A Highlands apprentice is laying the foundations for a strong career as a qualified builder.
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MDB Building second year apprentice Zachary Bollinger has won the Master Builders Association apprentice of the year award.
Mr Bollinger was among 900 apprentices to enter the competition.
The awards were held at the Star City casino in Sydney earlier this month.
MDB Building head contractor and builder Mark Bailey said he was proud of the 23-year-old apprentice’s successes.
“I’m absolutely proud and proud for him,” Mr Bailey said.
“We were at the awards with companies doing $200 to $300 million jobs.
“Here we were as local builders and he was competing against apprentices with multi-million dollar budgets.
“When he came to work to work to the next day, he acted like it hadn’t happened. He’s very humble.”
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Mr Bollinger said work was about doing his personal best.
“For me it’s a part of my job,” he said.
“It’s about doing the best I can and if my best happens to be better than others then that’s cool.”
Mr Bollinger credited his upbringing for his work ethic.
“I was taught that if you’re asked to do a job do it properly the first time, rather than doing it two or three times to get it right,” he said.
“It’s a representation of the company. If I do the best work I can, it gives the company a better look.”
Mr Bailey was quick to praise Mr Bollinger and said he was a stand-out apprentice with a bright future.
“I’ve been around a lot of apprentices, I’ve been construction industry for 20 years,” Mr Bailey said.
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“The sky’s the limit, there’s nothing I can’t see him achieving if he wants to.
“My hardest challenge will be finding another apprentice that’s as good as him. It’s refreshing in today’s society to find someone with his attitude and work ethic.”
Despite being halfway through his apprenticeship, Mr Bollinger has already achieved a lot.
Prior to receiving the apprentice of the year award, Mr Bollinger has received 100 per cent in his marks at TAFE during his first year.
The second year apprentice also competed at World Skills held at Wollongong TAFE during his first year and finished in fifth place.
The MBA Excellence in Construction Awards are the commercial building industry’s most prestigious awards, attracting entries from the state’s largest commercial, industrial and civil contractors in a range of categories and price divisions.
Calls to save businesses money on energy costs
The NSW Business Chamber has kicked off a state-wide campaign to help businesses save money on their energy bills.
The Illawarra Business Chamber’s executive director Adam Zarth said the 5in5 campaign aims to save businesses and residents across New South Wales an estimated $5 million on their annual energy bills over the next five weeks.
Businesses are being asked to utilise the campaign’s free energy comparison-and-switch service to make sure they’re on the best energy plan for them; saving money and reducing operating costs.
“The Chamber’s last two business conditions surveys identified that 90 per cent of businesses in NSW rank affordable and reliable energy as a top concern,” Mr Zarth said.
“When it comes to immediate cost reduction priorities, energy has been ranked as the second most important issue.”
Visit https://energy.nswbusinesschamber.com.au/5in5 to join the campaign.
Support seriously ill children
It’s not often you can support a charity just by chowing down on a burger.
McHappy Day, which will be held on Saturday, November 17, will give Highlanders the opportunity to do just that. Two dollars from every Big Mac sold will go directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).
You can also support the cause by buying a pair of $5 McHappy Day socks, buy a $2, $5 or $10 helping hand or make a gold coin donation in a ‘bucket brigade’ change bucket.
McHappy Day is crucial in raising funds for RMHC, which helps keep families together while their seriously ill child undergoes treatment.
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