Tanner H. Takes Second at UA National Competition

Tanner H., a P1 Group plumber who finished his apprenticeship in June, placed a very close second at the 2018 UA National Apprentice Competition in Ann Arbor, Mich., August 11-15.

A member of Local 8 Plumbers and Gasfitters, Tanner went to nationals after placing first at state and then winning his regional competition in Minneapolis this summer. At nationals he competed against six other plumbers representing Denver, Pittsburgh (PA), Buffalo, Houston, Toronto and the Australia Plumbing Trades Employee Union.

“Local 8 is very proud of Tanner,” said Chris Simmons, Local 8 Training Coordinator.

“We have not had a member reach this level since 1973. Tanner did not win this year but he was a very solid competitor. He made Local 8 and P1 Group look very good.”

The competition spanned five days – two days of written testing and three days of hands-on projects. Tanner said the most challenging portion was a bathroom rough-in project in which contestants installed fixtures and a water heater in 12 hours.

Other hands-on work included a layout project, copper soldering and a brazing project. Tanner said his apprenticeship and his experience in the field at P1 Group prepared him well for the pace and intensity of the competition.

“Working at P1 definitely helped me,” said Tanner. “I’ve been able to get experience with different types of projects, like healthcare and industrial, working with different systems,” he said. “I didn’t feel like they threw anything at me that I didn’t know.”

Tanner ‘s dad, Ray H., a warehouse driver, has been with P1 for nearly 20 years. Tanner started his apprenticeship with the goal of working at P1, and he marked that milestone officially after turning out this summer. Currently, he is on a project at St. Luke’s South.