May 17, 2022—The Auto Body Collision Technology program at Minnesota State College Southeast in Winona, Minnesota is finding new leadership in a former student.
According to Winona Daily News, Brandon Boynton was a graduate of the program in 2014 under the guidance of Tom Brandt. Brandt is retiring and will be handing over the program to Boynton at the end of the semester this spring.
When Boynton was a student, he was in the first class to utilize the school's new Transportation Center in 2013. Both Brandt and Boynton alike have been witness to a plethora of change across the collision industry, from technology to aluminum repair and welding.
This passing of the torch comes after Boynton and Brandt have spent a year in preparation, working side by side as former student and former instructor.
“Tom’s always been an inspiration to me. He’s worked all of his career to build a premier Auto Body Program at Southeast,” says Boynton, according to the article. “I’ve met countless past students of his and each of them have nothing but praise for Tom during their time in the program. The quality of instruction has been second to none and that’s something I plan to continue and build on in the future.”
After 36 years of teaching at the school, Brandt is certain to miss his students. But it's a position he's honored to pass along to Boynton.
“The rest of the world kind of shuts down while you’re in the lab working with those students," says Brandt, according to the article. "And it’s a really a good feeling. I know I’ll miss it."
