Sylvia Bradshaw
Staff Writer
A power outage in the University of Houston's Cameron Building Tuesday did not stop the energy and enthusiasm of more than 100 people who gathered at a reception hosted by the UH College of Technology.
The reception was held in honor of 20 industrial distribution majors who were scholarship recipients. The students received scholarships and internships valued at nearly $30,000.
"The power was out for three hours, but it returned about five or ten minutes before we were scheduled to begin," said Industrial Distribution Director Bob Fritz. "We all cheered and went on with our program."
The Industrial Distribution program received the scholarships and internships from the Houston Electrical League.
"It is an honor to work with such a progressive organization as the HEL," Fritz said. "There are over 700 members in the league, which is composed of manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors of electrical equipment worldwide."
UH Provost Edward P. Sheridan praised the industrial distribution program, saying it offers the type of education and training that students need to compete in today's world.
"It's astonishing the technology they use and the contracts that they receive, which reach well into the millions of dollars. It's just not reported in the newspapers," Fritz said.
According to Fritz, students wishing to major in industrial distribution do not have to be engineers. The program also emphasizes skills in communication, interpersonal relationships and the ability to follow through on project development.
"Many people do not know that industrial distribution is where the action is. I get at least five calls every day from companies offering job opportunities for students. These jobs are paying between $30,000 and $35,000 to begin.
"One of our students is a buyer for a company that builds oil wells. They are building one in London to be shipped to South America," Fritz said.
The Industrial Distribution program develops students who are able to handle purchasing, logistic management, warehousing and inventory management for various corporations.
Summer internships were awarded to Brian Endris with Warren Electric and Mike Fowler with Wholesale Electric. The internships have two components: income and scholarship. Students will receive $3,000 in salary, and an additional $2,800 will go towards scholarships for next year.
Eric Strever was this year's recipient of the Clyde Rutland Appreciation Scholarship, receiving $4,000.
Scholarships valued at $500 to $1,000 went to the following students: Ben Boul, Dulce Campos, Carrie Emmons, Bridgette Frazer, Rodney Helmcamp, Junie Hill, Jimmy Ladd, Charlie Lamont, Christina Le, Chris Perry, Jeremy Rogers, Sam Sagullo, Tracy Smalstria, Victor Suarez, Vanessa Sudderth, Tena Swart and Matt Valentine.