Making a Career of It
Will Ruiz
Journeyman – Carpenters Local Union 279
Age: 35
Current Title & Employers: Business Agent at Carpenters Local Union 279
Recent Projects as a Journeyman: The previous employer, while working with the tools, was Penlyn Construction, based in Congers, NY. “The company widened my sense of the craft trade. Among the projects I worked on were the major renovations to the White Plains Train Station, expansion at Kingston Hospital and constant upgrades at Woodbury Commons in Harriman, NY.”
Education, Training, Licenses/Certification: Associate’s degree in construction management from Benjamine Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology, a private college of engineering and industrial technologies in Boston, MA.
Four-Year Apprenticeship Training Program Graduate at Carpenters L.U. 279 in Rock Tavern, NY; 10-Hour OSHA, 30-Hour OSHA; 8-Hour Drug/Awareness, SST Training; 4-Hour Scaffold.
“I will also say that the owner of Penlyn Construction, Scott Dianis, was very supportive and encouraging toward my success. He was the best employer I ever worked for.”
Favorite courses or subjects in school? Mathematics.
Why this career choice? “Carpentry allows me to apply my love and aptitude for math in the field and on the job. My father worked in the trades and my uncle is a union carpenter. At age 27, when my first of now three children arrived, my uncle sat me down and gave me the ‘lecture’ about providing for my family with a decent wage and benefits. Until that point, I was working in non-union carpentry, mainly on high-end homes, but lacked urgency or a clear view of the future.”
Biggest challenges in your work? “Communications. My classmates and crewmembers on jobs always looked to me to go speak up for them. I cared that they needed work. Some of them were shy, others were timid or they didn’t know anyone in the company, or anyone on a project. So they looked to me to speak for them. I always wanted them to have a job and have the same chances and opportunities that I have.”
Was there a “Decisive Moment” in Your Life? “It may have been around the time when I was nine months old. My mom told me I went straight to walking. I got up and started to walk. Sort of skipped the crawling and diaper stage. Maybe that was a sign that I wasn’t going to be happy in a classroom—that I was happier moving around outside. I saw the horizon so I guess I was never the one to sit still.”
What do you enjoy most about carpentry? “It’s learning by hands-on experience. Ninety percent is in the field, and ten percent of time is about classroom training to acquire new skills and certifications.”
Biggest accomplishments so far? “Getting my college degree. It showed my oldest child that it’s OK to be scared or uncertain. He was 7 at the time and saw me going through a new chapter in my life. That was good for him too.”
“When I was working with the tools on, I was part of the team that signed the final ceiling board installed at the White Plains Train Station renovation. That was a thrill, and it still is when I see it. ‘Cedar for the Ceiling’—all signed and dated with the time, the foreman. We worked crazy hours seven days a week, and we got it done!”
What are the biggest surprises working in the Building Trades? “The number of tools and equipment that can be involved for jobs and assignments. You can never stop learning to be a skilled Carpenter.”
Most memorable quote: “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” –Warren Buffet
Any words of wisdom for a young person considering the Building Trades? “Grab your future. Make sure you love what you do every day; it will never feel like you’re always working. In carpentry, you can never stop learning. There are always new buildings, new styles of houses, new tools, new materials, and new ways of doing things.”
Favorite interests or hobbies? “All types of sports and spending time with my family and friends.”
Researcher and writer, George Drapeau III