For the month of September 2024, Kegan Richey was nominated by his instructors as an outstanding student and apprentice. Kegan joined the apprenticeship in May 2020. The first contractor he worked for was an out of state contractor called Habco. While there he took his first steps into being a tradesman and worked primarily on the fire alarm system.

For the month of October 2024, Skyler Schoemaker has been nominated as our outstanding apprentice and student. Skyler joined the apprenticeship when he was 19 and has enjoyed his time working in the union since then. He worked for RMS electric at Norfolk international airport doing a new parking garage and a terminal. Starting his 2nd year, he worked for BCU at Amazon working on the sensors for conveyors and running the home runs to the panels. Then from end of his 2nd year he worked for Total Electric doing the renovation on the Walmart in Chesapeake. He did most of the lighting circuits and the freezers. Starting his 3rd year he worked for Plexus on the HRBT project, it was a lot of trench work for the first half of his time there, then started working nights installing the road sensors and traffic cameras for the midtown and downtown tunnels. End of his 3rd year to beginning of my 4th he worked at Saunders contracting, at the water treatment on the Portsmouth naval shipyard, it was a demo of the pump station and a new install of float switch’s and a new pump, this was his first experience working in panels having to do panel swaps and doing controls for the MOVs. Currently Skyler is at Blackwater at the Portsmouth naval hospital doing the fire alarm circuits now.

For the month of November 2024, Earl Chapman Jr. (25) is a first-year apprentice under Blackwater Electric Co. Inc. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BA in cinema, he began his search for new and exciting opportunities to further develop his skills and work experience. Under the advisement of his uncle, an IBEW member, he made the decision to become an electrician. Earl enjoys watching movies, making art, and working out in his free time.

For the month of December 2024, Brent Atterson (4th year apprentice) has been nominated for our outstanding apprentice. Brent started off at Blackwater as a pre-apprentice and learned the skills and techniques needed to ascend into the electrical abyss. He then was rotated to Bryant Ritter Hewitt where he got to reconnect with his roots. He’s now at E.G. Middleton continuing his greatness alongside fully competent electrical workers and continuing to learn daily. “Whether I was working with different types of conduit, size wire, or with a good ole shovel, I’ve succeeded” states Brent. “I look at everything, I’ve had to have, I bring it forward, or leave it behind.