mikeroweWORKS Foundation Partners with AED Foundation to Provide Scholarships

Two HCET students each receive $1,000 for buying tools

Daniel Guertin and Mitch Cooper, two students in the Heavy Construction Equipment Technology program at Dakota County Technical College, each received a $1,000 scholarship from the mikeroweWORKS Foundation in partnership with the AED Foundation, an affiliate of Associated Equipment Distributors..

Roger Gartner, an HCET instructor, reported that the scholarship awards are based on GPA and designated for purchasing tools. “Dan and Mitch are outstanding scholars as well as talented, hardworking technicians with bright futures,” Gartner said. “The scholarships are well deserved.”

Scholarship recipient spotlights

Mitch Cooper
Age: 19
Hometown: Hastings, Minn.
Residence now: Hampton, Minn.
Academic program: Heavy Construction Equipment Technology
Degree: A.A.S.

Mitch Cooper held three jobs when he was a student at Hastings High School, working as an apprentice mechanic, working for a contractor and working for a trucking company on weekends. Mitch graduated from HHS in 2012 and brought plenty of on-the-job technician experience to the HCET program, having working in the shop at his father’s trucking business since he was 8 years old.

Mitch has turned an internship as a shop technician at Ziegler CAT in Bloomington, Minn., into a full-time job. He originally chose HCET at DCTC for the program’s stellar reputation, internship opportunities, AED accreditation and quality instructors. “Dan and Roger are two of the smartest technicians you’ll ever meet,” Mitch said. “They make it fun to learn.”

In his spare time, Mitch enjoys snowmobiling and four-wheeling. He is excited about the tools he will purchase with the scholarship funds, but hasn’t yet decided what he needs most.

Daniel Guertin
Age: 19
Hometown: Belle Plaine, Minn.
Residence now: Belle Plaine, Minn.
Academic program: Heavy Construction Equipment Technology
Degree: A.A.S.

Daniel Guertin played football and baseball, raced motocross and worked throughout his career at Belle Plaine High School. After graduating in 2012, he enrolled in the HCET program at DCTC, following the same path his dad had taken two decades earlier. Daniel’s mom also attended DCTC, graduating from the bygone Fashion Merchandising program.

Daniel has been working alongside his dad, a heavy equipment technician, since he was 16 years old. He chose HCET at DCTC for the program’s strong partnerships with industry and the knowledge sets of the instructors. “I knew quite a bit coming in from working with my dad,” he said, “but I’ve still learned a lot. The instructors work with you and make sure you understand what they’re teaching.”

Daniel has turned a shop technician internship at RDO Equipment, a John Deere dealer in Burnsville, Minn., into a full-time job. He details cars as a side business to earn extra money. He is looking forward to purchasing a set of angle wrenches for his toolbox with his scholarship dollars.

About the mikeroweWORKS Foundation

The mikeroweWORKS Foundation promotes hard work and supports the skilled trades in a variety of areas. We award scholarships to men and women who have demonstrated an interest in and an aptitude for mastering a specific trade.

The Foundation has given more than $1.6 million in scholarships to schools around the country, including Midwest Technical Institute, Tulsa Welding School and Universal Technical Institute. — courtesy of the mikeroweWORKS website

About the AED Foundation

The AED Foundation enhances the success of AED member companies by encouraging continuous learning, providing educational opportunities for today’s employees and improving the quantity and quality of available employees for the future.

Just as a coach values momentum for the spark it gives the team, The AED Foundation wants to capitalize on momentum from new programs that promise dramatic results for our industry.

The development of quality training programs has given momentum to fill the training needs of the members of the Associated Equipment Distributors. They are converting into services that promise to yield a handsome return on investment for the industry in general, and in particular for those who have directly supported the foundation. — courtesy of the AED Foundation website

For more information about Heavy Construction Equipment Technology at DCTC, contact:

• Dan Ruzicka
  HCET Instructor
  651-423-8481