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SkillsUSA will be conducting a drawing for a Dyna Super Glide Motorcycle at the 2012 National Conference Awards Ceremony, Wednesday, June 27, in Kansas City, Mo. This event is made possible thanks to a generous donation by Harley-Davidson Motor Co., Inc. All proceeds benefit the SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends organization.
Get the details and see photos of this year’s bike and a photo of last year’s painted motorcycle here: www.skillsusa.org/events/harley.shtml.
SkillsUSA is accepting nominations of qualified alumni for service on the Alumni Coordinating Committee. Nominations are being accepted for the following positions:
Executive Chair: Open to any registered member of the SkillsUSA Alumni Association
Region II Representative: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Puerto Rico or the U. S. Virgin Islands
Region IV Representative: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Iowa or Minnesota.
All nominees must be active annual, lifetime or honorary life members in good standing of the SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends Association. Additionally, a nominee must have been an active member for at least 12 months preceding the date of nomination. You are encouraged to nominate candidates as soon as possible. You may nominate yourself or any Alumni member in good standing. Nominations are due by close of business on April 15, 2012. If you have questions, please contact Niki Clausen at nclausen@skillsusa.org or call 703-737-0639.
For an application, go to: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumni.shtml.
The SkillsUSA Alumni & Friends Association will be offering a one-hour webinar on “Understanding Auto Insurance: What coverage is for me?” with partner Elephant Auto Insurance. It’s free and no registration is required, just call and log in at: Telephone: 888-222-0475, URL: http://web.ganconference.com/?meeting=2259544, Attendee code: 6837807 Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012 3 p.m. EST.
The SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association is sponsoring a pin design contest again this year. The winning design will become the official alumni pin for the 2012 National Leadership and Skills Conference. The deadline for pin designs to be received by the national office is March 1. If you have any questions, please contact Niki Clausen at nclausen@skillsusa.org or call 703-737-0639. For more information and contest guidelines, go to: www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumni.shtml.
The reminders of how SkillsUSA changes lives are all around us this time of the year. They show up in the news stories of community service events conducted by SkillsUSA chapters such as nearly 2,000 food items donated to a food bank in Utica, N.Y., rocking horses and building blocks built and donated to Toys for Tots in Lewiston, Idaho and – after months of work by 50 students – the restoration and remodeling of the Salvation Army emergency disaster canteen truck in Painesville, Ohio so the Salvation Army can help others in need.
Sometimes the news comes in more directly. On December 21, I received an email from Mary Bell of Caterpillar and a former SkillsUSA board member to tell me about her meeting a new hire at CAT who is a SkillsUSA alumna “and totally poised just as you’d expect.” I received word on December 22 from Dan Young, a long-time supporter of SkillsUSA and formerly with the FBI, that the contractor who is building his retirement home is a SkillsUSA alumnus and state medalist in brick masonry. And, board member Marlys Bucher wrote on December 22 that the person who will be hosting the Minnesota welding contest at the state pipe fitters apprenticeship training center was a gold medal winner in 1987 in the VICA Skill Olympics. He told her that as an older, nontraditional student “it was a life-changing event . . . and I’m thrilled to be giving back to SkillsUSA.”
Of course, this tradition continues. I recently sent Jim Lentz, COO of Toyota and 2011 Champion of the Year a testimonial from Victoria Holbert, national high school president, and from other Massachusetts state officers who participated in the Champion of the Year dinner ceremonies. All of the students remarked on the positive impact they’d experienced meeting person-to-person with business leaders and how important that is for them. Victoria wrote: “This opportunity along with every other that has been offered to me through this organization has humbled me and helped me grow.” Here’s the link to see the report: www.skillsusa.org/downloads/PDF/CEODinnerReport.pdf.
We took the SkillsUSA Goodwill Tour to Cleveland on December 6 to visit two of our long-time corporate partners and with two new ones. The SkillsUSA national officers who handled much of the presentations were Diego Carvallo of Georgia, high school Region II vice president and Wade Persson of South Dakota, college/postsecondary parliamentarian. Each did a tremendous job of representing the organization. We were joined on all four visits by Mike Cowles, state association director of SkillsUSA Ohio.
First stop was at Thomas & Betts Corporation, a manufacturer of electrical equipment. The introduction to Thomas & Betts was made by Lincoln Electric. We met with seven executives including the director of HR and five regional HR managers. Our presentation for all four visits – prepared by Eric Gearhart – centered on how SkillsUSA addresses skilled workforce issues. By the end of the meeting, the director expressed interest in opening internships and hiring alumni. We’ve scheduled a presentation in January to meet with the corporation’s executive team at their headquarters in Tennessee.
Next stop was at Sherwin-Williams, a SkillsUSA partner for 15 years with four people on our automotive refinishing technology contest. This was a thank you visit for Sherwin-Williams’ continuing support. We met with managers in refinish and in marketing to discuss expansion of the partnership and support for the SkillsUSA WorldTeam in 2013.
The third visit was another big thank you for Lincoln Electric, a corporate partner for 31 years. Lincoln Electric not only supports our national welding contest, but 43 state association welding contests as well. Lincoln Electric is also a platinum sponsor of the WorldSkills Competition. We met with 50 executives in sales and marketing and with Chris Mapes, COO. Chris told the group: “Lincoln Electric has certain strategic partnerships. SkillsUSA is one of our most important.” Both Diego and Wade made masterful presentations and both were presented with brand new MIG welding machines to take back to their schools.
And, fourth, we met with Kenneth Henderson, principal at Dealer Tire and 12 of his senior executives. The introduction here came through Youth Development Foundation member Dave Camden of Toyota. The introduction was facilitated by the Champion of the Year dinner.
And, we did visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The students were thrilled. Cleveland Rocks!
SkillsUSA is pleased to announce a partnership with Proven.com to assist SkillsUSA alumni and graduating students with job networking opportunities and to help our partner companies hire qualified skilled workers.
Proven.com is an innovative company offering skilled workers free tools to showcase their skills. Companies can hire exactly who they need and can access education and work history and information such as background checks, DMV records and drug tests for those who choose to share it on their profile. The basic product is free of charge, with more advanced premium recruiting tools coming soon. Companies who sign up on Proven.com can hire SkillsUSA alumni or one of the thousands of other skilled workers currently on the site.
Proven.com is directly donating to SkillsUSA’s Youth Development Foundation a percentage of the fees generated from SkillsUSA partner companies that hire through Proven.com.
You are welcome to explore Proven.com’s website at: http://www.proven.com.
A new grant program was established this year to assist states in starting state Alumni & Friends Associations. The grant program was funded from proceeds from the inaugural Champion of the Year Dinner.
Ten state associations submitted quality applications for review and one grant was awarded per region. Congratulations go to: Region 1-New Jersey, Region 2-Virginia, Region 3-Ohio, Region 4-Oklahoma, and Region 5-California. Contact Niki Clausen for more information at nclausen@skillsusa.org or 703-737-0639.
Following the recent election, the 2011-12 Alumni Coordinating Committee has been announced:
Executive Chair: George Laubmeier, Wis.
Executive Secretary: Alicia Brown, Ark.
Region 1 Representative: Emily Hughes, Maine
Region 2 Representative: Steven Hawes, Ga.
Region 3 Representative: Anne Dew, Ohio
Region 4 Representative: Brice Harader-Pate, Okla.
Region 5 Representative: Colleen Read, Nev.
State Association Director Liaison: Hal Casey, Maine
The committee members look forward to working with their respective state association directors during the coming year. The group is working to coordinate their first conference call. To contact your regional representative, go to:
www.skillsusa.org/supporters/alumnicoord.shtml.
