Brian Kapaun
Though it might seem like he spent his whole life in the trade, IBEW 1245 Business Rep Brian Kapaun didn’t always work in General Construction for PG&E. For the first decade of his professional life, he actually sold shoes at the mall.
“I worked for GallenKamp Shoes as a store manager at Weberstown Mall in Stockton,” Kapaun recalls. “I watched as my assistant manager interviewed for and landed a PG&E GC Field Clerk position. As he was leaving, I said ‘What about me?’ … and he pointed me to the right person at PG&E for an interview.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Kapaun hired on with PG&E in 1978 as a 1st Field Clerk in GC, and was initiated into IBEW 1245 in 1979. He worked in GC for PG&E for 35 years.
“By going to PG&E, I gained about a month of my own time for each year of my life, simply by not working long hours each day, by not working weekends and holidays,” he noted.
But with the improved hours and pay came a whole lot of time on the road away from his home and family.
“During the first five years with PG&E, I tracked my GC travels on a AAA paper map, and the many pencil lines wore through the paper,” Kapaun said.
Union Career
Brother Kapaun was a committed union member from Day One. He became a shop steward in 1981, and held a multitude of volunteer positions over the years. In his early years with the union, he served as Unit Recorder for the Loomis Unit #3510. In 2007, he was appointed to fill the GC At-Large seat on the union’s Advisory Council. He also served on the bargaining committee from 1999 to 2009 as well as a number of other committees. He’s the kind of guy who never shied away from an opportunity to get more involved with the union.
He came on staff at IBEW 1245 in January of 2010, and for the past five years he’s worked with PG&E GC members in the North Coast. After a long union career, Kapaun has decided to retire in February of 2015.
The Next Chapter
“It has been a challenging, wonderful and rewarding experience serving the IBEW members through the years as both a shop steward and Business Representative,” said Kapaun. “I will miss the challenge of the day-to-day Business Rep interaction with the members and pleasure of working with the Union staff and fellow Reps. I have treasured and enjoyed my work as a Rep but look forward to retirement and the next chapter of my life.”
“He has always been the consummate professional,” IBEW 1245 Business Manager Tom Dalzell said of Kapaun. “He’s held many different roles with us, and he has definitely made a difference. We thank him for his service to the union and wish him all the best.”