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Family at the Foundation:

Alex Lotto Wins Big in National Competitions

For Alexander (Alex) Lotto, the opportunity to compete in the United Association (UA)  District 1 Apprenticeship and International Apprenticeship Competitions this past summer was the result of hard work, determination, and legacy.

It all starts with his family. Alex is not the first Lotto to work at F+F Mechanical. His father David was a foreman at the company and his uncle Steve still works at F+F as a Senior Mechanical Coordinator. He credits his father, who passed away several years ago, with getting him interested in the trade.

Alex Lotto, Fifth Year Apprentice, F+F Mechanical

“When I was younger I went with my dad on jobs and started to pick things up. I’d say my interest started there,” Alex says. “I went to college for a year but it wasn’t really right for me. That’s when my uncle (Steve) suggested that I should look into joining the union.”

Alex has been with F+F Mechanical since 2017 as a 5th year apprentice. For him, representing UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 777 in a regional competition against apprentices from all over the Northeast was an opportunity to apply the skills he’s been learning and refining since he was a teenager.

Alex was asked to complete a complicated Steam Heat Exchanger project that included piping hydronic and steam unit heaters, and was evaluated on his abilities to solder, braze, and bend tubing. His industrial rigging skills were put to the test, where judges challenged him to pick up a pipe horizontally and level it in the air using a crane. He was also given a written exam on his overall trade knowledge. After three days of intense competition, Alex’s overall score resulted in him being crowned the District 1 Pipefitting Champion.

Shortly thereafter, Alex headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the UA International Apprenticeship Competition where he faced from the the US, Canada, and Australia. With over 50,000 apprentices competing, Alex finished as one of seven Pipefitting finalists.

The pressure never got to him, though. “I went into both competitions feeling like I could win or at least get close to winning,” Alex recalls. Even the night before the competition began when all of the competitors gathered for dinner — a scene that might cause one to get butterflies in their stomach — Alex wasn’t worried. He was ready to take on the best of the best, confident in all that he’s learned from his father, his uncle, and from pipefitters and plumbers that he works alongside at F+F.

Alex credits his foreman, Mike Muolo - who was the first ever employee hired at F+F Mechanical 40 years ago, for getting him prepared for the competitions. “I went into it feeling pretty good, and Mike was a big part of that,” Alex says.  “I consider him my mentor, and I’ve known him since I was a kid. My dad worked with him, and he’s a big reason why I won the competition and went on to compete in the International competition. He taught me almost everything I know.”