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Jim Borato

Jimmie Bodrato 40 plus Years of Training & Experience

Part-time and Summer Jobs:


1974: Northvale Pharmacy - Clean-up boy

1975 & 1976: Dishwasher at the 19th Green Bar and Restaurant in Northvale, NJ

1977: Laborer for Joe Bodrato (grandfather)
1977 (Winter): ShopRite front end support bagger and clean-up

1978 & 1979: Laborer for Joe Bodrato

1980: Graduated St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, NJ

  • Played 3 years of varsity football and 3 years of varsity baseball


1980: 1st electrical apprentice job for FC Electric, Westwood, NJ

1981: While attending Ramapo College as a freshman, I worked as a night watchman from midnight till 8am for Gleason Security at the Orange & Rockland Utility office site

1981 (Spring): Left Ramapo College and started my career as a full-time electrical helper/pre-apprentice

Worked for Tack Electric and Sullivan Electric in Northern New Jersey doing service, residential, commercial, industrial and fire alarm retrofit

April 1982: Joined the United States Navy

  • Attended bootcamp at Great Lakes Training Center in Michigan from April to June to prepare myself for a future in the United States Navy


1982-1986: Served in The United States Navy Submarine Force on United States ships - the SSN 703, USS Boston and the SSN705, USS City of Corpus Christie.

  • Qualified in submarine warfare on the USS Boston


April 1, 1986 completed my four years of duty United States Navy started working in the electrical industry as a pre-apprentice/helper.

August 9, 1986: Accepted into the IBEW Local Union 363 pre-apprentice/helpers program

  • After completing the pre-apprentice program, I was accepted to a 5 year state-approved apprenticeship program and served as an apprentice for multiple contractors in the Hudson Valley area of New York State.


1991: Applied for my master's license in The State of New Jersey and received a passing grade as a Master Electrician in New Jersey

  • Continued to work as a Journeyman Wireman, Foreman, General Foreman Project Manager and a Training Instructor for 10 years at the IBEW Local Union 363

  • Graduate of NTI from the University of Tennessee

  • Served as an apprenticeship training trustee and my duties included interviewing all apprentice applicants


2001: Appointed as the Business Agent for IBEW Local Union 363, representing hundreds of electrical construction workers, including pre-apprentices and apprentices.

2007: I left my position as a local union Business Agent to accept the position of Executive Director for the Construction Contractors Association of the Hudson Valley. My role included representing hundreds of union contractors throughout the Hudson Valley and promoting the construction industry through training, marketing and educating the public on the value of becoming a construction industry leader as a worker or an owner.

  • I believe all industry leaders need to contribute to the future of construction and that was the goal and one of the mission statements of the Executive Board of the Construction Contractors Association.


2009-2012: Accepted a position as the Vice President of Perreca Electric, an IBEW contractor in New York

August 1, 2012:  Became the Vice President of USIS Electric to start an electrical contracting firm.

  • Responsibilities included but were not limited to: business development, operations, recruiting/interviewing and overseeing the development of a state-approved apprenticeship program, along with a pre-fabrication shop to provide pre-fabricated electrical products to our workforce throughout the New York City metropolitan area

  • All business was conducted in New York City and New Jersey, specifically the Jersey City area


2020: After 8 years at USIS  Electric, I accepted the role as Vice President of Tore Electric and an IBEW shop in Northern New Jersey, where we created a pre-fabrication shop to provide pre-fabricated products to the Tore Electric field electricians for  projects.

Besides spending time with my family, my hobbies include boxing and coaching.

Michael Connor Work History, Training, & Experience

Michael Connor

2011: High School Graduate

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2011-2014: Rockland Community College

  • Studied Criminal Justice and decided college was not for me

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2015: Met Jimmie Bodrato, who became my mentor

  • Started a pre-apprenticeship program, with the hopes of getting into 5 year electrical apprenticeship program 

  • Started shadowing Jimmie

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My Apprenticeship

 

Warehouse Experience

  • Spent 6 months learning shipping and receiving, prior to being accepted into the 5 year electrical apprenticeship program 

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Office Experience

  • After being accepted into the program I was brought into the office to learn the background of the industry.

    • Estimating and Takeoffs 

    • Purchasing

      • Everyday material purchasing for all company projects

      • Bulk material buyouts for large projects

 

Job Site Experience​

  • Ellipse Tower: Jersey City, NJ

    •  $8 Million dollar project

    •  42 Story High Rise, Residential Construction - 385 Units

      • Managed 60 Man Crew

      • 2 - 4000 Amp Services

      • Bus Duct Riser

      • Generator / Emergency Systems

      • Lightning Protection

      • Parking Garage

      • Pool

      • Prefabrication 

      • Coordination with General Contractor/ Ownership

      • Coordination with P.S.E.G.

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  • Revetment House: Jersey City, NJ

    • $2.5 Million dollar project

    • 8 Story, Residential Construction - 186 Units

      • Managed 40 Man Crew

      • 1 - 4000 Amp Service

      • Generator / Emergency Systems

      • Lightning Protection

      • Prefabrication

      • Coordination with General Contractor / Ownership

      • Coordination with P.S.E.G.

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  • Front and York - 85 Jay St Brooklyn, Ny - 31 Million Dollar Project

    • (2) 22 Story & (2) 8 Story High Rise Residential Towers on NYC square block, 1.5 Million Sq Ft.

      • Managed 100 Man Crew

      • 4 - 4000 Amp Services

      • 2 - 350 KW Generators

      • BIM Modeling

      • Coordination with Construction Management team

      • 2 Pools

      • Retail Space

      • Parking Garage

      • Coordination with Con Edison

 

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Present: Pre-fab Manager, Tore Electric​

Read More about Joe Bodrato, His Legacy and Our founders inspiration

Joe Bodrato

Joe was an 8th grade graduate and after graduating it was time to work and make a contribution to the family; of which were manual labor and mostly miscellaneous jobs. By the time Joe was in is early twenties, a Ford manufacturing plant opened in Edgewater, NJ where he landed a job working the assembly line. About 10 years later, Joe wanted to work outside as he had always been helping a local contractor doing masonry concrete work.

 

Joe's next big break - joining a union. A union organizer saw him finishing a sidewalk and said "Hey kid, do you want to join a union?". And just like that, Joe went to work for a local union - 27 Bergen County New Jersey Bricklayers.

 

During this time, Joe earned a 50-year service gold card and after retirement collected pension checks for over 25 years. I remember as a young child what I learned from my grandfather - some very simple lessons in life:

 

  • Be quiet and listen

  • Work hard, but more importantly work smart and safe

  • Every tool has a place

  • Be the best at your craft

  • Make your boss money

  • And, never stop learning

 

But the greatest lesson he taught me was how to pass along knowledge of your craft.

 

I honor him for just being a regular "old Joe". Joe had many friends and worked very hard helping all of his friends - continuously giving to the people he loved. An example of this was when my grandfather helped me to get my first job after high school at FC Electric. As a thank you to the owner for hiring me, Joe built him a fireplace for free at his home. This is what Tradesmen do for each other.

 

Tradesmen have pride and honor and I am very proud to call myself a Tradesman. I am passionate about restoring the honor and pride, along with giving back the knowledge of what I have learned to all the ETA students in our Bootcamp style program. That way, together, we can help fill the enormous void in our trade the skilled labor shortage.

 

Tradesmen like Joe Bodrato, learned how to work safely, be productive, make money and give back, all while building for townspeople and at a high-level for our country. He helped pass the knowledge to the next generation and that is what I plan to do, in honor of my grandfather. ETA honors Joe Bodrato and his contribution to building America. 

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