The aggregates industry is continuously challenged by a shortage of qualified people to work on rock crushers. To remedy this situation, Mellott Company, Warfordsburg, Pa., has developed Mellott University.
Mellott University offers a program that prepares students for service-technician and plant-operator careers in the aggregates industry. Three to four students from Fulton County, Pa., Vo-Tech are joined with new full-time employees of Mellott Company to participate in a nine-month, two-semester program. They attend classes for two hours a day and spend two to six hours per day in hands-on learning opportunities in the service and fabrication shops.
Tony Valente recently joined Mellott Company as training manager of Mellott University. Valente will be building and leading the instruction of this university-style curriculum as well as managing continuing education for Mellott Company employees. His passion for education matched with his experience in industry will serve to dynamically build a qualified aggregate industry workforce for the future.
Valente came to Mellott Company from Hagerstown Community College where he was an Adjunct Instructor since1996 and a full-time coordinator and instructor since 2009. His responsibilities included industrial technology training, curriculum development, energy technology training, program design, course design, program marketing, technical lab layout, and training equipment specifications. He also served as an adjunct instructor from 2001-2009 with Frederick Community College where he customized the industrial technology training curriculum.
In addition to his academic experience, Valente has also worked in industry as a site manager and automated controls specialist for Fedders International from 2000 to 2009. His responsibilities included facilities and utilities management, trouble-shooting, and repair of automated manufacturing systems. He also relocated automated production equipment to mainland China, debugged the equipment and provided training for technicians and engineers.
From 1996 to 2000 he served as maintenance manager, technical specialist and trainer for Rotorex. In this role he managed a 33-person maintenance staff and an in-house technical training program for mechanical and electrical services.
Additionally, he has almost 20 years of experience as an industry technician with duties involving electrical controls, hydraulics, pneumatics, precision measurement, motors and conveyor systems.
Valente is a certified journeyman industrial electrician and holds a masters electrical license in the state of W.Va. He is a state of Maryland-approved building analysis trainer and has served as an OSHA 501 Trainer. He also has participated in many technical and management education courses throughout his career.
“Tony brings a wealth of experience and education to our workforce, and we are looking forward to his specific contribution to Mellott University,” said company President Rich Blake.