New Philadelphia - For many Buckeye Career Center (BCC) alumni, the hands-on training they received in high school launched lifelong careers. Now, several of those graduates have returned to put their skills to use while constructing BCC’s medical facility addition.
Dozens of former BCC students, employed by area companies, have played important roles in the expansion project, which is expected to be finished in August. One of those is 1999 HVAC-R alumnus, Drew Harding, who found his passion while attending BCC.
“Going to Buckeye was the best choice of my life,” said Harding, who is a foreman and partner at Metal Masters in Dover, where he has worked for the past 24 years. “During high school, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew college wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for textbook learning — I needed to be hands-on.”
Today, he’s also mentoring the next generation. Harding hired 2024 HVAC-R graduate Bryer Resh. Resh started with the company while still in high school, participating in BCC’s School-to-Work program his senior year, before becoming an apprentice. The two worked together to install the ductwork and air diffusers in the medical facility.
SoL Harris/Day Architecture, the project’s engineering firm, has two key alumni involved. Jason Geraghty is an electrical engineer, and Todd Rainsberg serves as the senior project manager. Rainsberg is a 1989 graduate of Buckeye’s former Drafting program, which is now known as the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) program.
“When the Board of Education selected us to do the project, I was very excited and grateful,” Rainsberg said. “I had worked with BCC in the past, and getting the chance to do it again felt like coming full circle.”
As a student, Rainsberg helped design plans for a Buckeye House that was built by students and sold at public auction. Now, he’s helping shape a facility that will impact future generations of healthcare students. “To be part of the design and construction of a building that benefits students, staff, and the community — it’s pretty cool,” said Rainsberg.
Additional alumni contributing to the project include, but are not limited to:
Kurt Waller, Davey Jones, and Eric Audihl with Altimate Construction
Jared Shutt and Austin Carter with Wood Electric
Nathan Correll, Brandon Murphy, and John McLean with Peterman Plumbing
Chris Day with Kinsey Excavating
As they lay the foundation for the next generation of students, these professionals prove that career technical education provides a pathway to gainful employment, and we are #BuckeyeProud of their accomplishments and the impact they continue to make on BCC!