Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council

10/05/2026

On behalf of the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council, a huge thank you to Charlie Sigleterry for hosting the Gulf Coast Workforce Board and providing an extended tour of IUOE Local 564!

We truly appreciated the opportunity to share and learn more about the incredible work being done to train, prepare, and develop the next generation of Operating Engineers. It was great to see firsthand—and even experience—some of the training, resources, technology, and dedication that go into preparing apprentices for successful careers in the skilled trades.

Thank you, Charlie and IUOE Local 564, for your hospitality, your commitment to workforce development, and your continued investment in the future of our industry.

And a special thank you to the Gulf Coast Workforce Board for your interest, engagement, and willingness to help us share one of the “Best Kept Secrets”—the incredible career opportunities available through union apprenticeship programs and the building trades!

careers. our workforce. the future.

10/05/2026

Tag a sister you're excited to see at Tradeswomen Build Nations!

10/02/2026

Congratulations to our ARP/MC3 Cohort 20 graduates! 🎓

We’re so proud to have been part of the beginning of your journey, and we can’t wait to see all that you accomplish.

A heartfelt thank-you to Lacy Wolf of the Insulators for stepping in to deliver a wonderful invocation for our graduates.

We’re also grateful to Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones for sharing an amazing and heartwarming keynote address. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, your grounding and inspiring words meant so much to our graduates. Thank you both for your support!

Last but certainly not least, thank you to Stephen Gonzales and Terryl Stoddard for being such gracious hosts. We truly appreciate your support! 🎉

10/01/2026

A huge shoutout to Eloy Gaitan with Williams Hart & Boundas LLP for an amazing presentation on labor law to our pre-apprentices!

Our students truly enjoyed learning from your knowledge and experience, although we’re pretty sure the $100 winners may have enjoyed the presentation just a little bit more! Thank you, Eloy, for taking the time to educate our students and for your continued dedication to supporting them as they begin their journeys into the union building and construction trades.

The learning didn’t stop there! Our students also completed their First Aid/CPR training, gaining valuable, potentially life-saving skills that can help them respond in an emergency, whether it happens on the jobsite or off.

Another great day of learning, preparation, and building skills for the future!

09/30/2026

Another busy day for our Cohort 20 students!

A special thank you to Lacy Wolf, Jorge Castrejon, and Donovan Lamar with Houston Jac InsulatorsUnion for their wonderful presentation and the OSHA 10 training. Our students loved having you and learning about your trade.

Another heartfelt thank you to Bill McCamley with the TX Building Trades Health Foundation for shining a light on the importance of mental health awareness. It's a great reminder that we all go through struggles, but we don't have to go through them alone.
Thank you, gentlemen, for all you do!

09/30/2026

Where do I even begin?

A HUGE shoutout to all my union sisters who showed up and allowed me to be a small part of the Women’s Volunteer Weekend at Galveston Island State Park, helping with the installation of the new dock.

As a union sister who works behind a desk and not out in the field, I have to say, watching these badass tradeswomen do what they do left me in absolute AWE!

I’ve always had tremendous respect for the work tradeswomen do. I’ve had the privilege of seeing it through my own daughter, who is a proud IBEW Local 716 sister, and through the educational arm of our Council, where we constantly hear how much contractors value women in the trades because of their quality of work, attention to detail, and dedication to getting the job done right.

And this weekend, I got to see it firsthand.

There were a few hiccups along the way, but no one missed a beat. Everyone took it in stride, worked together, found a solution, and kept moving forward. That sisterhood was something special to witness. The teamwork, encouragement, knowledge, patience, and leadership displayed from every angle of this project were truly impressive.

And San Antonio showed up! The leadership and support they brought were incredible, and it did not go unnoticed.

A very special THANK YOU to USA4LIFE and ACCUDOCK for making this amazing project possible and giving these incredible tradeswomen the opportunity to come together, put their skills to work, and leave something meaningful behind for the community. Projects like this are about so much more than what gets built; they showcase the talent, strength, leadership, and sisterhood of women in the building trades.

To every sister who participated, organized, led, taught, encouraged, problem-solved, lifted, built, and supported, THANK YOU. I couldn’t be prouder to call you my union sisters.

And as for my contribution, I can proudly tell my grandkids that I held screws, did some lifting, and tried my best to stay out of the way while these amazing women brought this beautiful project to life!

What an experience. What a sisterhood. And what an incredible reminder of what happens when union women come together and BUILD!

09/28/2026

Off to a busy start of week 3 for our pre-apprentices!

They got a great tool orientation from John Batiest and Mike Donnelly with DEWALT
and a wonderful insight into the IBEW Local Union 716's apprenticeship program, which included a tour of their facility from Manny Hinojosa, Sandra Leblanc and Terryl Stoddard.
Thank you all for showing up for our students and going above and beyond.

09/28/2026

Always something happening at the Building Trades.

To catch Paul in a live interview with Bishop James Dixon on “A Tip From Gilbert,” tune in

The website where the episode will be uploaded on as soon as it ends is https://atipfromgilbert.com/
The live radio show channels are:
KWWJ · 1360 AM
KYOK · 1140 AM
1230 KCOH.com
Latino Sports 850 AM
Sangeet Radio 1460 AM
Sangeet 95.1 FM

The show is live streamed on Facebook and YouTube:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gilbertandrewgarcia/

You can also stream the audio for the show at:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3JmT3EkiT7lRp5BDAQXs26
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-tip-from-gilbert/id1580992316
iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/search/?keywords=tip+from+gilbert+garcia
RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/atipfromgilbertgarcia/

The number to call into the live show is 832-570-8075!

Thank you for the opportunity

09/28/2026