By Jayne Krichbaum
Northeast Florida Builders Association
Thirty-five years ago, several associate NEFBA members saw a need for apprentice training, and stepped forward to create the program. They devoted their time and efforts to establish guidelines for the program and meet stringent federal and state requirements.
Since that day in 1973, the apprenticeship program at the Northeast Florida Builders Association has graduated 1,500 apprentices in the trades — carpentry, electrical, plumbing, heating and air, and sheet metal. Roofing also was part of the early program.
Although there were several members in the founding group, one in particular — Carmel Morris, president of Allstate Electrical Contractors — was very involved in creating the apprenticeship program, said Don Harris, owner of Don Harris Plumbing, who also was one of the founding members.
“We had several obstacles and a lot of folks said it wouldn’t work,” Harris said. “We felt that it would work, and we went ahead with it. I feel proud that I was part of helping to get it off the ground. Carmel Morris; he was very involved.”
Laura Laseman worked for NEFBA 30 years, 28 of those as training director of apprenticeship. She has known Morris for 32 years.
“Morris was very active in the association when I started with the apprenticeship department,” Laseman said. “He was referred to as the ‘Godfather of Apprenticeship’ because he has taken an interest in it all these years. He would tell me that he built his company on the apprenticeship program, and a good many of his workers come from the program. He is a strong believer in it.”
Morris always has apprentices in the program and encourages his employees to be active in the Electrical Apprenticeship committees, Laseman said. He also served as the training vice president for several years.
“There was a lot of hard work and dedication in building the apprenticeship program,” Morris said. “It makes my heart throb. It‘s one of the greatest — if not the greatest — things that NEFBA ever accomplished as far as the future of the construction industry.”
Today, of all the homebuilder associations, the NEFBA Apprenticeship program is the No. 1 non-joint training program in the country, Morris said.
“The most exciting moment was when we received federal and state approval on our first standards,” Morris said. “That was the most exciting moment of all, 35 years ago.”
Other founders included Walter Henderson, Bill Thompson, Al Stefanelli, Cortez Creel, Don Harris, Tommy Ingram, Jim Sweet, W.T. Eagerton, Louise Danese, Harry Roddenberry and Arnold Tritt, then executive director of NEFBA.