After graduating from Montgomery County High School in 2004, Josh Wright had aspirations of becoming a videographer, doing film hunts on wildlife.

Then, plans were changed.

“I realized that wasn’t going to be a job where I could make a good living,” Wright said. “It was a job, but it wasn’t a future.”

Wright decided to become a laborer. He’s now the executive director of the Laborers-Contractors Training Center in High Hill. He works for a center that is 225 acres and has 515 members in its apprenticeship program.

“It takes hard work, dedication and passion for the membership in what we do here,” Wright said. “We have 20 employees who work here full time with seven instructors. We have dorms here on site in which we allow our students to stay while they are here. We feed them breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have a full service cafeteria. We have two cooks who work here full time. The training has no cost to them, but we train them to have a career and not just a job.”

Wright became executive director on May 1. The Montgomery City resident was hired as training director in February, replacing Musial Braungardt, who is from Bellflower. Braungardt, who retired on Jan. 31, worked as training director for 10 years.

“He hired a lot of good people here throughout his time,” Wright said. “He was very dedicated. He lived it just like I am now because it is a full time deal.”

Wright joined the apprenticeship program in 2009 and graduated four years later. He worked as the apprenticeship advisor for five years and assistant training director for two. He also worked with Asbestos Removal Services, which specializes in demolition, asbestos abatement and lead abatement in Missouri.

“I got into the Laborers’ Union when I was 24 (years old) and I never looked back,” Wright said.

Wright said his grandfather influenced him to become a laborer.

“My grandpa was an ironworker,” said Wright, who is married with three children. “He retired from Local 396 as an ironworker and we talked about the union. So I joined the apprenticeship program. When you are a laborer, you have insurance, a pension and retirement. With insurance these days, you know how that goes. We have excellent benefits. So I knew that was something I needed. I took advantage of it.”

Wright said his goal as executive director is to help the apprentices become successful in the future.

“If they have a good initiative and a good attitude, they could go anywhere,” Wright said. “I just want to continue to show them that recipe for success, but also to give back what has given so much to me.”

Wright said he is thrilled that he is working in Montgomery County. He has lived there most of his life.

“It’s neat for me because I didn’t figure that this is what I was going to be and I’m doing it right here in High Hill,” Wright said. “I didn’t see that coming. But you never know. Why go too much further for greatness? With every little quirk it has, the county is still great. The township and the people are great. My whole family is from here, so there was no reason to go any further. It worked out well.”