Recently, delegates of the Central South Carpenters Regional Council (CSCRC) unanimously re-elected Jason Engels as its executive secretary-treasurer (EST), a position he has held since 2004. Further, CSCRC is hosting a grand opening for its New Orleans Offices and Training Center this month.
BIC Magazine recently visited with Engels to learn more about CSCRC and its expansion.
Q: What led to your position at CSCRC?
A: I am a native of the area and came up through the ranks as a working carpenter. I understand what the region needs to support our construction industry, especially to alleviate the skilled manpower shortage. As EST of the Central South Carpenters, I use my experience to leverage the right strategies to keep jobsites staffed with not just any manpower but well-trained and safe professionals.
Q: What is the most important part of your position?
A: My job is to listen to the manpower needs of the area construction industry and act accordingly. The overwhelming request is for safe, skilled carpenters on jobsites from Texas and Oklahoma to Arkansas and Louisiana. Safety and productivity is not an “either-or” proposition for us. Safety is stressed from the first day of apprenticeship and reinforced every day on the jobsite.
We use our heads as much as our hands and as a result, there are more than 5,500 highly trained carpenters with all sorts of credentials in place who are available to staff projects in scaffolding, interior systems, heavy form, highway construction, piledriving, trade show and infection control construction for occupied health care facilities.
Q: What are your goals for your position?
A: We want to fix the manpower problem and lead economic growth. With a workforce that increases the productivity of contractors, our region’s construction community is more competitive. We know time is money, and we want the job to complete on time and on budget so the customer is happy. That result keeps contractors profitable and competitive to win more work and put more people to work in our region.
Q: How do you plan to address coming changes in the workforce?
A: We are running an aggressive recruitment campaign to bring new carpenters to the field and leverage the talents of military veterans and existing carpenters who want steady work and a good quality of life. We are also putting our existing carpenters through a rigorous leadership training program to develop foreman, superintendent, communication, problem solving, business and a host of other soft skills.
Q: What is the biggest news in CSCRC right now?
A: We just launched a multimillion-dollar investment in the local economy: The Central South Carpenters’ New Orleans Offices and Training Center, located at 2850 Massachusetts Ave., Metairie, Louisiana. It also is headquarters of the council, which covers Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The center is a hands-on skill training, leadership training and administrative support facility for professional carpenters.
We are hosting a grand opening celebration Oct. 22 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to showcase what this training means to the local construction community and for economic development. The event will include tours, vendor exhibits, a look at various training courses and hands-on demonstrations. VIPs scheduled to attend include leadership of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, legislators, community officials and economic development leaders.
We invite BIC Alliance members to join us at the grand opening as we launch the next chapter in the Louisiana construction industry. For more information and to RSVP, call (504) 305-4737.
For more information, visit www.centralsouthcarpenters.org or call (504) 305-4737.
