SC&R Foundation Announces 15 Award Winners Pursuing Education and Training for Careers in Industry

(Centreville, VA - June 18, 2019) - The Specialized Carriers & Rigging (SC&R) Foundation has determined the winners of its 2019 scholarship programs and its first two rounds of grants. Nine college and university students preparing for or furthering careers related to the crane, rigging and specialized transportation industries were selected for awards this year. Together, they received a total of $21,000. Three February grant winners and three April grant winners were awarded a cumulative total of $5,000.

Through the SC&R Foundation’s Partners in Education program, one grant recipient received an NCCCO (National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators) grant for testing fees. Two received a CICB (Crane Inspection & Certification Bureau) grant for a Mobile Crane Operator course at 50 percent tuition. And one grant recipient was awarded a grant for an ATS Commercial Driving certification.

In addition to numerous online and in-person training courses with partner organizations ATS (Associated Training Services), ITI (Industrial Training International) Morrow Equipment Company and CICB, four grant rounds remain with $10,000 yet to be awarded. More than 50 seats remain in partner programs. The next grant award deadline is June 30, 2019, followed by August 31 and October 31.

— In alphabetical order, the February and April grant recipients are as follows:

Terrance Herd of Baytown, Texas, was awarded $1,000 in addition to a CICB Partners in Education grant to take a Crane Operator Course. He is currently a rigger and has been working towards becoming a crane operator for some time. Herd is grateful for the chance to take the next step towards that goal.

Mickey Howell, Jr. will pursue his NCCCO Crane Operator/Rigger certification through West Coast Training in Washington with his $2,000 award. He hails from Apopka, Florida, and has chosen this particular course for the multiple types of certifications he will earn while becoming a certified crane operator. This is his Howell Jr.’s first SC&R Foundation grant award. He is the recipient of the Heartland Communications/Crane Hotline Continuing Education Grant.

Nicholas Jarm of South Euclid, Ohio, is a first-time SC&R Foundation grant recipient of $1,000 – and hopes to pursue a career in operations and/or mechanics in the specialized transportation industry. He will use his award towards coursework in Power Equipment and Hydraulic Power & Motion Control at the Agricultural Technical Institute of Ohio State University. He is the recipient of the Anderson Trucking Service Continuing Education Grant.

Morgan Mathisen will pursue his NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Certification as part of the Partners in Education Program. This is his first grant award from the SC&R Foundation, and he is thrilled to use the support towards securing employment as a certified crane operator in Colorado in the near future.

Michael O’Hara of Deerfield Beach, Florida, plans to jumpstart a career in construction industry crane operation after completing the CICB Mobile Crane Operator Certification program at CICB in Houston, Texas. O’Hara received a CICB grant of 50 percent tuition to take the course.
Victor Rodriguez of Houston, Texas, plans to complete the Class A Commercial Driving course through Associated Training Services, one of the Foundation’s Partners in Education. He is eager to begin a career in the heavy haul and rigging industry, and hopes that his commercial operator’s license will allow him to be a highly valued and versatile employee.

— In alphabetical order, this year’s SC&R Foundation scholarship recipients are as follows:

Blake Beyel is currently an intern at Beyel Brothers, Inc., and hopes to manage a construction company. He plans to use his scholarship towards his M.B.A. coursework at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previous SC&R Foundation Scholarship funds were used towards Beyel’s earlier degree courses of study, and he is grateful for the continued support and investment in his future in the crane industry. Beyel is the recipient of the White Brothers Trucking Continuing Education Scholarship.

Jacob Chamness is a first-time recipient of an SC&R Foundation Scholarship. He plans to use his award towards his B.A. in Construction Engineering and Management at Purdue University. Chamness currently works as a 3D crane lift plan designer at Grand Davo Crane Service. He is also the recipient of the Christopher Lorenz Memorial Scholarship.

Braxton Chong will use the support from the SC&R Foundation Scholarship program towards a B.S. in Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he has been accepted to the selective and challenging College of Engineering. Chong currently works as a rigger at Hawaiian Crane & Rigging Ltd., and is excited to continue pursuing a career in the crane and rigging industry. He is the recipient of the IUOE Continuing Education Scholarship.

Thomas Dzierzak is currently a senior at the University of Cincinnati, pursuing a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He is particularly interested in the application of robotics and automation to the heavy construction and specialized transportation industries. Dzierzak plans to study abroad in Germany this summer before entering the workforce. He is the recipient of the George Young Memorial Scholarship.

Grace Erlinger is a proud member of a family of crane industry professionals. She is a rising sophomore pursuing a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech, and plans to use the SC&R Foundation Scholarship to fund a summer study-abroad program. Erlinger plans to apply her engineering skills to a long and exciting career in the crane industry.

Elise Frueh’s passion lies in bridge and roadway rigging applications, an interest she has cultivated since childhood. She sees infrastructure as a key area of transportation innovation, and hopes to apply her B.A. in Civil Engineering towards making a difference in this arena. Frueh studies at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, and also interns at road construction firm Shelly and Sands. She is the recipient of the NBIS Continuing Education Scholarship.

David Kloberdance is studying Accounting as an MBA student at Eastern Oregon University. He currently works at WireCo and has thus far enjoyed a fruitful career in the finance arm of heavy construction firms. He is also a former U.S. Coast Guardsman who assisted with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. He is the recipient of the Taylor Foundation Continuing Education Scholarship.

Linda Martin is the corporate safety director for Bay Crane in Seabrook, New Hampshire. Linda’s scholarship will help fund a doctorate in safety sciences, which will help her better educate Bay Crane employees, students and the entire industry on the importance of workplace safety. Martin has been named the most Influential Woman in Safety by the National Safety Council, and serves as the Board President of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). She is the recipient of the Terex Cranes Continuing Education Scholarship.

Jacqueline Shrader is a dedicated student who will use the SC&R Foundation Scholarship to help fund her B.S. in Computer Information Systems at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. She currently works in software development for the heavy construction industry, creating 3D models used in 3DLiftPlan software at her company, a1a Software, and plans to continue developing software for use in the heavy construction and crane and rigging industries. She is the recipient of the George Bragg Memorial Scholarship.

The SC&R Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to promote and benefit the SC&RA members as well as the industry worldwide, through grants, scholarships, research and educational initiatives. The Foundation awards between $40,000 and $55,000 annually to individuals in addition to training courses as donated by partner organizations. Research projects include recruiting videos, a mobile app of industry terms, transportation-specific research and an industry financial benchmark study. Information on research, award deadlines and free downloads to members can be found at www.scr-foundation.org.

For further information, contact:
Jackie Roskos
Director, Foundation
(703) 207-3587
jroskos@scranet.org