These guys are winners - Toolhounds: we just love tools. Is that a problem?

Tools of the Trade, Sept-Oct, 2003 by Mark Clement

These guys are winners. Alex Gettler, Jacob Safley, Ryan Carhill, and Loren Bouchard (pictured left to right), from Jefferson-Scranton High School in Jefferson, Iowa, won the 2003 SkillsUSA National TeamWorks Championships in June in Kansas City, Mo. They competed against 20 other teams to build a functioning "building vignette" in just two days. During the process, industry pros judged the quality of the teams' work, their speed, and even their professionalism.

"Not knowing what to expect or how to plan was the toughest part for me," says Gettler, the group's framer. The teams did not know until the competition started that their challenge would be to build a functioning kitchen vignette, including masonry, framing, plumbing, electrical, and finish work. They had 30 minutes to review the plan and two more hours to prepare a critical path before making a presentation on how they would execute high quality work. It was here that the team thinks they started pulling away from the others in the competition. While many of the other teams used the easels and paper provided to present their plan, the Jefferson-Scranton guys composed an on-the-fly Microsoft PowerPoint computer presentation. "We wanted to be as professional as possible," says mason Carhill. And since each guy is brimming with confidence and cool, it's easy to see why the judges took notice.

Safley, the crew's plumber, explains, "Teamwork was the difference." The team worked in a confined space, had four trades going at once, and leadership roles changed as the project advanced toward completion.

"One-and-a-half points separated the top three finishers," says Bouchard, the group's electrician, who said that the judges indicated to him that tight races, "come down to the presentation."

Whatever their edge--teamwork, smarts, or grace under pressure--Bouchard, Carhill, Gettler, and Safley have given the industry a crew with huge potential--and four young men it should be proud of.

Are you a ToolHound? Do you know one? Contact Katy Tomasulo at 202-736-3303 or ktomasulo@hanley-wood.com.