It is fitting that NEFBA’s vice president of training came up through the ranks after beginning his career as a carpentry apprentice in 1978.
“My uncles, Lee and Larry Bradley, were framers back then, and I started working with them when I was a senior in high school,” said Keith Ward, who is not only NEFBA’s training vice president but also vice president of Thomas May Construction Company. “It was hard work and good money.”
Although his family urged him to continue his education after he graduated from high school, Keith found it difficult to give up the good salary, and he landed a job with Haskell. Haskell sponsored Keith in a carpentry apprentice program, and he began his climb to the top of his chosen career. Having worked his way up to carpenter foreman and assistant superintendent, Keith made another bold move.
“I met Tom May at Haskell, and we worked well together,” Keith said. “When Tom talked to me about leaving Haskell and starting a construction company, I knew it was the thing to do.”
Against the advice of those who warned him not to leave the security of a large established business – and with a baby on the way, Keith left his promising career at Haskell in 1985. At Thomas May Construction Company, Keith proved his worth, and from supervisor to vice president, Keith is now over the day-to-day operations of the company. For Keith that means being in the field and traveling from job to job.
His early experience as an apprentice gave Keith a strong appreciation of apprenticeship programs.
“I truly believe giving back to the community and helping others are the keys to success,” he said. “Apprenticeship programs help the industry by developing quality craftsmen. Companies that hire apprentices benefit because they are hiring men and women with higher standards and a higher quality of workmanship.”
At Thomas May Construction, seven employees came through apprentice programs, and five of the seven came through the NEFBA program.
“Apprenticeship programs face major challenges today,” he said. “Young people are attracted to trade programs that are shorter than NEFBA’s four-year program, and there just aren’t as many apprentice opportunities as there have been in the past. Our NEFBA members help by hiring and sponsoring apprentices. Right now we need more members to sponsor apprentices to help the program grow so we can produce the skilled trades people we’ll need in the future.”
In addition to being NEFBA’s training vice president, Keith serves NEFBA on the Executive Apprenticeship Board, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. He began serving on the Carpentry Committee in 1998 and became chair of that committee in 2000. He has been the executive chairman since 2005.
When asked why he devotes so much time and energy to the association, Keith said the benefits of membership make all the effort worthwhile.
“We started our company in 1985, and in 1986 we joined NEFBA,” Keith said. “Belonging to the association has been good for us, and the apprentice program is a large part of that. The association also gives us a voice in the decision-making process at the legislative level. We are well represented on local and state issues that affect our industry.”
Keith’s enthusiasm for the association was evident in the recent membership drive. Having signed up enough new members to be eligible for some of the better prizes (dinner at Ruth’s Chris), Keith puts his feelings about the value of membership into action.
“It’s simple. The more members we have, the stronger we are,” he said. “Our team, the Rusty Muskets, came out pretty near the top. Personally, I wanted to make sure we pushed the drive to more than 150 new members primarily because Executive Director Daniel Davis said he would shave his head if we got more than 150 new members. That was the icing on the cake.”
Keith himself was once known as “the guy with the pony tail.” It was his trademark until just recently.
“I had long hair back in the ‘70s, and I just started wearing it in a ponytail,” he said. “I had thought about cutting it off several times, and then I just decided I wanted a change. One of my daughters is still a little upset about it.”
Keith and his wife of 32 years, Valerie, have two beautiful daughters: Nikole, an environmental science graduate of the University of Florida, and Shannon, a student in special education at the University of North Florida. Two Australian cattle dogs complete the Ward family portrait.
An avid Jaguars fan – he’s been a season ticket holder since the first season, and a Gators fan, Keith also loves the outdoors. He loves to hunt and fish and “play in the woods.”
Keith Ward has strong feelings about his family, his work, his recreation – which also includes restoring classic cars – and excellence in everything he sets out to do. That’s why qualifying as a Pinnacle Builder last month was so important to him.
NEFBA’s Pinnacle Builder Award is given to a member in good standing who actively recruits new members, attends meetings regularly and at least 90 percent of the company’s active subcontractors are NEFBA members.
“I think Thomas May was the first commercial construction company to achieve this award,” Keith said. “And, it’s another way of saying our company is committed NEFBA. It’s good to be recognized for hard work and for contributing to the growth of the industry. The trades have been good to me, and my involvement with NEFBA is an important part of my success.”