Congrats to our 2016 Craft Award Winners

Each year, ABC of Indiana/Kentucky selects its Craft Instructor of the Year (CIOY) and Craft Professional of the Year (CPOY).

The CIOY award is presented to an instructor who possesses outstanding creativity, a positive attitude and the ability to transfer knowledge through good communication skills and innovative teaching to promote lifeline learning to our future workforce.

The CPOY award is presented to an individual who sets a high standard for professionals in their craft by exhibiting outstanding skills and leadership. The recipient of the national award demonstrates a passion for the trade, taking pride in hands-on work and the satisfaction of a job well done to benefit both the construction industry and the greater community. The winner is a master of skills whose commitment to excellence makes him or her the ultimate example of merit-shop success in the field.

We are proud to announce our Indiana/Kentucky award winners for 2016: Gabriel Galvan, CIOY, and Bryan Feller, CPOY.  Both Gabe and Bryan have been nominated for the national award during WorkforceWeek’16!  We wish them both the best of luck!

GABRIEL GALVAN – 2016 IN/KY Craft Instructor of the Year
Gabriel Galvan has been named our 2016 Craft Instructor of the Year. Gabe owns his own construction company, teaches the high school construction program for Marion Schools, and is a Core/Carpentry apprenticeship instructor in Indianapolis. Gabe is an Army 1^st Sergeant and serves in the Indiana National Guard. He has earned commendations for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Hurricane Katrina. He is a Habitat for Humanity volunteer and served on a mission trip to Haiti. Gabe has been married for two years, has a 1-year old daughter with a child due in May. One of Gabe’s high school students wrote, “Mr. Galvan has made sure I’m ready for a career in construction, and I intend on attending ABC after high school to continue my training and education.”

BRYAN FELLER – 2016 IN/KY Craft Professional of the Year
Bryan Feller began his career 35 years ago as a journeyman helper, earned journeyman status, and now begins his 26^th year with Gaylor Electric. Bryan is a general superintendent responsible for the daily supervision of 85 journeymen. Bryan’s professionalism is best demonstrated by his supervision of over 100 journeymen on the multi-billion dollar Tennessee Wacker Project—a production site for polysilicon used in solar cells. Bryan was instrumental in the build out of our chapter’s BICSI low voltage lab. He serves on the Central Indiana Apprenticeship Committee, is lab coordinator for the Indianapolis Training Center, directs the state craft championships, and has judged both state and national craft championships. Bryan interviews and hires high school interns as part of the Build Your Future initiative. He is an assistant Boy Scout leader, been married for 24 years and is father to 16-year old triplets. He has hiked the Appalachian Trail, Grand Canyon, and Shenandoah and Smokey Mountain Ranges.