HOME SHOWCASE ABOUT US BLOG SERVICE CAREERS CONTACT Ironwood Blog Michael Wubbenhorst Competes in the 2021 ABC SoCal Craft Championship May 05, 2021 Coming through the halfway mark, Michael Wubbenhorst looked strong compared to his peers at the 2021 Associated Builders and Contractors SoCal Craft Championships, which were held on Saturday, May 1 at the ABC SoCal campus parking lot in Anaheim. The annual event gives top third and fourth year electrical trainees an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a day-long competition. Students are selected to compete based on classroom engagement, grades, attendance and an exam given in the fall of the previous year. On the morning on the competition, participants are provided plans, material and about 7 hours to build an electrical system that represents either a residential or commercial space. When the time is up, the competitors’ work is judged based on completion, workmanship, NEC code compliance and safety. Winners typically have completed the entire system with few (if any) mistakes. Competitors are not shown the subject matter prior to the competition. They must rely on their electrical knowledge, hands-on skills and field experience to win. Michael competed in the residential discipline against eight other trainees. By lunch, he had completed his weather head, set all of his boxes and conduit, ran all of his feeds, and cut in his switches in a sheet of drywall. He worked quickly but not carelessly. His competitors lagged behind. Some had focused on the smaller items first, spending their time making up their three and four-way switches and wiring devices such as keyless light fixtures and receptacles. Others were entirely focused on getting their system backbone done by mounting the weather head weather head, wiring up the meter and grounding the system. But Michael had made aggressive progress on both his branch and backbone. All that was left was the details. He continued his pace through the afternoon and spent a fair amount of time checking his work. Unfortunately, after the judges reviewed all competitors’ boards, Michael did not place in the top three. Michael suspects he was judged harshly for not tying his 30A laundry receptacle to an arc-fault circuit interrupter, which is a notable NEC code violation. He used his provided AFCI for an exterior lighting circuit instead — an easy mistake for an apprentice who has never seen an AFCI prior to the competition. More instruction and preparation on AFCI installation and usage Regardless, having a competitor in the Annual Craft Championships is a point of pride for Ironwood, and Michael represented the company well. Michael said that he learned a lot through preparing for and competing in the Craft Championships. Plus, he got some decent tools and swag for competing, too. Ironwood encourages all ABC students to prepare for and compete in the Craft Championships in their third and fourth year of training. It’s a challenging experience that brings together all that students have learned in school. Congratulations Michael for being chosen to compete this past weekend, and thank you for your hard work and preparation. Just having a competitor represent the company at the event is a win for Ironwood. We appreciate your efforts! Anders Howmann 0 Likes Share 2020 Holiday Party - Remote, But Still A Team April 26, 2021 Ironwood Electric has consistently held a Holiday Party in December since its founding in 2005. Unfortunately, we were unable to hold the party in person in 2020 due to COVID. To keep the holiday spirit going, Ironwood team members were able to choose from an assortment of gifts ranging from Ironwood jackets and hats to various tools, as a way to say thank you for their hard work over the unique 2020 working year. The management team then made deliveries to each jobsite to deliver the gifts and to wish everyone a Happy Holiday. Each year, Ironwood and its employees give back to the community. Some of the charities we have donated to in the past include Toys 4 Tots, Mary’s Kitchen, and CHOC. We were unable to donate in the same manner this year, but we were still able to help the community during this tough time. Employees were given the option to donate online to CHOC, Direct Relief, One Family LA, and Royal Family Kids. We thank all employees who were able to donate to a cause in need. Ironwood matched the total balance donated to each charity. Each employee received an automated raffle ticket as a thank you for a year of hard work and dedication. Everyone who participated in a charity donation received an additional raffle ticket. Raffle items consisted of items such as Milwaukee Stand Lights, Milwaukee Band Saws, a Nintendo Switch, and more. We sincerely missed seeing the faces of the winners as their names were called out since the excitement over the phone just doesn't match an in-person expression. It is our hope that the 2021 holiday season will offer different circumstances, and we can resume in-person festivities. We truly missed having the entire Ironwood team together in one place. Anders Howmann 1 Likes Share Ironwood Takes Second at 2020 ABC Craft Championships February 10, 2020 Ironwood Apprentice Ulysses Sahagun took second place at the 2020 Associated Builders and Contractors Craft Championships, which was held on Jan. 25 in the ABC campus parking lot. ULYSSES SAHAGUN TOOK SECOND PLACE IN THE COMMERCIAL / INDUSTRIAL DISCIPLINE AT THE ANNUAL ABC SOCAL CRAFT CHAMPIONSHIPS IN JANUARY. Sahagun is the first Ironwood employee to place in the competition since 2017. With more than 40 hours of preparation and a calm, methodical work style, Sahagun completed his timed hands-on project — colloquially referred to as a “board” — with nearly an hour to spare. He spent his final minutes checking and re-checking every termination. Sahagun competed alongside coworkers Andrew Heath and Michael Wubbenhorst, who competed in the Commercial / Industrial and Residential disciplines, respectively. Heath and Wubbenhorst also performed extremely well, completing their boards within the six-hour time limit. Craft Championships is an annual trade competition held at ABC SoCal which tasks competitors with completing a timed hands-on project in front of an audience of onlookers. Competitors are judged based on project completion, functionality, accuracy, code compliance and safety. Winners of the ABC SoCal regional competition are sponsored by ABC to compete at a national competition which is held in a different city each year. This year’s competition will be held in Nashville, TN. Only ABC students in their third and fourth years of instruction are eligible to compete in the Craft Championships. Competitors are selected based on scores earned in a 100-question multiple-choice, closed-book test. Test questions are pulled from any topic covered in the four-year Electrician Certification Training Program curriculum. Test scores matter on competition day, making up 20 percent of the competitors’ Craft Championship score. Craft Championships is a full-day event. Competitors typically arrive at ABC for briefing at 5:30 a.m., and work on their boards until 1 p.m. Competitors are given a box of materials and a set of plans and must build the project on their own. They are not allowed to talk to each other or audience members. The competition is a test of electrical knowledge and hands-on skill. But those who win are adept at staying calm under pressure and managing their limited time effectively. It’s a true mental competition which rewards those who are calm and confident. We were thrilled to have three competitors in this year’s competition, and hope to make a strong showing in the years to come. Just having employees selected is an honor, and it was a bonus to have Sahagun place. We encourage all ABC students entering their third and fourth years of instruction to compete in the 2021 ABC Craft Championships. Anders Howmann 0 Likes Share Rexel Sponsors Ironwood Electric’s Quarterly Foreman Meeting September 11, 2019 Ironwood Electric wanted to take a moment to thank the Rexel Fullerton branch for providing food and beverages at our foreman meeting via Sgt. Pepperoni’s food truck! Rexel was also kind enough to provide tool bags valued at more than $100 for more than 50 of our apprentices who are enrolled in Associated Builders and Contractors Electrician Training Certification Program. The giveaway was a way for Rexel to promote it’s new pricing bracket for apprentices who can verify employment in a qualified electrical apprenticeship program. In addition to the tool bags, Rexel raffled off six, high-end Milwaukee tools, including drills, large task lights and battery-powered band saw. Ironwood Electric greatly appreciates Rexel’s support at the foreman meeting and on our projects, and our apprentices were very thankful to receive the new tools. We look forward to continuing our excellent business relationship with Rexel in years to come! Anders Howmann 0 Likes Share Bowling for Strikes and Fun at the Ironwood Spring Event June 12, 2019 Smiles were had and pins were knocked at the 2019 Ironwood Electric Spring Company party. More than 80 Ironwood employees and their family members attended the 2019 Annual Spring Event, which was held at Concourse Bowling Alley in Anaheim. The goal was to get to know each other a bit more outside of work, and foster some friendly competition. Ironwood Electric rented out 12 lanes for employees, and attendees were able to play as many games as they could fit in. Lunch catered by the bowling alley was served. The Annual Spring Event is a great way for employees to get together outside of work, and reconnect with team members who have been assigned to other job sites throughout the year. Ironwood Electric sincerely thanks all who attended, and hope that it was an enjoyable event for all. And for those of you who didn’t, we hope to see you next year! We are always looking for ways to improve our events and invite you to provide feedback for next year’s festivities. Anders Howmann 1 Likes Share CONTACT INFORMATION Ironwood Electric 714-630-2350 1239 N. Tustin Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 ESTIMATING & SALES Matt Daly Lead Estimator 714-630-2350 SERVICE & WARRANTY Jason Barteske Service Manager 714-630-2350 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Jon Morris Human Resources Manager 714-630-2350 Ironwood Electric, LLC \\ 1239 N. Tustin Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 \\ 714-630-2350 \\ info@ironwoodelectric.com \\ License: C-10 617971