Union members held a celebration for a new building for future builders in East Moline Friday morning. The Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council held a ribbon cutting in honor of the grand opening of its new Quad-Cities campus. The 55,000 square foot building at 408 Carpenter Court in East Moline will be home to both the Associated General Contractors of the Quad Cities and the Millwright Contractors Associates.
The Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council had a big day on Friday, Nov. 22, when it celebrated the grand opening of its new 55,000 square foot training facility at 408 Carpenter Court in East Moline. Phil Davidson, director of communications for MACRC, said the new building is outfitted with classrooms, to allow for both classroom work and ongoing training in the field.
For the millwrights, it offers more floor space and updated technology to allow them to work on the newest machines available, to help prepare students for the real world. Each of the two unions had previous buildings they were using, but outgrew them due to increased recruitment. During a welcome ceremony Friday, MACRC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Kevin McLaughlin spoke about the importance of the moment and the building.
He became an apprentice in 1984 and worked his way up over the last 40 years. It was an honor to open the new building, he said to the crowd. "The fact that we have this many people that we have here today is a testament to the value and impact that this new training center will.