Tomorrow’s Technician and B’laster Corporation – makers of the penetrant, PB B’laster – announced today the winner of the inaugural B’laster “Instructor of the Year” search: Joe Mendola from Gaither High School in Tampa, Florida.
“When we sought out to find the ‘Instructor of the Year’, we were looking for an instructor with a unique level of passion and dedication to not only teaching their students the skills they need to be successful, but also someone who nurtures their passion,” said Randy Pindor, president and COO of B”laster Corp. “Joe is that instructor.”
“In a time where the industry desperately needs quality technicians, it is so important that instructors like Joe pass on their knowledge and passion to future techs,” adds Carley Millhone, editor of Tomorrow’s Tech. “We are thrilled to work with B’laster to recognize Joe for his dedication to his students and the automotive industry.”
During the event at Gaither High School on May 1, Tomorrow’s Tech and B’laster awarded Mendola a cooler full of B’laster products for the classroom, a $1,000 donation to the school’s automotive program, a $500 Visa gift card for Mendola, and a one-of-a kind B’laster Instructor of the Year trophy.
“I tell my students that everything you do is a self portrait, so always do it with excellence,” said Mendola. “This award is a result of that and is a portrait of our program.”
Judges from B’laster narrowed down the winner from seven monthly finalists who were featured in Tomorrow’s Tech.
In addition to Mendola, the final Instructor of the Year finalists were:
- Jay Abitz from Freedom High School (Freedom, Wisconsin)
- Anthony Migliorini from Northview High School (Brazil, Indiana)
- Jason Anderson from Okeechobee High School (Okeechobee, Florida)
“The first-ever B’laster ‘Instructor of the Year’ was more successful than we even imagined,” says Pindor. “The caliber of entries was so impressive that it was very difficult to choose the winner. We’re really looking forward to doing it again next year.”
Joe Mendola will be featured in the May cover story of Tomorrow’s Tech and in an Instructor of the Year video on TomorrowsTechnician.com. For more information about the B’laster Instructor of the Year program, visit tomorrowstechnician.com/instructor-of-the-year/.
