In ballots counted Feb. 12, Walt Caudle defeated Alan Davis to become the new business manager of Heat and Frost Insulators Local 36. Caudle, 57, has been the union apprenticeship coordinator since April 2009. He succeeds Stan Danielson, who retired after 30 years at the helm.
Prior to his job as apprenticeship coordinator, Caudle was the elected business agent at Local 36 from 1996 until December 2008, when he stepped down and briefly returned to work with the tools.
A native Oregonian, Caudle worked in concrete after graduating from Sherwood High School. In 1981, his father convinced him to apply for the insulators apprenticeship program.
Caudle has a family history with Local 36 dating back to its inception in 1913. His father Lindy Caudle and five great-uncles all were members of the local.
Caudle is a delegate to the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council, and serves on the board of directors of the IBEW and United Workers Federal Credit Union.
As business manager, he said he wants to bring more participation to union meetings, possibly through incentive programs. Work is “pretty good right now,” he says, but he plans to continue lobbying for large construction projects, such as the Jordan Cove LNG plant in Coos Bay.
“Stan and I worked together for a long time. I learned a lot from him,” Caudle said. “There will be some changes, but mostly internal office stuff.”
Member Dave Gamble was hired to succeed Caudle as apprenticeship coordinator.
In other election results, vice president Ron Mathis outpolled Executive Board member Matt Grider by two votes to become business agent. Business manager and business agent are the local’s two elected staff positions. Davis, the incumbent business agent, did not seek re-election; instead he ran for business manager, and lost to Caudle.
Also elected were: Dreng Espelien, president; Jeff Marchi, vice president; Nick Garrison, treasurer; Angela d’Esposito, recording secretary; Jesse Markowski, trustee; and five Executive Board members: Level Sneed, Lincoln Caldwell, Gary Downum, Rob Bates, and Mike Thomas.
