A Legacy Built to Last: Honoring Mike Komaromi, 21 Years as Our Director of Training
A farewell and thank you to a brother, teacher, leader, and the heart of the Finishing Trades Institute of Southern New England.
“My favorite part of my position is teaching. Also to help change the lives of others, teaching the apprentices and sharing the knowledge is an important thing that we should all be doing for the future of our organization and our trades.”
- Michael S. Komaromi, Director of Training (2005-2026)
Dear Brothers, Sisters, and Siblings,
Last Tuesday, July 1, marked the end of an era. After 21 years as our Director of Training, Mike Komaromi has officially retired and it is truly hard to put into words what he has meant to this institute, to our apprentices, our instructors, our staff, and to every single member who has walked through our doors.
Before we go any further, we should say this: Mike would never tell you any of what follows because of his humility. While Mike may never brag about himself, we have absolutely no problem doing it for him. He has earned every word.
Where It All Began
Mike's story is the story of our training program itself. He spent 25 years in the field as a glazier, and it was there on the job, working alongside apprentices that he saw something that troubled him: apprentices weren't getting the education they deserved. Rather than accept that, he set out to change it. He became an instructor. Then the glazing coordinator. And finally, the Director of Training. At every step, he was driven by one conviction: that our members deserve the very best training this industry has to offer.
He got his start at 15 years old, with a summer job working on storm windows and screens. After high school, he went to work as a glazier in 1980 and spent 24 years, 7 months, and 13 days in the field (and yes, he counted), because every one of those days mattered to him.
The union runs deep in the Komaromi family. Mike's two brothers are glaziers who came up behind him. His father was a Teamster — a union steward who spent Sunday afternoons at the kitchen table going toe-to-toe with company foremen while young Mike listened and learned.
"This has been instilled in me. My dad always said, 'If you're not gonna go to school, you're gonna join the union.
I'm fortunate, and I'm blessed, just to help people - new apprentices - give them an opportunity like I was given an opportunity."
- Mike Komaromi
Hear where Mike's story began, in his own words:
The Weight He Carried
To understand what Mike carried for 21 years, consider everything that fell on his shoulders: meetings, financials, grants, audits, reports, all 8 training programs and within that 21 apprentice classes a week, his staff, every instructor, every apprentice, and the facilities in two states.
And that was just some of the job description.
In reality, Mike was the person everyone called when anything went wrong. Toilet clogged? Call Mike. Air conditioning down? Call Mike. Pipe burst? Fire alarms acting up? Call Mike. He was the rock and the foundation of our facilities and he carried the full weight of that responsibility, because he cared too much to ever let anything fall through the cracks. Few people will ever understand how demanding that role truly is. Mike lived it every single day, arriving early and leaving late.
Building a Program From the Ground Up
Under Mike's leadership, our training program was transformed. When he started this position he arrived with a book, glass cutters, had to bring every tool from work to the training center to teach the apprentices. Since then he has built curriculum for every one of our trades, established programs and standards where few existed. He worked tirelessly to secure the grants and funding that made it all possible.
Today, we run 21 classes every week and over 100 STAR training classes every year = more opportunities for education, certifications, and advancement than at any point in our District Council history. In fact, we are one of the few councils in the country that offer that much safety training for their members. He built the STAR program into the event our members look forward to all year, where everyone walks away with a prize and one lucky member drives home in a new car.
2024 STAR Banquet - Mike Komaromi and his buddy, Journeyperson (former apprentice) Agnelo Varela.
The Facilities He Dreamed Into Existence
Many of you remember our old home in a small space on the Berlin Turnpike. Mike believed our members deserved better… a true state-of-the-art training center with every resource they'd need to learn and grow.
For years, after work he would drive past what is now our headquarters in Connecticut and imagine what it could become for our membership. He knew this was going to become the headquarters some day, he never let go of that vision, and through sheer determination, he made it a reality. The headquarters we're proud to call home today was born from this dream. Then he did it all over again in Rhode Island, giving our members there a beautiful, expansive facility of their own.
Inside those buildings, his fingerprints are everywhere, literally and figuratively: mock-up booths for every trade so each apprentice has their own space to develop their skills, eight welding booths, and a bridge outside for our industrial painting members to get real experience training on a bridge. Real-world training that simply didn't exist before Mike made it happen.
Connecticut Headquarters Grand Opening - Mike Komaromi & Jesse Rose Komaromi
Beyond Our Walls
Mike didn't stop at our own doors. Because of him, we now teach in three high schools, something that was never the case before. We run several pre-apprenticeship programs throughout the year, including two-decade partnerships with the Connecticut State Building Trades Training Institute and Building Futures in Rhode Island, bringing new members into the trades. We attend countless career fairs across the region, building our reputation as a serious, respected trade school.
Mike made our programs respected, and not just here at home, but across the country. His leadership extended well beyond FTISNE: he served on the Capital Workforce board, where he also chaired the Youth Services Committee; served as Secretary-Treasurer of the CTJATDCC; and was a member of the Construction Workforce Initiative (CWI) and the Eastern Region Directors Committee, and served on the Hartford Jobs Funnel Advisory Committee . He was twice named Apprentice Director of the Year by Yale University. Among training directors, he was a recognized and deeply respected mentor not just for what he accomplished, but because his heart was always in it. That is what stands out the most, and what he will be most remembered for.
when asked:
What will you miss the most about being in the training center daily?
”My staff. Very supportive of me and dedicated; I worked hard and long to develop a staff with in and outs with instructors and have a great staff” - msk
Mike was very grateful for his staff, his instructors, and his team. He knows that everything built here was built together, and that he was only as strong as the people beside him.
He was right about that, and he built a team that shared his standards and his heart. To his staff and instructors — he knew, and we know, that this legacy belongs to you too.
What He Loved Most
But here is the thing about Mike: for all the titles, budgets, buildings, and awards, his favorite part of the job never changed. It was teaching.
Every chance he got to step in front of apprentices or a pre-apprenticeship class, he would light up, smiling ear to ear. You could see it instantly: his heart was in teaching the next generation.
DOT Komaromi with his last students to ever teach in the CTBTTI Pre-Apprenticeship Glazing Program - June 2026.
And hear what kept his heart here for 21 years:
Everything he built, every program, every facility, every standard came back to one purpose: making sure every member has the training and certifications to work safely and go home to their families at the end of the day.
A Legacy Built to Last
Here the recent interview with DOT Komaromi + the iFTI below
Mike didn't just hold a position. He poured his whole heart and soul into this institute. He led by example, cared beyond measure, and turned this institute into an institution.
His impact reaches far beyond our walls, he changed the trajectory of the finishing trades, raised the standard for what trades education can be, and shaped the future of our industry through every apprentice he taught and every young person he brought into this work. Generations of tradespeople who never met Mike will build their careers on the foundation he laid.
That is a legacy.
His retirement is a major loss for all of us, and there is no question he leaves behind enormous shoes to fill. But his legacy will live on in every class we teach, every apprentice we train, and every member who goes home safe.
On behalf of the Finishing Trades Institute of Southern New England, and from the bottom of our hearts: thank you, Mike, for your vision, your sacrifice, your mentorship, and your unwavering devotion to our members and our mission. You have made a lasting difference in more lives than you will ever know.
We wish you deep rest, good health, and every bit of the joy and appreciation you so richly deserve in this next chapter.
With love, respect, and gratitude,
FTISNE & District Council 11
