In Music City, the Best Start is a BAC Start

Tired of the day-to-day hassles of big city life, BAC Apprentice Jason Thompson moved his young family to the small town of Cedar Hill, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, for a new start in a new environment.

“I’ve been around construction all my life, so when I came here to Tennessee, I signed on with Wasco Inc. for restoration work, joined the Union, enrolled in the brick apprentice program, and got involved with Wasco’s Each One Teach One (EOTO) Program. Between my Union apprenticeship classes and the additional skills I’ve picked up through EOTO, I’ve done pretty well on the job,” says Thompson.

Thompson’s also done well in his apprenticeship program, taking first-place honors at Local 5 Tennessee’s Nashville Chapter Apprentice Contest’s tough third-year division. “Jason has a lot of drive and ability. We’re expecting great things from him,” says Local 5 Tennessee President Jimmy Temple.

Working on a wide variety of jobs for a top-notch Union contractor has also helped cultivate Thompson’s abilities. “Since starting in late 1999 with Local 5 and Wasco, I’ve worked on some pretty challenging jobs,” says Thompson. One example is the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville. The $1.7 million masonry restoration job entailed the complete demolition and rebuilding of the Courthouse’s deteriorated north wall, lintel replacement, block work, Jahn mortar applications, and extensive stone and brick work. “We used stone imported from Bulgaria to face our block back-up and custom Jahn mortars to save the detailed façade of the historic Courthouse,” says Thompson. “The experience of our lead crew members and the ability of Wasco as a company really shows on a job like this.”

Thompson has also logged considerable hours along Nashville’s skyline and famed Music Row. The $15 million Hermitage Hotel restoration project downtown and the recent completion of a $2.8 million paving job on Music Row have added to Thompson’s growing resume.

“The paver project on Music row was actually quite a job in itself,” explains Thompson. Laid out in herringbone-patterned piano keys, the colored concrete pavers help signify the importance of the music industry to the economic and cultural development of Nashville. “We came back a few months later to see if our work was holding up to Nashville’s heavy traffic, and I’m proud to say every paver is in its place.”

Working in Nashville has also allowed Thompson to experience the city’s musical legacy on a firsthand basis. “Right now I’m preparing for my first day on the job at country legend George Jones’ house. We’re going to lay out a patio in the shape of a possum, Mr. Jones’s nickname, and build some archways and brick piers to give the grounds of his home the custom flair Nashville is famous for.”

Aside from the distractions that make this part of the country a colorful place to work and call home, Thompson has benefited from a Local Union that prides itself on administering a first rate apprenticeship program.

“My experience with Local 5, our contractors, and our apprenticeship program has been great!” exclaims Thompson. “Our President Jimmy Temple, and my instructor Daryl Craig, are always willing to provide hands-on help. When I’ve had questions, I’ve been given straight answers right away. The Union gave all of the apprentices tools and $50 a week to help us get by when we started. Now that I’ve worked for a few years, I’ve really come to depend on my Union benefits, including a nice vacation check that comes in very handy around the holidays.”

“My family and work are everything to me,” says the 23-year-old apprentice. “We’re working hard and saving to buy our first home, something I can hopefully use my construction skills to fix up and turn a profit on in a few years.”