CEFGA

Scott Garrett checks the progress of a hospital project being built in Henry County. He is talking to the Art Plumbing Contractors field supervisor to make sure the materials needed for the day's work have arrived on site. Scott visits sites from Athens, Ga. to Henry County at least once a week "I need to be out there to make sure I have the latest information to manage the projects. We never have people standing around waiting on me to deliver," he said with pride.

Tech Valedictorian Excels at Art Plumbing- The transcript from Camden County High School has three years of construction courses listed. The Georgia Tech diploma on the wall says that Scott Garrett graduated "With Highest Honors" four years later. What's right with this picture?

"The construction courses I took helped me learn how to work," Scott said as he prepared for another busy day as an Assistant Project Manager at Art Plumbing Contractors in Smyrna, Georgia. "We learned to prepare a plan, gather our materials, and then work our plan. That's true for anything you do, whether it is building a house or doing a project for a college course. Working with your hands like we did in Mr. Jones' class just made the lesson all the more obvious."

Carlos Jones Sr., construction instructor at Camden County High, remembers Scott well. "He is one of the most motivated individuals I have ever met. He works well with everyone. He can learn to do anything he wants to do," Mr. Jones said. "I knew Scott was going to excel at whatever he chose to do. People just like to work with him."

And excel he has. Scott won first place in the state SkillsUSA carpentry competition his senior year, he was the Salutatorian of his class at Camden County, and the Valedictorian of his class at Georgia Tech.

Asked why he got into construction, he said, "I had an elective and construction looked interesting. When I got into the class, I found out that I like to work with my hands and build things. We did some community projects for high school construction class. I really enjoyed doing the design of the projects and then bringing the design to life. I was hooked. In fact, that's why I went into Building Construction at Georgia Tech. I want to build things."

Scott is building things. He is on a project team that is building a hospital in Henry County and another that is building the Paul Coverdell Laboratory in Athens, GA. He gets to work on all aspects of the project from design, to scheduling, to ordering materials.

"Art Plumbing is a great company," Scott will tell you without any prompting. "The management team here takes care of our people and our customers. I have plenty of responsibility, but I have exceptional mentors and I can get any help I need. It's a great place to work." Scott's supervisor, Mr. Spencer Lisenby, was quick to compliment Scott. "He has a rare combination of common sense and book smarts. He can learn anything. On top of that, he has a great personality. He likes people and it shows," Mr. Lisenby said.

Scott Garrett is truly happy he took those construction courses. "I found my calling in those community projects we did in Camden County. Now I'm building hospitals and laboratories for the community. It's just what I want to do," Scott said with an air of deep satisfaction.

CEFGA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia (ABC). Today it is supported by more than 3,000 construction companies and trade associations. CEFGA exists to address and help reduce a growing shortage of skilled workers in Georgia - approximately 3,000 per year according to the Georgia Department of Labor. For information visit www.cefga.org or call 770-685-1332.