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Director's Memo 2020-07-06

Monday, July 06, 2020

Oklahoma CTSO students elected to national offices

Two Oklahoma Technology Student Association members, two Oklahoma SkillsUSA members and an Oklahoma HOSA member were recently elected to national offices.

Sean Kuehn of Charles Page High School in Sand Springs was elected TSA national president, and Alexander Loney of Edmond North High School was elected TSA national vice president.

Ryan Tinder of Canadian Valley Technology Center was elected SkillsUSA national secondary officer, and Xiomara Schultz of Tulsa Technology Center was elected SkillsUSA national postsecondary officer.

Addison Soerensen of Francis Tuttle Technology Center was elected National HOSA central region vice president.

CareerTech Champion: Lowder Brothers – Kiamichi Technology Centers, Poteau campus

Lowder Brothers
HVAC grads (left) Evan Bean, Jacob Branscum and Jeremy Riggs with (right) Justin Lowder and Heath Lowder.
THEN:
Two brothers who graduated from the heating, ventilation and air conditioning program at Kiamichi Technology Centers’ Poteau campus. A few years later, Justin and Heath Lowder opened their own business, operating out of a small shop behind Justin’s home. The brothers said the training they received at KTC was a key factor in their success. The two-year program enabled the brothers to:
  • Begin their careers with no student debt.
  • Create what they described as great paying jobs.
  • Comfortably support their families.

NOW: Operating out of a brand-new facility in Pocola, Oklahoma, Lowder Brothers Heating and Air LLC has grown to 18 employees, five of whom are also graduates of the same KTC program. Justin said he and his brother pride themselves in offering a low-stress work environment, and his employees truly enjoy their jobs.

In addition to hiring KTC graduates, Justin serves on the tech center’s Business and Education Council for the HVAC program.

“Serving on the BEC allows me to contribute to students today by keeping the program up-to-date on industry and work trends,” he said.

The job market for HVAC grads is strong and is expected to grow considerably in the next few years.

“It’s rewarding to watch our employees excel and accomplish their career and personal goals.”

Heath Lowder, business owner and HVAC grad

Tri County Tech, Boys & Girls Club of Nowata break ground on facility

Tri County Technology Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Nowata broke ground this week on a joint-use facility in Nowata.

The approximately 22,500-square-foot facility will be built at the site of the existing Boys and Girls Club of Nowata and will include space for both Tri County Tech and the Boys and Girls Club, along with shared spaces including classrooms, a commercial kitchen and meeting rooms.

You can read more about the partnership and facility on Bartlesville Radio’s website.

Registration is open for Oklahoma Summit

Please register for Oklahoma Summit 2020, which will be a virtual conference this year. A schedule and information about spotlight sessions is now on the ODCTE and OkACTE websites.

Conference at a Glance

Useful links

Follow us on Twitter at @okcareertech and find us on Facebook at OklahomaCareerTech and on Instagram at oklahomacareertech and read our blog, Oklahoma CareerTech Delivers. Find our podcast at https://www.cthorizon.org/.

For news about Oklahoma’s CareerTech System, subscribe to CareerTech communications.

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. — George Bernard Shaw.
Last Modified on May 15, 2023
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