Faculty and Administration

By now you may have noticed a pattern with our graduates. They work hard, and they do well in the SkillsUSA competition year after year. This next graduate is no different. Richard Maor took first place earlier this year in the auto services contest at the district level, and would have competed in the State Championship had it not been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Maor didn’t allow the disappointment to hinder his studies, successfully completing Ranken’s Advanced High Performance Racing Technologies program, and graduating Summa Cum Laude this past May.

“My Ranken experience would have been incomplete without the forever helpful faculty and staff,” Maor says. “The dedication they gave to handing over knowledge to their students is remarkable! I will forever remember my stint at Ranken.”

Maor left a lasting impression on his instructors as well.
“Richard Maor is the most outstanding student I have had so far at Ranken,” said Donald Rote, High Performance Racing instructor. “He excelled in coursework with a high “A”, and he excelled in Work Ethic well beyond 100%, always coming in before and staying after class to lend a hand wherever necessary without ever being asked.”

Now, Maor is employed as a technician at Morley Performance LLC, where his employer Dave Smith speaks highly of him.

“Richard is great,” Smith says. “He does everything we ask of him and more. He is knowledgeable and understanding of all aspects of his field. Not only is he a skilled mechanic, but he communicates well with customers and is a great salesman.”

https://www.facebook.com/Morleyperformance

http://www.morleyperformance.com/?fbclid=IwAR02cwjqY3Dcss4Zd-Cn0MzRYhd1RjJHL80pcr_IlNbBxXIUUx-9wQyq48Q

Learn more at https://ranken.edu/find-your-career-path/

Trace Gray graduated from the High Performance Racing Technology degree program in 2018. Trace was hired by Firestone Complete Auto Care as a Technician, setting himself the goal of becoming Lead Tech within five years while pursuing his state inspector’s license.

Donald Rote, a High Performance instructor at Ranken, was impressed by Trace’s attitude in class, and the fact that he was “always willing to lend a hand or supportive ear to other students.” Trace was able to work at Firestone before he graduated, a perfect partnership that allowed him to apply his newfound knowledge in a real-world scenario.

“He works closely with our Master Tech, learning new things daily,” says Amy Gillam, a Senior Recruiter at Firestone. While becoming his location’s go-to alignment specialist, Trace also “loves working on high performance cars whenever he can,” Amy relates.

Firestone has 27 service locations across the St. Louis region. On Firestone’s behalf, Amy has seen how quickly Trace has taken to his new position: “We enjoy Trace being on our team! He helps keep the store in line and organized, so much so that his nickname is ‘Sheriff’!”

Learn more at https://ranken.edu/find-your-career-path/
https://www.facebook.com/FirestoneCompleteAuto/
https://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/