Above: Dale Lewis and Shawn Freie
Oklahoma Post-Secondary Career Education (OkPACE) announced its 2021 award winners at its annual conference in April. Caddo Kiowa Technology Center brought home two of the six awards presented.
Shawn Freie, Small Business Management Coordinator, was awarded the OkPace Economic Development Award for her work with TetherTech USA. This award recognizes the individual or collaborative team efforts who creatively provide assistance relating to business start-ups, entrepreneurship, expansion and retention, and job creation.
TetherTech Safety, USA is housed in CKTC’s Business Incubator, under the direction of Freie. With more than 16 years’ experience in small business management, and as the first in SW Oklahoma to be Incubator Certified, Freie was able to provide TTS with the direction, assistance, and facilities needed to launch their successful business. TetherTech Safety provides a product to protect against tractor trailer wheel-off incidents, using a thick steel cable running through the axle tube and tethered to a pair of wheel-end caps. This design prevents the wheel assembly from separating in the event of a bearing failure. Freie works diligently with her clients assisting in the expansion and advancement of this lifesaving product.
Dale Lewis, Director Truck Driver Training, received the OkPace Innovation Award for the creative training partnership with CHS Cooperative in Frederick, Oklahoma. This award recognizes the most unique and innovative individual or collaborative activity which took the nominee beyond the normal scope of business and industry service.
Lewis developed a one of a kind training for CHS Inc., the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative. CHS places workers from South Africa who have their I-94 work Visas with local farmers who need assistance during harvest. Lewis arranged for CKTC’s award winning truck driver training program to educate CHS workers to achieve a Certified Driver’s License (CDL). This training program put successful and highly qualified CDL drivers to work for numerous farmers in SW Oklahoma.
Freie and Lewis will represent Oklahoma Post-Secondary Career Education nationally at Vision in December. Vision is the annual conference of the national Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE).
