2024 TCOE Award Recipients Announced

Gerry firmly believes that teamwork is the cornerstone of the success of Dakota County Technical College’s (DCTC) Auto Body program. He takes immense pride in the program’s commitment to setting the benchmark for the latest technologies in the auto body industry.

Gerry’s journey began with a year of studying Auto Mechanics and then going on to graduate in 1985 from a two-year Auto Body program at DCTC under the mentorship of Ray Sweden. Following his graduation, Gerry enjoyed a 27-year career as a body man, frame technician, and estimator at top-quality shops in the South Metro. His dedication and expertise led Larry Boser to invite him to become an instructor in 2008. Since then, Gerry has been committed to sharing his extensive knowledge and real-world experience with students, striving to create a practical Body Shop experience that prepares them for the industry.

Gerry is grateful for the support of industry partners who have significantly contributed to the program’s success with their time and financial support. He is also appreciative to have Jessica on board as one of their auto body instructors. Her presence has been pivotal in attracting more female students to the program. With 24 students enrolled for the fall and a third of them being women, Gerry believes that having Jessica as a role model has made a substantial impact, reflecting the growing success of females in the industry—a development that is long overdue.

In the fall of 1991, Dwayne enrolled at St. Cloud Technical College in the Automotive Service Technician program. He has always had a passion for working on various things. After attending college for six months, he got a job at one of his hometown dealerships. He started off as a lube tech, and when there was a gap in appointments, he would assist the detailer in washing cars and preparing new or sold units. It didn’t take him long to realize that the more knowledge he acquired, the more valuable he became and the more money he could earn. The most exciting part was being a 19-year-old driving brand new vehicles!

Dwayne graduated from college, received his diploma, and worked for various dealerships over the next 12 years. He always found it odd that whenever a new tech was hired, they were placed in the service bay next to his. Was it karma?

In 2004, Dwayne ran into Mike Lehn. Mike had stopped at a dealership where Dwayne was working and remembered him from his days as a student. After catching up, Dwayne mentioned to Mike that if he knew of any teaching positions open in Minnesota, to let him know. As chance would have it, St. Cloud Technical College was starting a pilot program called Discovery Academy. After some phone calls, interviews, and waiting for the “we’d like to make you an offer” call, Dwayne embarked on what has now been a 20-year career of helping the next generation have successful careers in the trade.

Tom has logged over half a million miles in six years of driving tractor-trailer. He began his career at a local company in Osakis, Minnesota, transporting various types of freight, primarily refrigerated food-grade products, as well as dry freight to and from distribution centers, warehouses, and processors. As a local driver, he covered Minnesota and the surrounding states, managing up to 30 trailer connections per week. During summer breaks, Tom continues to drive, hauling dry van and refrigerated freight, along with grain and fertilizer.

In the fall of 2017, Tom graduated from the Professional Truck Driver program at Alexandria Technical & Community College, earning the Outstanding Student award and a spot on the Dean’s list. He joined the program’s advisory committee and became a substitute teacher.

In his free time, Tom enjoys spending time with his family and his three dogs—Angus, Pearl, and Etta. His hobbies include grilling, motorcycle riding, shooting, following NHRA, collecting cards, and hosting game servers.

Education:

• Professional Truck Driving, Alexandria Technical & Community College, 2017
• FMCSA Certification in accordance with 49 CFR part 380 appendix A

Industry Experience:

• Tractor Trailer, Tire & Wheel Fleet Service
• Shipping & Receiving Management
• Truck & RV, General, Finance, Sales, Parts & Service Management
• Peterbilt Truck Service Management
• Professional Truck Driver
• Passenger Bus Driver

Chantz’s journey into the automotive industry began on the family farm near Mayville, ND, where he spent his early years wrenching. At 15, he acquired his second car, a 1971 Nova, and promptly blew it up, forcing him to learn how to rebuild it. This experience sparked his passion for the automotive field.

Despite struggling with various degrees at North Dakota State University (NDSU), Chantz found success working at a local hot rod shop, a job he balanced with farm work for nearly a decade. However, tired of the financial strain, he quit school, the farm, and hot rodding to drive a truck. This phase lasted only a year before his sister persuaded him to consider teaching.

For the next two years, Chantz returned to his roots in hot rodding, schooling, and farming. He reclaimed his job at the hot rod shop, pursued an education degree online, and helped his parents retire from farming.

In the fall of 2017, Chantz began teaching at MHS, diving headfirst into reforming and growing the automotive program. He moved away from the traditional ASE curriculum, which was delivered in 3-ring binders and had a history of excellence, but no longer suited students with individual Chromebooks and shorter attention spans. Over the past seven years, Chantz has continuously evolved the program, integrating modern standards, concepts, competencies, and practices.

Chantz acknowledges that the program’s success is built on the legacy of those who came before him. He attributes its achievements to amazing students, a phenomenal facility, a supportive advisory board, a community that recognizes the need, and a dedicated admin team. Despite having no formal training in mechanics, Chantz is committed to providing as many students as possible with the opportunity to learn and grow in the field.

Roger took an interest in mechanical things from a very young age. Growing up on a dairy farm in northern Minnesota forced him to repair the farm equipment he often operated. Enjoying working with his hands, he decided to become a heavy equipment technician, inspired by relatives in the same field. Roger attended Alexandria Technical College for Diesel Mechanics, graduating in 1984.

He began his career at Ziegler, starting in the customer repair shop before transitioning to field service, where he performed onsite repairs for the next seven years. After his time in the field, Roger took on a role as a shop foreman. Due to his extensive experience, he was offered a position in the technical training department, where he discovered his passion for training. He assisted and taught Ziegler technicians and customers how to repair Caterpillar equipment, and frequently taught short classes to support local technical colleges.

After nearly 25 years at Ziegler, Roger accepted a position at Dakota County Technical College as an instructor in the Heavy Equipment Repair program. He mentored and trained students at DCTC for about eight years, finding the interaction with students and colleagues both interesting and rewarding.

In 2017, Roger returned to the Technical Training Department at Ziegler, continuing his role in training new and journeyman technicians. He enjoys working for Ziegler, a company that allows him to pursue his passions. Roger takes great pride in training and mentoring new technicians, providing them with the foundational knowledge to be successful. He finds it very rewarding to see technicians progress from entry-level positions to becoming top technicians in the industry.

Since 1957, Interstate Companies has focused on customers first. Interstate Companies is an industrial conglomerate focused on distribution, industrial product sales and manufacturing. We specialize in sales and support of heavy-duty trucks, final-stage vehicle manufacturing, sales and support of diesel engines, industrial bearing and power transmission products, industrial transmissions, power generation, marine, transport refrigeration and other products. We also provide industrial labor and contract assembly services. As our company has grown, so has our commitment to the people we serve through the divisions in the Interstate portfolio— Power Systems, Energy Systems, I-State Truck Center, Bearing Systems, and Assembly Systems. 

I-State Truck Centers have a rich history of going the extra mile to meet customer needs. It starts with our people, who are committed to your success. They help you minimize your costs of ownership and maximize your investment. Our lineup features Daimler Trucks North America products – Freightliner, Western Star, FCCC, and Thomas Built Buses. Many branches also carry Isuzu products, East and Hyundai trailer lines and other top brands. We have new and used trucks and trailers in the pipeline and stock a vast selection of world-class parts from the best companies. With 13 locations in six states, I-State Truck Centers is here to maximize your uptime. Our territory stretches for 1,500 miles, from the Great Lakes, across the Mississippi River, to the Rockies. We’ll keep you up and running with the finest trucks, buses, and trailers, exceptional technicians, and knowledgeable parts specialists.