‘A very emotional moment’
GRANDDAD AND GRANDSON WORKING ON BUCKS ARENA
For Tony Jagers, the impulse to become an electrician goes way back. “I started when I was like 4 years old, tinkering with the light fixture over the kitchen sink. I felt the current and wanted to know what it was,” he said.
He dreamed of passing along the trade to his sons. It didn’t take. But a grandson, Te’Vares Lloyd, was about 12 when he started going along with Tony to fix up rental properties, and in the process he learned skills such as carpentry, plumbing and, yes, electrical.
Today, the two are both working on the massive Milwaukee Bucks arena project, Tony as a journeyman electrician and Te (pronounced Tay, which is what everyone calls him) as an entry-level construction wire man.
You see a lot of siblings working together in the trades. Or dads with their sons or daughters.
“But grandson and grandfather? It’s pretty extraordinary and awesome,” said Jamie Sullivan, president of Staff Electric Co., which employes Tony and Te and has about 180 electricians and sound and communication technicians working on the arena downtown.
At the moment, Tony, 57, is assigned to the building’s high-tech fire alarm system. Te, 20, started by pulling cable for speakers, screens and other electronics and now is busy with material handling. They both live in Milwaukee.
Tony, who also is a minister, has seen young people go astray. “I prayed that my grandson would follow the right path, and the best way is by example,” he said. “He was very good hands-on, and that’s when it began. I thought this has gotta be the one. Now it’s just a matter of staying focused and hoping he gets his apprenticeship.”
Tony took electrical shop classes back at Custer High School and worked for various companies over the years. But he didn’t pursue an apprenticeship himself until 2009, and he did it with the help of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Big Step program in Milwaukee that connects willing workers to family-sustaining jobs.
Te, who attended Riverside University High School, also went through Big Step. He has a great interest in fixing cars, but decided electrician is the way to go. Advice from his grandfather increased the voltage.
“It really wasn’t pressure. I remember one thing he always told me. Once you become an electrician, you’ll be set for life. At first, I didn’t understand what he meant. Now I do,” Te said.
The two started their union jobs at Staff Electric two days apart in August. Tony will never forget their first day together at the arena site.
“It was a very emotional moment. I saw him and stood next to him. He had his hard hat on. I put my arm around him, and we took a selfie,” he said.
Dean Warsh, business manager with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 494 in Milwaukee, said Te sometimes will feel added pressure working with his more experienced grandfather. Dean followed his own father into the trade.
“I think it could be difficult at times. You can’t make mistakes because you’ll never hear the end of it,” Dean said with a smile.
Tony plans to work five to eight more years and bolster his legacy by taking the master exam. He will continue to encourage his grandson, stress safety on the job, and remind him of the importance of making the right choices in life.
“You’re here,” he said to Te. “Highest-profile job in Wisconsin right now. You’re part of it. How many of your friends are doing that?”
Te plans to become an apprentice and rise from there long after the Bucks settle into their new home. Maybe even pass the trade along to his descendants.
“It’s just the beginning of my path, my future.”