Construction BMs train in Kansas City

New business managers from the U.S. and Canada attend training in Kansas City July 27-31.

NEARLY TWO DOZEN U.S. and Canadian business managers met in Kansas City, Mo., July 27-31 for new officer training. The event was hosted by Construction Division Services (CDS) in conjunction with the Education and Training Services Department.

“We had an excellent group that stayed focused the entire week on the curriculum we developed for new business managers,” said CDS Director Skipper Branscum. “Our goal was to introduce these leaders to the various programs and resources that are available to help them succeed.”

The business managers learned about the structure of the International union and related organizations, including the national funds office, the Boilermaker National Apprentice Program, MOST, Common Arc, and the Brotherhood Bank. They had the opportunity to meet headquarters’ staff and learn about support services available through the International. They were also introduced to the nuts and bolts of running a local lodge: legal and financial requirements, the Constitution and lodge bylaws, craft jurisdictions, communication skills, time management, and other topics.

Business managers attending the training were Casey Tibbs, Local 4 (Page, Ariz.); Tom Klein, Local 5 (New York); John Roeber, Local 11 (Helena, Mont.); Edward Latacz, Local 28 (Newark, N.J.); Tom Saccoach, Local 29 (Boston); Gary Lusk, Local 60 (Peoria, Ill.); Frank Brown, Local 69 (Little Rock, Ark.); Kevin Chaisson, Local 73 (Halifax, Nova Scotia); Randy Cruse, Local 83 (Kansas City, Mo.); Tim Ruth, Local 101 (Denver); Ronnie Dexter, Local 108 (Birmingham, Ala.); Jim Watson, Local 128 (Toronto, Ontario); Michael Herd, Local 193 (Baltimore); Mark Keffeler, Local 242 (Spokane, Wash.); Phil Halley, Local 359 (Vancouver, British Colombia); Richard Eller, Local 363 (East St. Louis, Ill.); Darin McCarthy, Local 500 (Portland, Ore.); Frank Secreet, Local 549 (Pittsburg, Calif.); Dallas Rogers, Local 555 (Winnipeg, Manitoba); Danny Blackwell, Local 582 (Baton Rouge, La.); Bernard Hilla, Local 647 (Minneapolis); and Shon Almond, NTL (Maumee, Ohio).