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Lacombe, La. - Haas Ferran is a Mandeville native who grew up with his family on 100 acres of land that encompasses a small portion of the Pontchartrain Lakefront beach. When Haas was younger, if he was not in school, you could find him at the beach catching crabs or in the ditches catching various other wildlife: frogs, fish, or alligators. He also spent a lot of his time helping his father build a camp that resides on their property. Sadly, his father passed away when Haas was only 14 years old.
His father and their building project were a large inspiration for the path he would eventually take. His father introduced Haas to all trades related to building, but Electrical work was the area that his father knew the least about. Haas took that to heart and decided that he would tackle what he perceived to be the hardest trade by attending Northshore Technical Community College’s Electrician program. He enrolled in Fall 2022 and finished the following year.
During his time at NTCC he was able to work as an Electrician part-time. Being able to work in the field while learning from a tradesman at the same time was invaluable. He was able to learn something in class and then immediately apply it at work the next day. Haas remembers fondly how the faculty and staff were so welcoming and helpful at NTCC. You would often find him in the Student Services office or being competitive with his classmates when they were learning a new skill. Haas stated that “(NTCC) got me set up to start working. I found a good career and I plan on continuing down this line…” He says his teacher, Robert Pate, told him and his classmates all the time that he was trying to set them up to make sure they succeed in the real world. “He built character in us. Trying to teach us how this world is and how these trades are.”
After attending NTCC, Haas left his part-time Electrician position and has worked his way up to be the Superintendent at Ashley Smith Construction. There he performs all the in-house electrical projects, as well as sub-contracts out larger scale projects. Currently, Haas has considered finishing his Master Electrician certification. He also has thought about returning to NTCC to finish his associate’s degree or learn the next “hardest trade,” HVAC. Haas still has the camp he built with his father although it is aged and is rundown. He plans on rebuilding it.
