JBH apprentice Kris Gillham has completed his Local 412 Apprenticeship by not only winning the Pipefitting portion of the State of NM Apprenticeship contest, but going on to win the Western Regional’s contest.

In the 2- day state competition, Kris completed projects in the following individual categories; welding, T-Drills, soldering and brazing, rigging, and VIC along with a written assessment test.  After claiming the #1 spot in the state for the pipefitter apprentices, Kris was eligible to compete in the Western Regional’s competition against apprentices from 9 western states. With five years of intense training behind him, Kris beat 38 total contestants including 7 fellow pipefitters to win the competition. He is the first person on record from LU 412 to win regionally.

Kris excelled in a written test, completion of two isometrics drawings and individual projects in the following disciplines; brazing and soldering, screw pipe, rigging, tube bending and steel. Each of the 7 tasks was worth 100 points awarded by nationally recognized judges. Plumbers, welders, sprinkler fitters and HVAC technician apprentices joined the pipefitting apprentices to take part in the 3-day contest. By the 3rd day, Kris was awarded the most points overall on the pipefitting scorecard.

The next challenge for Kris is the National competition, which takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan in August. According to LU 412 Assistant Training Coordinator Chuck Schumann, there are over 30,000 total  apprentices nationwide, making the 300 who competed regionally the top 1% of all national apprentices. Of that Top 1%, the 7 best in each category: pipefitting, plumbing, welding, sprinkler fitting and HVAC technician will compete in the national competition.

Kris has worked at JBH since he began his apprenticeship, starting out in our onsite pipe fabrication facility and most currently learning cutting-edge 3-D modeling software and supporting work at Sandia National Labs.

Congratulations Kris! Good luck at nationals!