JOHN B. SCOLA OUTSTANDING INSTRUCTOR

Gavin Collier —Administrative District Council 1 of Illinois

Brother Collier is a 43-year BAC member, with eight years as a tile finisher and 35 as a tile setter. For 20 of those years, he worked as a foreman for Trostrud Mosaic & Tile, one of the top tile shops in the Chicago area.

In 2013, Brother Collier accepted the position of instructor at the ADC 1 of Illinois Training Center. Brother Collier re-established the program and grew it from a handful of apprentices to the current roster of 95 finishers and 87 tile layers, a total of 182 apprentices. Since Brother Collier took over the program, a total of 63 tile finishers and 70 tile setters have become journey-level members.

When the Advanced Certification for Tile Installers program started in 2013, Brother Collier became one of the first people in the nation to be A.C.T.-certified. He then put in the hard work necessary to make the ADC 1 of Illinois Training Center one of the A.C.T. testing centers.

Brother Collier expanded recruitment and outreach to women and minorities to add diversity to our workforce. He also led the planning and execution of many charity jobs in the Chicago area to foster good relations with the community and give the apprenticeship program real world experience.

Brother Collier is an outstanding instructor, apprentice coordinator, and trade unionist.