ABC Names the 2024 Craft Professional of the Year

ABC presents the annual Craft Professional of the Year award to a construction craft worker who excels in their field, demonstrating a commitment to health and safety, workforce development and the merit shop philosophy.

“Joe’s work ethic is the perfect encapsulation of everything the plumbing and construction industry should strive to be,” said 2024 National Chair of the ABC Board of Directors Buddy Henley, president, Henley Construction Co. Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland. “As a merit-focused, third-generation ABC training center alumni, Joe continues to climb the career ladder, is a huge asset to all operations and encourages others. Joe’s nominator said he has an ‘unbelievable ability to always have time to thoroughly explain a concept,’ and that he is ‘well respected among his peers and always keeps a cool and calm demeanor with no field problem ever being above a solution.’ Thank you, Joe, for your humble leadership and mentorship and for the time you invest in the trade. We appreciate your mentorship and approach to innovation and safety.”

As a general superintendent for one of San Diego's largest plumbing contractors, Ahrens’s duties and responsibilities include project change orders; conflict resolution; safety checks; inspections; vendor relations; mentoring apprentices; and delegating, organizing and facilitating work plans, crews and utility shutdowns. His nominators say he conducts business in the most professional and safest manner possible. Heavily invested in HPS’ growth, Ahrens boasts a 96% return business rate with new contractors and customers.

Ahrens encourages the evolution of the plumbing trade through the adoption of new tools and sound practices and solutions. When he is not at the jobsite, Ahrens volunteers his time at ABC San Diego as a mentor of the chapter’s young professionals program and chair of the membership committee. He is also a volunteer in his community.

“It’s immensely rewarding for me to invest in others because I know that’s an investment in the individual, the plumbing trade and the overall industry,” said Ahrens. “My personal approach is to be fair and honest. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Encourage teams to work together and not against each other. Promote successes. Show people instead of telling them how to do something.”

As Craft Professional of the Year, Ahrens received a $10,000 cash prize. Co-sponsors of Craft Professional of the Year are the National Center for Construction Education and Research, the training, assessment, certification and career development standard for the construction industry, and Tradesmen International, North America’s premier craft professional staffing resource. Foster will also be profiled in the June issue of Construction Executive magazine.