The journey through the sheet metal trade for Andrew has been long and enriching, beginning in 1984. At that time, a career was not the focus; Andrew was merely 21 years old and sought to earn a living. The trade offered many fascinating aspects such as electrical work, controls, plumbing, pipefitting, service, testing, balancing, and more, all while working alongside other trades. With two years of architecture studies at Palomar Community College under his belt, Andrew decided to stick with the trade. Understanding how things function was enjoyable for him. It was not until 2001 that he joined the Sheet Metal Union. Leveraging his experience, he began as a sheet metal journey worker in Local 206.
From 2001 to 2011, Andrew served as a General Foreperson for Bingham Heating & Air. His responsibilities included overseeing multiple jobs and managing several crews simultaneously. Each job, whether small or large, presented unique challenges and learning opportunities. From 2011 to the present, he has worked as a General Foreman for Jackson & Blanc, specializing in retrofitting new systems with existing ones. During a brief period, he also worked for Plenmus Plus, which further enriched his knowledge and experience. One particularly memorable project for Andrew involved retrofitting ten buildings, a gymnasium, and a science lab building on the La Jolla High School campus, originally constructed in 1922. Despite the tight schedule and complex task, Andrew and his team completed the job successfully.
In early 2023, instructor Dom Luyo invited Andrew to become the next Service and Start Up instructor for the JATC San Diego. Serving as an instructor for the JATC has been the most satisfying aspect of his career. Andrew feels privileged to have the opportunity to impart his knowledge to the upcoming generation of union sheet metal workers.
Outside of work, Andrew cherishes time spent with his family and playing live music. As a bass guitarist for his local church and a band member for 40 years, music has been a significant part of his life since high school. Andrew also enjoys traveling with his wife and children to various concert destinations and national.