ABC of Wisconsin Apprentice Takes Gold Medal at National SkillsUSA Competition

[West Bend, Wisc…] After earning a gold medal at the SkillsUSA Wisconsin competition in April, Devin Kissinger made an even bigger splash on the national stage. Devin, an Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin apprentice and Steiner Electric employee, took first place in the college-level Industrial Motor Control competition at the nationwide SkillsUSA Championships held in Louisville, KY in late June.

“It has been an incredibly cool experience,” said Devin, who attends Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac. “From starting out at the state-level competition to winning gold at nationals, it was a lot of fun.”

The competition encompassed a written national electrical code test, conduit bending, motor control trouble shooting, a mock interview and finally a practical exam that required participants to wire a motor control cabinet from a pre-drawn diagram.

Robb Steiner, Vice President of Steiner Electric in West Bend, is glad Devin enjoyed the competition, but was also glad to see how much the event mirrored the challenges that are seen day-to-day in construction.

“Comparing the pressure on the jobsite and the pressure that Devin was under at the national competition, it is very similar,” Robb explained. “In Louisville, he had to produce quality work, meet specific deadlines, be safe and accomplish his overall goal. That sounds a lot like work to me. Seeing him succeed at SkillsUSA shows me and his fellow employees that he will do the same at Steiner.”

Devin will begin his apprenticeship in the fall, but he is already thinking about his future. After completing the five-year program, Devin hopes his hard work will help him move up the ladder at Steiner – first to a jobsite foreman, and eventually into management in the front office.

“All of us at Steiner – from ownership to our employees – are tremendously proud of Devin and his accomplishments,” Robb added.

SkillsUSA is a national organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations, including the construction industry. At the state level, ABC of Wisconsin is an active partner with SkillsUSA for local events and advocacy of the skilled trades.

For more information about SkillsUSA, visit www.skillsusa.org.

Associated Builders and Contractors is a national trade association, representing more than 21,000 merit shop contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, manufacturers and construction-related professionals. With more than 800 members, the Wisconsin chapter is the largest in the country. ABC members support the merit shop philosophy which stresses open competition and the free enterprise system, and they believe the best construction projects are those Built On Merit.

To learn more about ABC of Wisconsin and the merit shop philosophy, visit BuiltOnMerit.org.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Nick Novak, 608-244-5883
nnovak@abcwi.org