Ron Bowling

Ron Bowling joined Laborers' Local 265 in 1998 at the age of 23. In 2015, he began his career as an Educational Instructor at the Ohio Laborers' Training Center. As a Laborer in the field, Ron worked in gas distribution, heavy highway, and building trades. Ron's lifelong relationship training began in 1996 when he worked on a Kokosing project that required an STP class. After initially not being interested in training, Ron found himself returning to the training center seeking new skills for a less labor-intensive role on his job site. Ron saw the usefulness and importance of training, and he went on to take 50 training classes as a journeyman. After being a regular at the training center, Ron was asked about working at OLTC in 2003/2004. After initially declining due to the distance from his hometown Ron relented in 2015 when Bob Chatterson, the Executive Director at that time, offered him a position as an instructor. Ron accepted the job and began an impactful career spanning 10 years of service. From the beginning of his career, Ron has always loved the teaching aspect of being an instructor. Beloved by students for his humility and desire to make learning fun, Ron believes it's important to remember that, as an instructor, "You have seen things they haven't, but they have seen things you haven't." He believes that teaching should be like talking about safety with friends, and he went out of his way to treat all his students like friends, often staying after hours to work with individuals who needed more instruction. One of Ron's favorite memories at OLTC was his camaraderie with other instructors and the dynamics of working as a team to help one another be better. Ron believes that "we all have a place in this organization, and we need everyone to work smoothly to function well to succeed." His parting advice to OLTC staff is to always work as a team. "We're all good, but when we come together, we are great," says Ron. Thank you, Ron, for your service to OLTC.