Announcing 2018 Techs Rock Awards Winners

2018 Techs Rock Awards Coming Soon!

 

TechForce Foundation Announces its 2018 Techs Rock Awards Winners

Five automotive and motorcycle technicians recognized as outstanding mentors, role models and professionals at work and in their communities

 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — December 20, 2018 — TechForce Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on championing students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional technicians, announces the 2018 winners of its first annual Techs Rock Awards. The awards recognize working technicians who are striving to mentor and inspire the next generation of technicians, bringing excellence to their workplaces and communities, and demonstrating passion and commitment to the profession.

 

“Our country’s technicians are the backbone of the transportation industry and work diligently every day to keep America rolling. They’re skilled professionals who also give generously of their time and talent –both at work and in their communities– to inspire the next generation of qualified technicians,” states Jennifer Maher, Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “They deserve our appreciation and recognition.”

 

More than 250 working techs nationwide were nominated for one of five categories, including Pay it Forward, Rookie of the Year, Die Hard Tech, Outstanding Mentor, and Barrier Buster. TechForce Foundation’s panel of industry judges included Miss Bogi Lateiner, Mr. Jeff Allen, Mr. Steve Johnson, Mr. Greg Rintala, and Miss Julia Landauer. Each celebrity judge selected a category winner, who will receive a TechForce $1,000 tool voucher sponsored by Snap-on®. Congratulations to Michael Cole, Kunes Country Ford in Delavan, Wisconsin receiving the Techs Rock Award – Pay It Forward; Andrew Fields, Rob Sight Ford in Kansas City, Missouri receiving the Techs Rock Award – Rookie of the Year; Erik Craddock, Firestone Complete Autocare in Appleton, Wisconsin receiving the Techs Rock Award – Die Hard Tech;  Shane Conley – Suzuki Motors of America in Brea, California receiving the Techs Rock Award – Outstanding Mentor; Wayne Quiggins – Southern Cycles in Apopka, Florida receiving the Techs Rock Award – Barrier Buster.

 

 

These five finalists went on to an online, people’s choice award vote in which more than 30,000 votes were cast. “It’s been amazing to see the energy, enthusiasm and engagement the industry’s had for the Techs Rock Awards,” shares Julia Landauer, participating judge and NASCAR race car driver. “This award isn’t about how fast they can turn a wrench or their technical achievements, but about giving back, being involved in the lives of future techs, and helping others who want to follow in their steps succeed.”

 

“These technicians are directly impacting their communities and their organizations and showing us firsthand that a career as a transportation tech is one that both they and the future techs who they’re inspiring can take sincere pride in,” adds Bogi Lateiner, participating judge, board member of TechForce Foundation and owner of Bogi’s Garage and 180° Automotive. In the end, the one-week, public online vote determined that Michael Cole was the Grand Prize Winner, receiving roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations to Scottsdale, Arizona to enjoy Arizona Auto Week 2019 and be honored at the annual TechForce Foundation Summit.

 

Mr. Cole is currently a working tech for Kunes Country Ford in Delavan, Wisconsin.  Upon hearing he won the national People’s Choice vote, Mr. Cole shared, “I’m not used to having all this attention on me. It’s kind of weird, but I’m enjoying it.”

 

About the 2018 TechForce Foundation Techs Rock Award winners:

 

Grand Prize Winner and “Pay it Forward” Category Winner:
Michael Cole – Kunes Country Ford in Delavan, Wisconsin Why Michael was nominated:

“Mike is incredibly smart and passionate about teaching. He works with future techs from the local tech college by letting them shadow him in the shop, volunteers with Boy Scouts as both a board member and teacher and often spends time teaching them how to weld. He also helps the technical college build circuit boards for training. Mike teaches leadership to his Scouts as well as in the shop. He believes we are all students in the process of self-improvement. He is very knowledgeable and is always willing to help other techs in the shop. He is patient and kind when helping others and never talks down to anyone.”


Rookie of the Year” Category Winner:
Andrew Fields – Rob Sight Ford in Kansas City, Missouri

Why Andrew was nominated: “His hard work since then has driven him to become one of the most promising up-and-coming technicians that I have ever had the opportunity to work with. It is important to understand what makes up that promise for Andy: whether its consistently having one of the best attitudes across the dealership, his overall job performance, his educational accomplishments, his communication skills or, most importantly, what he does to help mentor and develop young men and women into becoming successful technicians in both the dealership and community. And while I think that his personal accomplishments are of serious significance, it’s the type of impact he makes as an individual in the dealership and in the technician community that make him an absolute gift to work with each and every day.”

 

“Die Hard Tech” Category Winner:
Erik Craddock – Firestone Complete Autocare in Appleton, Wisconsin

Why Erik was nominated: “All he had was the drive and the dream to one day master the role of a tech. After taking advantage of the training available to him over the years, he is now an ASE Automotive Master Certified technician with the L1 Advanced level certification. He is a die-hard stickler for making sure that every car that is repaired at his facility is done right the first time – even if he isn’t the tech who serviced the vehicle. This includes making sure that the customers’ vehicles are at least as clean as they were before being serviced! He always comes in early & will often stay late to make sure that all vehicles are done within the time promised to the customers.”

 

“Outstanding Mentor” Category Winner:
Shane Conley – Suzuki Motors of America in Brea, California

Why Shane was nominated: “Shane has been teaching motorcycle and power equipment students for many years with an attention to detail and passion unmatched by anyone I know. His approach is unique and extremely effective – and he never leaves a student behind. His YouTube training videos have motivated me and helped me in many troubleshooting scenarios. He’s even taken time out of his personal schedule to chat with me on the phone as I diagnosed problems on my own ORV. I call him a friend and a great person with the desire to teach. He’s currently at Suzuki teaching the technicians. In what little spare time he has, he also runs his own repair facility, where his “How2Wrench” video studio is located. I feel he is a rare example of leadership and patience and fully deserves this award.”

 

“Barrier Buster” Category Winner:
Wayne Quiggins – Southern Cycles in Apopka, Florida

Why Wayne was nominated: “Wayne was one of my students in 2013 and showed himself to be an EXTREMELY driven and passionate young man who’s love for motorcycles and desire to spend his life working on them far exceeded a want. To him it was a need that you could see each and every time you interacted with him every day. Wayne put forth more effort than any other student I have had the privilege to train over the course of my 9 years of instructing. He is a veteran of our US military and NEVER lets anything defeat him! He does whatever is necessary to overcome obstacles – from long nights of studying to many, many days spent after class tutoring with myself and other instructors. His determination and heart is inspirational, to put it lightly.”

 

To learn more about the 2018 Techs Rock Awards, please visit: www.TechForceFoundation.org/TechsRock

 

About TechForce Foundation

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional technicians. TechForce awards more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and spearheads FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit techforce.org. 

Media Contact:
Jennifer Maher, Executive Director
TechForce Foundation
623-445-0933 direct
602-550-0371 cell
jmaher@techforce.org

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Technician Supply & Demand Report: Update for Fall 2018

 

TechForce Foundation's Logo (registered trademark)

TechForce Report Reveals Shortage of Vehicle Technicians Continues to Worsen

Overall Gap in Supply and Demand of New Entrant Transportation Technicians Continues to Grow Despite Slight Uptick in Diesel Certifications

 

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.December 19, 2018 — TechForce Foundation® has released a Transportation Technician Supply & Demand Report updating its “Transportation Technician Supply” and “Transportation Technician Demand” reports for 2018, that reveals the transportation technician shortage continues to worsen.

 

The Technician Supply & Demand Report supplements the previous reports, adjusting prior projections to reflect newly published research from the National Center for Education Statistics and TechForce’s own analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Citing both increasing demand for professional techs and a declining supply of new techs entering the industry, the update concludes that the technician shortage is increasing in severity despite industry efforts to organize around the issue and a slight uptick in new post-secondary degrees and certificates for future diesel technicians.

 

“The technician shortage is not a new problem,” said TechForce Director of National Initiatives Greg Settle, who co-authored the report with Doug Young, Managing Director of Wilcap LLC. “However, close monitoring of actual industry demand, as well as available supply, is critical to better understanding exactly what we are up against.”

TechForce Foundation's Technician Supply & Demand Report updating previous Demand and Supply reports with new data and analysis.

The original Technician Demand and Technician Supply reports, published in 2017 and 2018 respectively, found that the estimated demand for “new entrant” vehicle technicians was more than triple previous estimates, and that postsecondary supply of new entrant vehicle technicians has not kept up with the spike in demand. The Technician Supply & Demand Report update shows that these trends have continued, further increasing the scope and impact of the technician shortage.

 

“While the shortage continues to worsen, the good news is the transportation industry is organizing to do something about it,” said Jennifer Maher, TechForce CEO. “TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success® campaign is leveraging the industry’s collective voice to inspire the next generation of technicians and address the root causes of the shortage.”

 

You can request the Technician Supply & Demand Report along with the original Technician Demand and Supply Reports here. You can also learn more about TechForce’s FutureTech Success campaign at futuretechsuccess.org.

 

About TechForce Foundation

 

TechForce Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their technical education and into careers as professional transportation technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2.0 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.

 

Media Contact:

Jennifer Maher, Executive Director
TechForce Foundation
623-445-0933 direct
602-550-0371 cell
jmaher@techforce.org

 

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FORD, FUTURETECH SUCCESS CAMPAIGN SEEK TO HIGHLIGHT AUTOMOTIVE CAREERS

The logo of Ford Motor Company, a partner in TechForce Foundation's FutureTech Success campaign

 

 

 

 

Scottsdale, Ariz. — December 5, 2018 — Ford Motor Company is continuing to work with the TechForce Foundation to inspire tomorrow’s workforce of automotive technicians through a new FutureTech Success® campaign. This initiative will send the message to current and future techs that Ford respects, appreciates and champions trained technicians.

TechForce Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), has a mission to champion students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. The FutureTech Success campaign was developed to ignite the passion and sense of purpose in students who love working with their hands. The campaign works to reposition the image of the technical profession as a high-tech, in-demand, and rewarding career choice.

“The automotive industry is facing a significant shortage of qualified automotive service technicians,” said Antonietta Polsinelli, Technical Placement Manager. “With this collaboration, we are proud to support and motivate students who have demonstrated an aptitude toward technical skills to consider the opportunities a career as an automotive service technician can provide.”

Ford Motor Company has previously worked with TechForce by providing scholarships for technical education, but wanted to work to help students earlier. This program exposes students to advancements in auto manufacturing.

“We are thrilled Ford is continuing this collaboration through support of FutureTech Success as well as the scholarship program,” said Jennifer Maher, CEO and Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “When techs rock, America rolls, and with Ford on board with their leading technology, we will educate and spur excitement within the next generation of automotive technicians.”

For more information about TechForce Foundation and the FutureTech Success campaign, visit TechForceFoundation.org.

 

About TechForce Foundation

TechForce Foundation® is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians in the transportation industry. The Foundation distributes more than $2 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success®, the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.

 

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

 

For further information, please contact:

Jennifer Maher, Executive Director
jmaher@techforce.org
602-550-0371

 

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Great Dane Joins TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success Campaign

 

Great Dane Supports TechForce Foundation’s

FutureTech Success® Campaign

 

Partnership to close the skills gap and fuel the next generation of technicians and craftsmen.

 

Scottsdale, Ariz. – December 3, 2018 — Great Dane has signed on as a supporter of TechForce Foundation’s FutureTech Success campaign, helping to close the skills gap for entry-level technicians in the transportation industry. This opportunity to partner with the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial trailers will accelerate and drive future careers in this growing industry by providing new insight on different paths that are available.

The FutureTech Success campaign was created by TechForce Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), to ignite the passion and sense of purpose in students who love working with their hands, while also repositioning the image of the technical profession as a high-tech, in-demand, and rewarding career choice. Through the partnership, Great Dane and TechForce hope to reach parents, educators, influencers and future techs with the message that today’s transportation technicians are highly sought after and respected in the industry.

With a number of factors contributing to the technician shortage, Great Dane is committed to . building a sustainable technician pipeline for the future. “Great Dane is excited to partner with TechForce Foundation,” said Brandie Fuller, Vice President of Marketing at Great Dane. “We want to help students discover that there are truly rewarding careers available where they can work with their hands and provide them with new opportunities to experience and engage with the trucking and trailer industry.”

“This partnership will introduce future techs to the diversity of the industry, allowing them to see that the trucking and trailer technician pathway provides endless opportunities and that the full scope of the transportation industry is united in its need and respect for technicians,” explains Susan Dober, Great Dane’s Director of Organizational Learning.

“We’re out to prove that not only is a technical career a worthy one, but also one that is challenging, sophisticated and opportune to modern financial freedom,” said Jennifer Maher, Executive Director of TechForce Foundation. “Great Dane is a unifying company, one that will cross over and unite many in the trucking industry. Their collaboration with the FutureTech Success will catapult our mission and advance an industry and profession that’s as iconic and American as rock and roll.”

For more information about TechForce Foundation and the FutureTech Success campaign,
visit techforce.org.


About TechForce Foundation
TechForce Foundation ® is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) with the mission to champion students to and through their education and into careers as professional technicians. The Foundation distributes more than $2 million in scholarships and grants annually, thanks to its generous corporate sponsors and donors, and is spearheading FutureTech Success ® , the industry-wide initiative to help encourage and support more young people to pursue the vehicle technician profession. For more information, visit www.techforce.org.

About Great Dane
Great Dane is the leading manufacturer of high-performance commercial transportation equipment, including dry and refrigerated trailers and truck bodies, as well as steel, aluminum and combo platform trailers. Great Dane has a storied history in the commercial trucking industry and is a driving force in trailer technology, innovation, quality and customer service.  Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and with additional corporate offices in Savannah, Georgia, Great Dane has manufacturing plants strategically located throughout the United States. The company’s network of corporate owned branches, full-line independent dealers and parts-only independent dealers offers a broad range of distribution points for new and used trailers as well as aftermarket services across North and South America. Visit Great Dane online at www.greatdane.com.

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"By connecting students, instructors, industry pros and working techs, the TechForce Foundation provides unilateral support to the transportation industry’s technician recruiting needs… The administration of our Scholarships by the TechForce team has been instrumental in delivering us with a successful method to gain interest from qualified candidates as well as provide our students with additional assistance to complete their education."
Tony Farr
Ford Technical Programs Manager