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Work ethic isn’t something new professionals walk in with. It’s something leaders teach.
Every generation entering the workforce needs someone to show them what’s expected. That responsibility belongs to leadership, and it doesn’t stop at the weekly meeting. How you handle a phone call, carry yourself in a restaurant, and show up when you think no one is watching is the example new professionals learn from.
Ethical leadership starts with understanding people. Workplaces will keep changing, people will keep growing, and the best leaders keep teaching the standard while staying open to what`s next.
🎧 Find episodes of Coastlines to Cranes on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #WorkforceDevelopment #EthicalLeadership
Alex spent months deciding if he should apply to ABC San Diego’s apprenticeship program. Now a fourth year sheet metal apprentice, Alex has one piece of advice for anyone in the same spot, which is to skip the debate and just apply!
Alex found support built into every part of the program, from the textbooks and materials provided to instructors who are ready to answer questions and share their wisdom.
When the barriers come down, what’s left is the craft and the career ahead.
Thinking about the trades? Apply today at abcsd.org.
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades #SheetMetal
A handful of our beautiful guests who walked the red carpet at the Excellence in Construction Awards.
📸 See more photos from the night in our gallery.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #BuiltOnFamily #RedCarpet
Is it a Gen Z work ethic problem, or a leadership problem?
In this episode of Coastlines to Cranes, ABC San Diego CEO and President Shandon Harbour reflects on how expectations around hours, flexibility, and accountability have shifted across generations, and what leaders owe the people they hire.
As we celebrate Careers in Construction Month, it’s a conversation about welcoming the next generation and helping them grow.
🎧 A new episode of Coastlines to Cranes is out now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcast
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #CareersInConstruction #SkilledTrades
Behind every project is a story, and the Excellence in Construction Awards were full of them.
For 50 years, ABC San Diego has had the privilege of telling the stories of the people behind the build. Thank you for trusting us with them.
📸 See more photos from the gala through the link in our bio
#ABCMeritShopProud #BuiltOnFamily #TrustedExpertise #SkilledTrades #ExcellenceInConstruction
One look back at 2025, and we`re ready for what the 2026 Local Craft Championships will bring. 🛠️
Come watch San Diego`s top apprentices compete in real time as they show off their skills in electrical, plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal. Enjoy festival-style food, games, and prizes while you cheer them on.
This event is FREE and open to the public, so bring your kids, friends, and your whole crew.
📅 Saturday, November 7 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
📍 ABC San Diego Training Facility, Poway
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #LocalCraftChampionships #SkilledTrades #ConstructionCareers
Careers in construction are full of surprises, and Mac is finding that out firsthand.
When Mac signed up for electrical, he pictured wires. His first day started with a shovel, and by day three he was breaking through concrete with a jackhammer to reach the pipes buried underneath.
The reality of the trades is that there is always more than meets the eye, and behind every finished system is hands-on, physical effort that takes grit to see through.
This October, as we celebrate careers in construction, Mac`s story is a reminder that it isn`t as easy as people think, and that is exactly what makes the work so rewarding.
🎧 Find episodes of Coastlines to Cranes on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #CareersInConstruction #SkilledTrades
The medal is the headline. The journey is the story!
The National Craft Championships is a place where the trades take the national stage, where competitors who have recently met become a tight-knit crew, and where a roaring crowd celebrates the people behind the craft. Shandon Harbour, ABC San Diego`s President and CEO, has watched many competitors move through this process over the past decade, and she has seen how life-changing it is for them, medal or not. Showing up is what makes them champions.
Every year, we send trades professionals to represent San Diego on that stage, and it all starts at our Local Craft Championships. LCC is coming up on Nov. 7, and we are excited to see which trades professionals will head to NCC in 2027 to represent San Diego!
👉 Come cheer them on! Bring your family, there will be fun for everyone with games, food, and prizes to win! LCC is free and open to the public.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SkilledTrades #TradePride
October 23 is the deadline for your Accredited Quality Contractor application.
AQC is a national credential that recognizes a documented commitment to quality, safety, training, and community. It starts with STEP, our safety program written by contractors, for contractors. Companies that earn STEP Gold, Platinum, or Diamond can pursue AQC.
We`re here to help our members get there.
🏅 Learn more about AQC at https://www.abc.org/Accredited-Quality-Contractors
🦺 Learn more about STEP at https://www.abc.org/ABCSTEP
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #ConstructionSafety #AccreditedQualityContractor
Two 22-year-old roommates. One wakes up at 3:30 a.m. for the jobsite. The other starts his day searching for job applications.
In this episode of Coastlines to Cranes, Shandon Harbour sits down with Trent Harbour, a recent San Diego State business graduate searching for his first job, and Mac Hamlin, an electrical apprentice in ABC San Diego`s apprenticeship program. In this episode we’re looking at college and the trades side by side.
Subscribe to Coastlines to Cranes on Youtube, Spotify, or Apple Podcast so you don’t miss an update on Trent and Mac’s career journeys.
🎧 A new episode of Coastlines to Cranes is out now.
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #ConstructionCareers #ApprenticeshipTraining
Nobody thinks about the lights until they stop working.
Tyler spent nine years in software before becoming an electrical apprentice at ABC San Diego. What he loves most about the trades is the finish line. The payoff comes the moment the work is done, and you can see what you built and the impact it has.
That`s the beauty of a career in the trades. Once you understand what goes into it, you see the world differently. A packed concert, a glowing skyline, a room full of people gathered under good lighting. You know the hands and the craft behind it.
Real, honest work, done by good people, that shows up in the world around us every single day. It`s people who light up our rooms, not just lights. 💡
#ABCMeritShopPride #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SkilledTrades
Happy anniversary to our September members. Your work, your teams, and your commitment make San Diego`s construction industry stronger. 🛠️
#ABCMeritShopProud #ABCSDMembers #SanDiegoConstruction #ABCSD
68 years of blocked fish migration, undone in one project.
Wu & Associates submitted their Temple of Sinawava project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — restoring a section of the Virgin River in Zion National Park by removing a 1957 concrete dam, reopening roughly 80 miles of upstream habitat to native fish.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
Thank you to this year`s EIC sponsors:
Gold — Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical
Reception — PINNACLE INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY, INC., West Coast Group Benefits
Eagle Award — Helix Electric
Whiskey Tasting — Collins Plumbing, Inc.
Supporting — Aldrich, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #MarineConstruction #SanDiegoConstruction
450,000 square feet in 24 months.
Pacific Rim Mechanical submitted their biopharmaceutical campus project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — a $100 million, LEED Gold campus completed in just 24 months, with 400,000 incident-free labor hours through BIM, prefabrication, and aggressive fast-track execution.
Pacific Rim Mechanical is also one of this year`s Gold Sponsors, thank you for backing the chapter that celebrates work like this.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #MechanicalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
The most versatile crew on the jobsite may also be the safest one.
Cross-training is more than a way to fill gaps on the schedule. Research on multiskilling in construction shows that cross-trained crews are more productive and efficient, with higher engagement because people get to keep learning new skills. The study also shows a stronger safety baseline, with participating contractors reporting incident rates well below the industry benchmark.
When workers train across more of the job, safety becomes built into how the whole crew operates, and every worker goes home to their family at the end of the day.
Better performance and safer jobsites aren`t a trade-off. They`re built together.
🎧 A new episode of Coastlines to Cranes is out every Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcast.
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #ConstructionSafety #CrossTraining
Down to the skeleton, then completely rebuilt.
I.E.-Pacific Inc. submitted their renovation of Building PM373 for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — a complete demolition down to the pre-engineered structural skeleton, modernized into a 12,000-square-foot NAVAIR facility with over $5 million in security upgrades.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #GeneralContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
The Safari Park’s biggest project in 109 years.
Pacific Building Group submitted Elephant Valley for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance`s 13.2-acre habitat and hospitality complex, built over three years inside an active wildlife park with seamless coordination to protect animals, guests, and operations.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #GeneralContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
Knowing your trade is half the job. Working with every other trade is the other half.
Carlos competed on the journeyman team at this year`s National Craft Championships, where journey-level professionals from different trades work together to complete one joint project. Carlos is confident in his plumbing skills, so once the whistle blew, it felt like another day on the job. The bigger challenge was working with a brand new crew, where planning together, communicating clearly, and deciding who goes first mattered just as much as the work itself.
That`s true on any jobsite. The trades depend on each other, and the job only gets done right when everyone can lead, adjust, and work as one crew under a deadline.
Get a glimpse of that talent right here at home. Our Local Craft Championships are coming up on November 7. It`s a FREE event where you can watch our apprentices compete for their shot at NCC.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SkilledTrades #CraftChampionships
An entire school campus, rebuilt from the ground up.
Bernards Bros. submitted their school campus rebuild for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — complete demolition and reconstruction of an 84,000-square-foot campus on 10 acres, including new athletic fields and a solar array with battery backup.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #GeneralContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
2,450 beds. One all-electric neighborhood.
HPS Mechanical submitted their work on UC San Diego`s Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — a 972,000-square-foot, all-electric residential community with over 2,450 beds, an E-Sports Center, and a Glass Blowing Workshop.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #MechanicalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
Looking for a Saturday plan the whole family will love? We`ve got one.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 7, when we open our Poway training facility for the Local Craft Championships! Top apprentices will race the clock in electrical, plumbing, pipefitting, and sheet metal, and you get to watch the skill up close.
Bring your family, friends, and work crew. Admission is free, and there will be prizes, games, and In-N-Out!
Doors are open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
🎟️ Reserve the date and get the details at on our website.
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #LocalCraftChampionships #SkilledTrades
Dynamic RGB lighting brought a 100-year-old building back to life.
SJ Electric submitted their Botanical Building lighting project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — dynamic RGB lighting and wall-wash uplighting illuminating Balboa Park`s historic exterior, with a dedicated control system integrated into the park`s existing lighting network.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #ElectricalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
A 37-story high-rise, powered by complex mechanical systems.
Atlas Mechanical submitted The Lindley for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — an 800,000-square-foot, LEED Gold-certified, 37-story mixed-use high-rise with 422 residences, luxury amenities, and ground-floor retail at the intersection of Downtown San Diego and Little Italy.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #MechanicalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
80,000 square feet of student wellness, including bouldering walls and a rejuvenation lab.
Helix Electric submitted the Palomar Health Student Wellness Center for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — an 80,000-square-foot, three-story space combining fitness, recreation, gaming, counseling, and restorative spaces to enhance the student experience.
Helix Electric is also this year`s Eagle Award Sponsor for EIC, thank you for supporting merit shop work.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #ElectricalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
Nearly 1 million square feet, powered by one project.
Bergelectric Corp. submitted their San Diego International Airport Terminal 1 Replacement project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — delivering more than $100 million in electrical infrastructure to help power nearly 1 million square feet of modernized facilities.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #ElectricalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
A 166,000-square-foot hangar built for F-35Cs.
Alpha Mechanical, LLC submitted their P-201 Joint Strike Fighter AMH Complex project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — ground-up construction of a dual-squadron F-35C hangar across a 73-acre site, with full mechanical scope including process cooling, piping, and hydronic systems.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #MechanicalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
🎉 250 students showed up for this year`s LCC assessment! That`s a record turnout.
For our 50th anniversary, we wanted to find a way to give back and celebrate with our apprentices, so we ran a surprise raffle for LCC (something the students didn`t even know about when they signed up) for a chance to win a 65" Samsung TV.
Congratulations to our winner, Chase!
Mark your calendars and join us for LCC on November 7 to cheer on competitors and enjoy fair style fun with games, food, and giveaways. Kids are welcome, so bring the whole family out to support your trade!
👉 Learn more: https://abcsd.org/local-craft-championships/
#ABCMeritShopProud #TrustedExpertise #ChampionForGrowth #BuiltOnFamily #SkilledTrades
Two city blocks, one electrical backbone.
@cacyelectric submitted their East Village Green project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — a single electrical system uniting two city blocks, delivering resilient, future-ready power to a recreation center, water features, and photovoltaic generation across a landmark public park submitted their East Village Green project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — a single electrical system uniting two city blocks, delivering resilient, future-ready power to a recreation center, water features, and photovoltaic generation across a landmark public park.
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins: https://workforce.flashpoint.xyz/Lite/Event/Profile/1300204000
This year`s EIC Awards made possible by our sponsors: Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical, Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits, Helix Electric, Collins Plumbing, Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #ElectricalContracting #SanDiegoConstruction
Newport Bay just got nearly a million cubic yards clearer.
R.E. Staite Engineering submitted their Newport Bay Harbor Maintenance Dredging Project for this year`s Excellence in Construction Awards — dredging approximately 983,000 cubic yards of sediment using a full dredging spread, with turbidity curtains protecting water quality throughout!
👉 This is just a sneak peek. Reserve your table for the EIC Awards to see who wins through the link in our bio.
Thank you to this year`s EIC sponsors:
Gold — Vendors First, Pacific Rim Mechanical
Reception — Pinnacle Industrial Supply, West Coast Group Benefits
Eagle Award — Helix Electric
Whiskey Tasting — Collins Plumbing
Supporting — Aldrich CPAs + Advisors, SJ Electric
#ABCMeritShopProud #ChampionForGrowth #ExcellenceInConstruction #SanDiegoConstructionAwards
Have you ever watched a project schedule slip because one trade had to stop and wait on another? Shandon Harbour digs into exactly why this happens on this episode of Coastlines to Cranes.
A new multi-university study, commissioned at the national level through @abc_national and @simplarfoundation, is finally putting multi-skilling and cross-training in construction under a real research lens. Shandon breaks down what happens to productivity, employee engagement, and safety when workers are trained across trades instead of siloed into one.
Rewarding attitude, effort, and performance rather than time served is the merit shop model that opens a real path from apprentice to journeyman to business owner, and a good representation of why this kind of environment attracts high performers.
🎧 A new episode of Coastlines to Cranes is out every Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcast.
#ABCMeritShopProud #CoastlinesToCranes #ChampionForGrowth #SkilledTrades #ConstructionWorkforce
