News - Press Releases From The Nexstar Legacy Foundation

Nexstar Legacy Foundation in the media

Legacy Scholarship Winners For 2010-2011 Announced

Scholarship award winners were announced at Nexstar’s Owners’ Spotlight Series in Clearwater Beach, Florida on Saturday, March 20th. Seven students will receive scholarships ranging from $1,000 - $6,000 to pursue education in preparation for careers within the plumbing, HVAC and electrical industry. CLICK HERE FOR THE WHOLE STORY (MS Word Doc).

Nexstar Legacy Foundation Merit Scholarship Winners Named
(Little Canada, Minnesota) Nexstar Legacy Foundation announces the winners of the 2009/2010 Scholarship Program, awarding a total of $19,500 in educational funds. Nine students planning to enter careers in the home-service industry in the fields of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR), electrical or plumbing will receive scholarship awards that vary from $6,000 to $500 for the academic year.

The top scholarship prize, the Frank J. Blau Jr. Award, worth $6,000, went to Andrew J. Deckert; an engineering student at Michigan Technological University. Andrew has been accepted into the Research Honors Program and the Pavlis Institute for Global Technological Leadership.

Two scholarships were awarded to university students in the amount of $3,000 each.

• Jesse Thornburg is working towards an engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  
• Graham Thurber is working toward a business administration degree with a minor in construction management at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.
  

Three scholarships, in the amount of $2,000 each, were given to students attending technical colleges.

• Douglas DeFrance is working towards his electrician degree at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Minnesota.
  
• Lincoln Deitrick is earning a degree in HVACR at the University of Northwestern Ohio.
  
• Justin Henrickson’s goal is to become a master electrician; he is working on his degree at North Central Kansas Technical College.
  

Three students attending apprentice programs were awarded $500 each.

• Malcolm Fisher, an employee of My Plumber in Manassas Virginia, is working towards a plumbing certification.
  
• John Hutton V, an employee of My Plumber in Manassas Virginia, is working towards a plumbing certification.
  
• Zachary Woods, a 2009 high school graduate, will be entering an electrician program at Delta College, University Center in Michigan.

The nine winning students were selected from a pool of 200 scholarship applicants; with emphasis on interest and knowledge of their field of study. Three tiers of scholarships are awarded: university students, technical or two-year college students and apprentices. All scholarships are awarded with the purpose of bringing new talent into the home-services industry. “The trade industries are facing a looming shortage of skilled labor. We hope to encourage more students to realize the possibilities these fields have to offer,” says Brad Martin, board member of the foundation. Recipients can use their awards at any regionally accredited college, university, technical school or apprentice program in the US, Canada, the Grand Caymans or Australia.

To be considered for a Nexstar Legacy Foundation scholarship, applicants had to submit a detailed scholarship application, which included essays describing their activities, interests, and goals as they relate to the home-service industry. The scholarships were merit based with students showing strong grades and SAT scores. Out of the initial 200 applicants, 40 students underwent a further review and ranking by a committee that includes current business owners, employees and contractors in the field. Additional information on the Nexstar Legacy Foundation and its scholarship program can be found on the foundation’s website: www.nexstarfoundation.org.

Harley Davidson Giveaway

Nexstar Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the motorcycle raffle drawing, which took place on Sat. Oct. 27, 2007 during the Pittsburgh Super Meeting.

Winning ticket: #32426

Holder of the winning ticket: Gerald Tonti, office manager of Shafer Services, San Antonio, Texas.

Seller of the ticket, Circle of Caring member: Jimmy Shafer, owner, Shafer Services, San Antonio, Texas.

Jimmy Shafer bought 100 tickets for $1,000.00, and he gave them out to family members, customers, employees (number of tickets based on years of service), and nonprofit organizations that he supports. Gerald Tonti, as a 13-year employee, received 13 (lucky 13!) tickets from Jimmy.

Both gentleman were elated when they learned that they had won. Jimmy says that he’s “on Cloud Nine”, and Gerry says that he had “never won anything before”. They are visiting the local Harley Davidson dealers in San Antonio to look over their options.

Everyone in the Nexstar Network is hoping to see a new Road King Classic driving up to the hotel in Orlando at the Owners’ Spotlight in February 2008. Think about it, guys!

The proceeds of the raffle and the other fundraising activities support the mission of the Nexstar Legacy Foundation: to give back through an industry that has been so good to us. In the past two years, the foundation has given $30,000 in scholarships to students who are pursuing university degrees. The foundation intends to give other scholarships in the future to students in trade schools and technical colleges, to aid people who are entering the trades.

Thank you for buying raffle tickets, donating items to the silent auction at the Pittsburgh Super Meeting, and for bidding on the silent auction items. These activities brought in over $100,000 in revenue this year for the foundation. Every contribution increases the capability of the foundation to fulfill its mission to contribute to society through the trades.

Articles From Legacy Foundation Members

Outlook strong for technical careers Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - by Greg Niemi
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/07/14/story12.html

Open the Door to the Growing Labor Shortage
May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, BY GREG NIEMI Special to CONTRACTOR
http://contractormag.com/business_development/open_door_growing/index.html

Outsource To India? I Don’t Think So!
Contractor turns up the heat on finding a cool solution to the labor shortage. By Jeff Leone
http://www.hvacrbusiness.com/issue/article/841/outsource_to_india_i_donx2019t_think_so.aspx