From turning wrenches at a young age to starting her construction apprenticeship in 2012 and gaining valuable hands-on experience to evolve her role at I.B. Abel, Associate Project Manager Jessica H. shares insight on her career journey over the years and how she has been empowered to continue reaching her career goals. At I.B. Abel, we are dedicated to providing the training, support, and professional development opportunities for every team member to excel in electrical construction and design. What we do significantly impacts the world around us, by supplying energy and power for hospitals, businesses, manufacturers, public and private utilities, and more. When you join the I.B. Abel team, you become a valuable part of our work family, have access to our training programs (such as Abel University, our company’s Associate’s Program for Project Managers), and are supported by a hardworking and reliable team that stands ready to help you succeed.
“I started my apprenticeship in 2012 and saw the opportunity at I.B. Abel in 2013 to start working in the field. Over the past 10 years, my coworkers have always been generous with their time to show me project processes and best approaches to different jobs and tasks. They’ve been essential as my mentors, helping me get better at what I do every day. I’m now in training through Abel University to become an Electrical Services Project Manager, and my team members are advocates for me taking on this new leadership role.”
– Jessica H.
Jessica’s interest in construction sparked at an early age, after working in the electrical department of a hardware store and watching her dad work as a carpenter. When exploring career options, she was motivated by the opportunity to step into an apprentice role and gain on-the-job training along with a classroom-based education. As part of her apprenticeship experience, and with the guidance of other I.B. Abel team members, she began successfully running projects on her own. From there, she continued to advance her skills and knowledge through working with our preconstruction department (electrical planning, layout, and design) and gained CAD training, Revit training, design modeling experience, and more. Jessica has also taken a proactive and leading role in empowering other women in construction through her efforts as Co-Chair of EnABELher, a program established by I.B. Abel to inspire women in our company and entire industry to advance personally and professionally in their communities.
Jessica’s continued hard work, commitment to safety and quality, and the passion she has for every project led to the next step in reaching her career goals – pursuing the role of Project Manager. Today, while continuing her professional development through Abel University, she helps lead a variety of project management tasks, including: preplanning, procurement, scheduling and project coordination, financial projections, communications with contractors and vendors, and more. Currently, she is assisting with a multi-million-dollar electrical services project and is excited to help the team achieve a level of excellence that I.B. Abel’s clients can count on.
“This career changed my life. It’s a great industry to be in – it’s so diverse and there are many different career paths you could take within electrical construction. Whether it’s electrical work, programming, automation … you’ll find what you love to do. Things are ever-changing in the electrical world, constantly evolving for improved ways to do things. There are always new opportunities to continue learning and excelling in your trade.”
– Jessica H.
Whether you are just beginning to explore electrical construction careers or have years of experience and are looking for a family-owned business that will invest in you and your success, get in touch with our team today! Enjoy a career where what you do makes a powerful impact in our world. Electrical construction services are critical to energy supply, systems performance, and the ability to power up the greatest designs that keep our buildings, electrical equipment, and machines running efficiently. We are grateful for Jessica and all our team members who have pursued careers at I.B. Abel and continue to provide turnkey solutions and deliver outstanding results for our clients.
If you are interested in being a part of the I.B. Abel team or want to learn more about the apprenticeship program, check out our career opportunities currently available or reach out to humanresources@ib-abel.com to hear about our competitive benefits, training and mentorship programs, and our culture.
