3 community leaders awarded for contributions to A.W. Beattie, CTE education

A.W. Beattie Career Center recently recognized Square One Physical Therapy owner Dr. Gordon Riddle, Glenshaw Auto Service owner Samuel Concelman Jr. and Honorable Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Mike Turzai.

They were honored with the Award of Distinction, which was created to recognize individuals or companies that promote career and technical education across our region.

Councelman Jr. is a 1983 A.W. Beattie alum and said it is important to give back to the career center.

 “I know what Beattie did for me and where it took my career,” Concelman said. “I want those same opportunities for the kids that are there now, because there are so many great opportunities in the trades and in the automotive industry. I do anything I can to get the word out.”

He didn’t expect to be honored for his decades of contributions.

“It really caught me off guard, and it’s a great feeling,” Concelman said. “I didn’t expect nor did I ever do it to be recognized, but it is a thrill for me.”

Dr. Riddle played a vital role in launching and guiding A.W. Beattie’s Sports Medicine program, which is in its third year. He donated equipment to the career center to help kick-start the program and has been an adviser to Sports Medicine instructor Mr. Darren Vtipil since 2017.

“It’s important to me to be involved in this program, because I think about the future of the profession,” Dr. Riddle said. “If you don’t educate kids at a young age, they won’t have an awareness of what career opportunities are available to them in sports medicine and physical therapy. I taught a little bit at the university level, so I thought this was a good way to give back.”

He wishes a program like Sports Medicine was available to him in high school.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity here for students to have a leg up on other peers in whatever they decide to study in an associate’s program, a bachelor’s program or even up into a master’s or doctorate program,” Dr. Riddle said.