Milwaukee Tools Apprentice of The Month - Morgan Hallquist
Apprentices come in all forms. Sometimes we have people who have never worked in the construction field. Sometimes we get people who have worked for their family’s small business. Sometimes people have never lifted a tool in their life. The Union is built on the idea that anyone, with proper training, has the capacity to be a great craftsman. That being said, it is always a huge boon when apprentices come in with a long history of working in the trade and bring that with them into our apprenticeship. So it is with this month’s apprentice, Morgan Hallquist, who brings years of trade experience to the Union to enrich our brotherhood and our profession.
“I come from a family filled with Union members,” says Morgan. “They’ve been hounding me for years to get into a Union. They always talked about the camaraderie and about how the Union will stick its neck out to make sure you get what you deserve. When this opportunity came up there was no doubt in my mind that I had to jump.”
Morgan has already earned the respect of his coworkers and his supervisors as he is frequently cited as one of the best people on the jobsite. Garrett Eaton, a 20-year electrician and Morgan’s foreman, says Morgan is one of the most easily relied-on people on his crew.
“He’s one of my righthand guys,” says Garrett, currently working for Gar’s Electric. “He has knowledge across the board and is an incredibly well-rounded apprentice. If I ask him for some piece of information, he knows how to find it and I know he’s going to deliver on what he promises.”
In class, Morgan is no slouch either, being quick to answer questions he knows the answers to and asking questions about the information he doesn’t know. On top of that, he is a great help to his classmates.
“Morgan is one of the people in class I can always count on to ask good questions,” says Brian Stauffer, a JATC instructor. “He came into the apprenticeship with a ton of crucial information in his head and he is one of the best students I’ve had. He is a great addition to our ranks.”
When asked if he has any advice for younger apprentices, Morgan is as clear as can be: Ask questions and make sure you ask follow-up questions with different circumstances.
“Always be asking questions, don’t be scared,” says Morgan. “If you’re taught to do something a certain way, throw in variables to the situation. Ask ‘how would we do this if such and such was different?’ If you don’t understand all the materials you’re working with, you’ll never be able to do your job well and efficiently.”
For his hard work, Morgan will receive a PACKOUT bag and hand tools from Milwaukee Tools and congratulations from the JATC and its staff.