The Associated Builders and Contractors announced the winners in its 2005 National Craft Championships competition, held at the association's annual convention earlier this year. More than 125 craft professionals competed in 10 different areas - carpentry, electrical, fire sprinkler, HVAC, masonry, millright, pipefitting, plumbing, sheet metal and welding. Competitors, who qualified or won previous competitions at a regional level, first took a three-hour written exam and then competed in hands-on building projects.

In the plumbing category, Christopher Allen Simons of the Jack Laurence Corp. took the gold. The silver went to Jefferson E. Arns of Pacific Rim Mechanical Contractors, and Tim S. Hatzidakis of Little Mountain Plumbing won the bronze.

In the pipefitting category, James M. Blair of Starcon International took the gold. Winning the silver was Dallas Dustin Pitts of BE&K Construction, and the bronze went to George H. Johnson Jr. of Performance Contractors.