Earlier this month — for the first time in nearly four decades — Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 25 hosted some of the trade’s top apprentices from across the state of Illinois during the 2019 Apprentice Contest.

Organized by the Committee On Training and Education (COTE), 32 apprentices representing 14 unions competed in the categories of plumbing, pipefitting, HVACR, welding and sprinkler fitting.

“It was a tremendous honor to host this year’s COTE Apprentice Contest in our state-of-the-art training center at Local 25,” said Matt Lienen, business manager. “This two-day competition gave our apprentices the chance to test their knowledge and skills and compete with some of the best apprentices from around the state of Illinois. We’re proud of their achievements and the impressive skills they displayed.”

Fourth-year Local 25 apprentice Carter Hagen took first place in the plumber contest. In addition to written testing, participants competed in practical testing of their field knowledge. For plumbers, that meant roughing in a toilet, urinal, lavatory and shower, including the waste, vents and water piping.

“I thought it was really incredible to see the caliber of people who came to the competition,” Hagen said. “It’s amazing to see how good everybody is, and see how training at Local 25 pays off. I want to thank Matt Lienen, Chuck McKnight and Craig Buckwalter for all their help, because without their training I definitely wouldn’t have done as well as I did.”

Chicago Pipefitters Local 597 was also well-represented in the competition, with three apprentices taking top honors in the HVACR, pipefitter and welder contests: Bill Sprengell, Jared Walters and Alex Lindemann, respectively. Jake Blaze rounded out the list of winners as the first-place sprinkler fitter from Chicago Sprinkler Fitters Local 281.

“This is a great event to promote the trades as being a sustainable career that’s rewarding, and to recognize the apprentices’ accomplishments because they invest five years of training as apprentices,” said Greg Harle, COTE chairman and Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 23 training director.

Illinois winners will move on to the regional competition June 10-13 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

About Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 25

Since the early 1900s, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 25 has guaranteed the professionalism of its journeymen, and the value of their work through a training program that is thoroughly unique in the plumbing and pipefitting industries.  Their five years of rigorous classroom and on-the-job training in a state-of-the-art training center produces a workforce so skilled in the mechanical service and construction business that they provide roughly 85% of all plumbing, HVACR and pipefitting performed in the Quad City area.

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Full List of Winners

Plumber

1. Carter Hagen                     Local 25 – Rock Island
2. Jason Yager                       Local 137 – Springfield
3. Kendall Hansen                 Local 99 – Bloomington

Pipefitter

1. Jared Walters                    Local 597 – Chicago
2. Bryce Stearns                    Local 23 – Rockford
3. Clint Lewellen                   Local 137 – Springfield

HVAC

1. Bill Sprengell                      Local 597 – Chicago
2. Grant Johnson                  Local 23 – Rockford
3. Zach Corson                      Local 25 – Rock Island

Sprinkler fitter

1. Jake Blaze                          Local 281 – Chicago
2. Nathaniel Shaw                Local 669 – Road Local

Welder

1. Alex Lindemann                Local 597 – Chicago
2. Ryan Nesler                       Local 23 – Rockford
3. Jason Bontz                       Local 25 – Rock Island

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Sean Leary Director of Digital Media

Sean Leary is an author, director, artist, musician, producer and entrepreneur who has been writing professionally since debuting at age 11 in the pages of the Comics Buyers Guide. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California masters program, he has written over 50 books including the best-sellers The Arimathean, Every Number is Lucky to Someone and We Are All Characters.