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HBI Grad the First to Be Named to Job Corps Hall of Fame
 Fabian Liera, a former student in the Home Builders Institute's (HBI) plumbing program at the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center in Tucson, Ariz., has been selected to be inducted into the Job Corps Hall of Fame, becoming the first HBI graduate ever to receive this honor.
Only 15 Job Corps graduates have been named to the hall of fame in the program’s 40-year history, including boxing legend George Foreman. The award recognizes graduates who have distinguished themselves through their professional and personal achievements.
Since graduating from the HBI Job Corps program in 1992, Liera has successfully established his own business while working tirelessly to ensure that other young people with limited opportunities have a chance to excel.
The owner today of Ironwood/Winnelson Plumbing Supply Co. in Tucson and the son of immigrant parents, Liera said that as a high school dropout he had no idea of what he wanted to do with his life. His friends finally convinced him to enroll in Job Corps, where he took a strong interest in plumbing and quickly rose to the top of his class.
Following graduation, he worked in the trade before making the transition to the supplier side, loading trucks and filling orders. It wasn’t long before he was indoors helping customers and on the road to owning his own company.
Liera served as the keynote speaker at Fred G. Acosta’s graduation ceremonies this spring and he provides Job Corps students with an inspiring example of what a career in the building trades can be. Ironwood/Winnelson surpassed $4 million in profits last year.
“Fabian is an outstanding young man and truly deserves this award,” said Bobby Rayburn, an HBI trustee and the immediate past president of NAHB. “He has worked incredibly hard to build his business and get to where he is today. We are very pleased that he will represent HBI in the Job Corps Hall of Fame.”
Rayburn presented the first NAHB President’s Award to Liera at the International Builders' Show in Orlando this past January in recognition of his accomplishments in the building industry.
In ongoing collaborative efforts with the Fred G. Acosta Job Corps Center, Liera has formed a work-based learning site for HBI plumbing students, and he currently employs two of the program’s alumni. As a member of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA), he works closely with staff and HBI instructors to connect the students with educational and career opportunities in the housing industry.
Liera and his wife will travel to Washington, D.C. for the National Job Corps 40th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 14-17 during which he will be officially inducted into the Job Corps Hall of Fame.
Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB, is the largest training contractor in Job Corps, with programs at 68 centers in 40 states.
For more information on HBI’s Job Corps programs, e-mail Maria McIntyre at HBI, or call her at 800-959-0052 x8912.
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