Classes are in session on a new campus and the NEFBA Apprentice Program is in full swing.
In addition to new students and new classrooms, the program is pleased to announce the addition of three new instructors.
Carl Romano
Romano, a mechanical inspector for the City of Jacksonville, is teaching HVAC 2.
Prior to that, Romano taught HVAC classes at Everest University from 2009-11 and he the program chair for the HVAC program at Florida Career College 2011-14. He is also president of Total Cooling & Heating Corp.
Romano got his start in New York. Early in his career, he was branch manager for Eastern Supply Co., parts manager for MCN Distributors and president of Kings Park HTG & A/C Corp. He holds a Florida State Certified Class B License.
Romano believes instructors have a responsibility to do more than impart technical knowledge.
“My goal in the classroom is to keep the students engaged, entertained and to teach them something new each day,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to make them good troubleshooting techs and not just ‘parts changers’ while they are learning the skills they need to do the job.”
Paul King
King, a project manager for Campbell Plumbing, is teaching Plumbing 1. He has more than 31 years of experience in the commercial plumbing industry.
During most of his career he’s maintained a dual focus between field and office operations. After graduating from high school in 1983, he began working for a commercial plumbing company in Jacksonville as a plumber’s helper, eventually becoming a journeyman plumber.
He sharpened his estimating skills, moved to a larger plumbing contractor and became a project manager.
In 2003, King opened his own commercial plumbing company, King Plumbing Contractors. In 2013, he joined an HVAC/mechanical firm in Charlotte, N.C., where he was plumbing division manager, project manager and estimator until returning to Jacksonville.
Having been an apprentice himself, King has insight into the training process.
“I understand the importance of teaching them why they are doing things the way they are doing them, how plumbing systems actually work,” King said. “I was once walking the same path as these young men, a young apprentice working during the day and going to school at night. I understand where they are at in this point of their lives. I try to pass along knowledge from past experiences and show them the opportunities that are there for them if they do the work and put in the effort.”
Keith Campbell
Campbell, owner/president of Campbell Plumbing Contractors Southeast, will teach plumbing and/or HVAC classes on an as-needed basis.
After completion of his apprenticeship, he obtained his plumber’s license in 1986 and his master plumber’s license in 1988.
A resident of Jacksonville for more than 20 years, Campbell advanced through the ranks to become field superintendent and eventually project manager for one of the area’s largest commercial plumbing firms.
In 2004, he and a partner founded their own plumbing company, of which he is now sole proprietor. Campbell holds plumber’s licenses in Florida and Georgia.
He is firmly committed to apprenticeships as a preparation for a career in the trades.
“A structured apprenticeship program affords its students the ability to focus on and discuss the principles of the trades while in the non-judgmental company of his or her mentors and peers,” he said. “In our company 80 percent of my management team attended a structured apprenticeship program. This confirms my conviction that participation in a structured teaching of the trades can be an accurate indicator of longevity and success in one’s chosen field.”