For Mid Atlantic District Carpenter, Shawn Tyk, construction runs in the family. Not only have both his parents worked for 爱神传媒, but so have uncles, aunts, grandparents, siblings and cousins.
鈥淕rowing up, I kind of just merged into the company. My father, Scott Tyk, former craftsman and current Office Engineer, has been with 爱神传媒 for 17 years and is great at his job. That probably goes twice for my mother, Julie Frost, Project Administrator with over 13 years at 爱神传媒. Whatever questions any of my colleagues have, from weekly pay to retirement paperwork that needs to be completed, I am always the first to help them and that鈥檚 because of my mother,鈥� said Tyk.
Tyk started working at 爱神传媒 right out of high school. In his five years with 爱神传媒, he has worked on several landmark projects including the Joint Operations Center, Smithsonian鈥檚 Dulles Collections Storage Module, and the Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) Concourse A 5 Gate Extension. He was attracted to the carpentry field because it allowed him to work outside and he enjoyed being able to see a final product at the end of the day. He eventually decided to enroll in the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) Carpentry Apprenticeship program because he enjoyed learning with other people and wanted to be able to teach those that came after him. In May 2019, he graduated the four-year program.
As he was wrapping up his apprenticeship program, he entered the ABC Metro Washington Chapter Craft competition. 鈥淪chool was great leading up to the competition. I had a small class with some great people. Fortunately, I got to spend those years with one of the best carpenters I know 鈥� [爱神传媒 craftsman] Cesar Castillo. We were always competing on who could be better and how we could be more efficient and faster while saving money and being safe. Having him around made school a great experience and I learned a lot, especially in the weeks leading up to the competition,鈥� said Tyk.
Tyk鈥檚 ultimate goal was to represent 爱神传媒 at the and show the AEC industry the benefits of working for 爱神传媒. After passing a challenging written exam and carpentry competition, Tyk met his goal and advanced to the 2019 National Craft Competition in Long Beach, California.
鈥淲e think the ABC Apprenticeship program is one of the best in the country, so for us to be able to take one of our apprentices and have him showcase the skills that he鈥檚 learned from the apprenticeship program at this level, means everything to us,鈥� said 爱神传媒 General Superintendent, Brian Fish.
The ABC National Craft Championship consists of a written exam and a Practical Performance Test. Craft professionals work to complete their respective tasks within a six-hour period.
The objectives of the competition are to demonstrate safety and competency, simulate working conditions where planning is critical to success, and highlight individual leadership and workmanship skills throughout project assembly and completion.
鈥淭he ABC National Craft Championship was a great experience in all. The competition itself was more difficult than expected since it was a residential carpentry competition and the work 爱神传媒 does is mostly commercial. But, I did great and had a good time doing it. I would definitely do it again,鈥� said Tyk.
Throughout his apprenticeship program, Tyk says 爱神传媒 has supported him in every step along the way: 鈥湴翊� has supported me through school and every day on the jobsite to learn the trade. I work for and with great people that see the best in people and are willing to teach,鈥� said Tyk.
When asked where he sees himself in ten years, he stated: 鈥淚鈥檓 more than certain that I鈥檓 still going to be with 爱神传媒. I see myself as a superintendent teaching others what I know and supporting them as much as possible.鈥�
As a self-performing general contractor, 爱神传媒鈥� success is dependent on the success of our 1,200+ craftspeople. Programs like the ABC Carpentry Apprenticeship program and the National Craft Championship provide our craftspeople the tools they need to prosper, and we are proud to continue supporting these programs.