to Workplace Disasters Chaos is inevitable following a workplace disaster, whether it involves a fatality, structural collapse, crane accident, or violence. Your response requires legal, ethical and practical considerations. Learn why your actions in the first few hours are important, and how to plan for rather than react to events. Practical tips include talking to first responders, OSHA, the media, your employees, and victim’s family. Frank Kollman is management labor law and OSHA attorney and litigator for Kollman & Saucier, P.A. He has defended employers in court and before government agencies throughout the United States, frequently speaking on labor law, employment discrimination, and occupational safety and health topics. |
discussion panelists
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Tracy Bennett, Moderator Principal Partner, Mighty Mo Media Partners, LLC and Director of Lift & Move USA Tracy Bennett honed her skills as a B-to-B journalist during a 20-year career in the trade press. Her niche technical expertise was gained through years of covering the crane and rigging industry and lifting equipment rental markets. Telling young people and their parents about the opportunities for rewarding careers in construction and related fields, is something she has long been passionate about. In 2018, in addition to her role as Principal Partner of Mighty Mo Media Partners, Tracy was named Director of Lift & Move USA. Lift & Move USA is a career exploration initiative of the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association, SC&R Foundation, the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, and KHL, a publishing group. Lift & Move USA’s mission is promoting career opportunities while connecting students and educators with the people, equipment, and companies that work in crane, rigging, and specialized transportation operations. |
Tim Eldridge, Panelist President, Educational Services Unlimited, and SEAA’s Craft Training & Assessment Administrator Tim Eldridge is an educator with more than 38 years of experience in education, teaching secondary and post-secondary students, industry, and government agencies. He has a B.S. in Career and Technical Education from Appalachian State University and a M.S. in Education from NC A&T State University. He specializes in program design and implementation. Tim began his career as an industrial pipefitter, which provided the foundation for a rewarding career as a teacher, director, Assistant Bureau Chief for the NC Department of Labor, and a curriculum consultant at NC Department of Public Instruction. Since retiring from the State in 2009, he has worked with industry to recruit, train and build a sustainable workforce. He currently serves SEAA as its Craft Training and Assessment Administrator, working to build a network of Training Units and Assessments Sites that stretches from Massachusetts to California. |
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John Garrison, Panelist
Founder Ironworker Skills Institute, and former President of Garrison Steel During John Garrison’s career, he has worked as an ironworker, welder, crane operator, and construction superintendent. He was general manager of a commercial steel erection company before starting his own business in 1992. In recent years, he has turned his attention to the skills gap problem. Leveraging Alabama’s Go Build program and the state’s legislated funding for the Alabama Construction Recruitment Initiative, Garrison has utilized the SEAA/NCCER craft training and apprenticeship programs to build partnerships with local schools. This year, that effort has morphed into a not-for-profit Ironworker Skills Institute, and is turning out students with employable ironworking skills. |
Dan Belcher, Panelist
Director of Workforce Development, NCCER Dan Belcher’s experience in both education and workforce development brings unique perspective to the workforce issues facing the construction industry. Dan’s early career path was in public education, first as teacher, then administrator, and eventually director for career and technical education. As Workforce Development Director for NCCER he works closely with government, workforce, industry, and education, assisting organizations in those sectors with implementation of workforce development activities for the construction industry. He is also a liaison between NCCER and other organizations, including Association for Career and Technical Education, SkillsUSA, Advance CTE, and various AGC and ABC committees. |
Nick Morgan, Panelist
President, Adaptive Construction Solutions As a US Army Veteran, Nick Morgan understands the needs transitioning military personnel have in finding civilian employment. Following a career as an independent insurance agent, he founded ACS to provide meaningful and debt-free career pathways for veterans and other underserved populations. ACS is a SEAA/NCCER training unit and offers DOL-registered apprenticeships to connect workers with employers in construction. |
Richard Gordon and Chadwick Vail, Panelists
Executive Director of CTE, Work-Based Learning
Partnerships, Charleston County School District
Richard Gordon and Chad Vail are active in the Association for Career and Technical Education, and bring a perspective that bridges the needs between education and industry as it relates to workforce development. Richard Gordon started his educational career as a high school math and computer science teacher. Prior to being named Executive Director of Career and Technology Education for the Charleston County School District, he served as a high Assistant Principal and Principal. In addition, Richard Gordon is a U.S. Army Veteran, who currently serves as a Battalion Commander in the South Carolina Army National Guard.
As Work-based Learning Partnerships Coordinator, Chad Vail connects middle and high school students with career exploration opportunities like apprenticeships, internships, job shadowing, and field-trips. His passion for making sure students are college and career ready comes from his experience as a small business owner. He found that most applicants were unprepared for the job
interview, and most employees were inexperienced with personal finance, and had a limited understanding of how their efforts impacted the overall success of the business.
Executive Director of CTE, Work-Based Learning
Partnerships, Charleston County School District
Richard Gordon and Chad Vail are active in the Association for Career and Technical Education, and bring a perspective that bridges the needs between education and industry as it relates to workforce development. Richard Gordon started his educational career as a high school math and computer science teacher. Prior to being named Executive Director of Career and Technology Education for the Charleston County School District, he served as a high Assistant Principal and Principal. In addition, Richard Gordon is a U.S. Army Veteran, who currently serves as a Battalion Commander in the South Carolina Army National Guard.
As Work-based Learning Partnerships Coordinator, Chad Vail connects middle and high school students with career exploration opportunities like apprenticeships, internships, job shadowing, and field-trips. His passion for making sure students are college and career ready comes from his experience as a small business owner. He found that most applicants were unprepared for the job
interview, and most employees were inexperienced with personal finance, and had a limited understanding of how their efforts impacted the overall success of the business.
