Twelve top plumbing and HVACR students have received honors in the plumbing and HVACR competitions of the annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Contest, held last week in Louisville, Ky.

The PHCC Educational Foundation supports the plumbing and HVACR contests each year. The Foundation’s Plumbing Apprentice and Journeyman Training Committee makes up the majority of the SkillsUSA Plumbing Technical Committee, and members were on hand to set up and help with contest judging. The PHCC Educational Foundation also has a representative on the SkillsUSA HVACR Technical Committee, who assists with set up and contest judging. Plumbing competitors and their advisors participated in a tour of nearby Zoeller Pump Company as a part of their contest experience this year, learning about how pumps operate and are manufactured.

Throughout the week, nearly 6,100 secondary and post-secondary career and technical education students competed in more than 100 trades contests. This year’s plumbing honors went to:

• 1^st Place Secondary – Asher Chicoine, Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School, Northampton, Massachusetts
• 1^st Place Secondary – Andrew Funckes, Careerline Tech Center, Holland, Michigan
• 1^st Place Post-Secondary – Carmen Spiewak, Camden County Technical School, Sicklerville, New Jersey
• 2^nd Place Secondary – Matthew Novick, Norwich Technical High School, Norwich, Connecticut
• 2^nd Place Post-Secondary – Maxx Duren, Pinellas Technical College, St. Petersburg, Florida
• 3^rd Place Secondary – Timothy Girouard, Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School, Northampton, Massachusetts
• 3^rd Place Post-Secondary – Aaron Hilgendorf, Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

This year’s HVACR honors went to:

• 1^st Place Secondary – Ethan Tucker, Red River Technology Center, Duncan, Oklahoma
• 1^st Place Post-Secondary – William Bullard, Rowan Cabarrus Community College, Salisbury, North Carolina
• 2^nd Place Secondary – Tyler Lord, St. Georges Technical High School, Middletown, Delaware
• 2^nd Place Post-Secondary – Matthew Peterson, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa
• 3^rd Place Secondary – Matthew Keith, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, Upton, Massachusetts
• 3^rd Place Post-Secondary – Casey Dowell, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, McKenzie, Tennessee

Technical committee members for this year’s event included:

• Bob Carpenter, SharkTech Academy, Atlanta, Georgia (plumbing)
• Angela Collins, PHCC Educational Foundation, Falls Church, Virginia (plumbing)
• Danny Crigler, L & D Associates, Inc., Aroda, Virginia (plumbing)
• Lynn Faulkner, Kentucky Association of Master Contractors, Frankfort, Kentucky (plumbing)
• Robert Hahn, Co-Chair, Eastwick College, HoHoKus School of Trades, Union, New Jersey (plumbing)
• Merry Beth Hall, Co-Chair, PHCC Educational Foundation, Falls Church, Virginia (plumbing)
• Victor Hatcher, Tyler Pipe and Coupling, Tyler, Texas (plumbing)
• Andrew Kireta, Jr., Copper Development Association, Indianapolis, Indiana (plumbing)
• Harold Moret, Copper Development Association, Sarasota, Florida (plumbing)
• Kyle Mortenson, SharkTech Academy, Atlanta, Georgia (plumbing)
• Ryan North, SharkTech Academy, Chicago, Illinois (plumbing)
• Dave Parney, Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute, Mundelein, Illinois (plumbing)
• Patrick Peterson, SharkTech Academy, Atlanta, Georgia (plumbing)
• Tony Senninger, Senninger Plumbing Co., Louisville, Kentucky (plumbing)
• Jamie Simpson, Schaal Heating & Cooling, Des Moines, Iowa (HVACR)
• James Walls, Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute, Garland, Texas (plumbing)

The plumbing competition was made possible by the following generous industry sponsors:

Headline Sponsors: A. O. Smith; AB&I Foundry; American Supply Association; Bradford White; Copper Development Association, Inc.; Kohler; Tyler Pipe and Coupling; Viega, LLC; and Zoeller Pump Co.

Additional prizes, materials and on-site support provided by: A. O. Smith; AB&I Foundry; American Supply Assn.; BrassCraft Manufacturing Co.; Calculated Industries; Carhartt; Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute; Charlotte Pipe & Foundry; Copper Development Assn.; DEWALT Tools & Accessories; Irwin Industrial Tools; Kentucky Assn. of Master Contractors; Kohler; Lenox; Matheson Gas; Milwaukee Tool; Oatey; PHCC Educational Foundation; Plumbers Supply Co.; Reliance Worldwide Corp./SharkBite; RIDGID; Rothenberger USA; Senninger Plumbing Co.; Sioux Chief Manufacturing Co.; Southwire; Tyler Pipe and Coupling; Viega, LLC; and Zoeller Pump Co.