We are happy to announce our first ever, 2023 Qualified Trainer of the Year: Craig Potthast, Plastics Trainer at Central Community College in Columbus, Nebraska. 

The Qualified Trainer of the Year is an award granted to the RJG Qualified Trainer who teaches the most students each year. The winner must follow set procedures and can only win once every three years. The prize includes an award, four eLearning bundles valued at over $5,000 and free RJG swag.

RJG’s Train the Trainer program is designed for those who fully commit to instructing others in their organization on the methodologies and techniques learned in their Master Molder^SM training. Those who successfully pass the Train the Trainer program will have the title of Qualified Trainer and are then eligible to teach Injection Molding Essentials, Fundamentals of Systematic Injection Molding, DECOUPLED MOLDING® Workshop, Successful Strategies for Tool Launch, and Part and Mold Design for Injection Molding within their organization.

“We are incredibly proud of our group of Qualified Trainers,” said Priscilla Newman, Commercial Operations at RJG. “This is the very first year we have offered something like this. We wanted to find a way to recognize our Qualified Trainers for all of their hard work and dedication to both RJG and their students. This program looks to partner with candidates who live our Core Values and who actively contribute to helping RJG empower the plastics industry to create positive change in the world. Craig has done just that. He has touched countless lives through his training, his passion to help other molders become successful is clear, and we are so proud to have him on board.”

“I humbly accept this honor from RJG, whom has been a positive support resource since I began my plastics career here at Central Community College five years ago,” stated Craig. “I could not have achieved this without the support of my supervisor, Doug Pauley and co-workers, Karl Anderson and Melissa Wortmann to whom make working at CCC a great growth environment. RJG, and specifically Shane Vanderkerkhof, has been a positive mentor in my growth and development of our Plastics Engineering Technology program and Injection Molding Lab at CCC. I look forward to continuing the growth of our program with Karl Anderson and RJG’s guidance and support along with providing instruction to industry and students at CCC.”

About Central Community College:

Central Community College is a multi-campus community college serving a 25-county area in central Nebraska. CCC offers 37 career and technical education programs with a focus on degree, diploma and certificate programs requiring two years or less to complete. The college also offers an academic transfer program for students who want to complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree before transferring to a four-year college or university.