HVACR Teachers Inspire Lifelong Success

Forbes, Compton, Wagner, Streacker Earn Best Instructor + Best Trainer Honors

2014 Best Instructor winner Brian Forbes watches as students check a system for leaks. Forbesâ?? course is the last class HVACR students take before graduating from the HVACR program at Manatee Technical Institute in Bradenton, Florida.

2014 Best Instructor winner Brian Forbes watches as students check a system for leaks. Forbes’ course is the last class HVACR students take before graduating from the HVACR program at Manatee Technical Institute in Bradenton, Florida.

Each year, The NEWS and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) ask readers to help us recognize the industry’s very best educators. This year, 95 separate nominations were whittled down to just four winners — the best of the best — who are honored in this issue. These individuals are not only experts in their fields, they are inspirations to students, coworkers, and fellow HVACR professionals.

Therefore, it is our pleasure to announce the winners of the 15^th annual Best Instructor Contest and the third annual Best Trainer Contest. These four men have worked tirelessly to not only become leaders in their fields, but to also share their knowledge and skills with others in order to help them succeed.

Brian Forbes, HVACR instructor at Manatee Technical Institute in Bradenton, Florida, has earned the title of 2014 Best Instructor. Chris Compton, founder and CEO of HVACRedu.net, received runner-up honors.

Gerry Wagner, director of technical training at Motors and Armatures Inc. (MARS)/Heat Controller, earned the title of 2014 Best Trainer while Rick Streacker, national training manager for Packard Inc., received runner-up honors.

Forbes, Compton, Wagner, and Streacker continue to be leading examples of how the industry is constantly shaping its next generation. Learn more about this year’s Best Instructors and Trainers by clicking on their names below:

Best Instructor Brian Forbes

Best Instructor Runner-Up Chris Compton

Best Trainer Gerry Wagner

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Best Trainer Runner-Up Rick Streacker

Publication date: 11/24/2014

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Jen Anesi is Legislation Editor. She can be contacted at 248-244-6495 or jenanesi@achrnews.com. Jen’s responsibilities include covering state and federal legislative and regulatory actions relevant to the HVACR industry, running the annual Best Instructor and Best Trainer contests, managing the Regulatory Update section of The NEWS, and producing the monthly Tech of the Month feature. She has six years of writing and editing experience, holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oakland University, and is currently working toward her MA in English at Wayne State University.