MITER Brands Celebrates Team Member Awarded Florida Apprentice of the Year

NORTH VENICE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2025--

MITER Brands, a residential window and door manufacturer, recently celebrated team member Andrew Clark, who was bestowed the 2024 Florida Manufacturer Apprentice of the Year award, with an event held at the company’s PGT Windows and Doors location in North Venice, Fla. The celebration was in conjunction with National Apprenticeship Day on April 30.

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From left to right: Chris Davis, MITER Brands; Brentyn Szalbirak, MITER Brands; Curt Celentano, MITER Brands; Andrew Clark, MITER Brands; Bruce Wesner, MITER Brands; William Merriman, MITER Brands; and Matt DeSoto, MITER Brands

The honor was awarded by FloridaMakes, a statewide, industry-led public-private partnership with the sole mission of strengthening and advancing Florida’s economy by improving the productivity and technological performance of its manufacturing sector.

The award is designed to recognize those who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to their professional development and who have gone above and beyond their normal duties and taken on additional responsibilities, including encouraging others to consider manufacturing as a career.

“This recognition isn’t just about technical skills, it’s about work ethic, initiative, and impact,” said Marcelo Dossantos, Director of Workforce Development for FloridaMakes. “At a time when manufacturers across the country are facing workforce shortages and a growing skills gap, upskilling workers through apprenticeship programs is not only a talent development strategy, but also a key retention strategy.”

On Thursday, May 1, MITER Brands held a celebratory event and luncheon to recognize and congratulate Clark. More than 25 individuals were in attendance, including representatives from FloridaMakes, Sarasota-Manatee Manufacturers Association (SAMA), and CareerSource Suncoast. Also present at the event were Luis Laracuente, Senator Rick Scott’s District Director for the Tampa Bay Region, Steven Seville, Apprenticeship and Training Representative for the Department of Education, and Matt DeSoto, CEO of MITER Brands.

“At MITER Brands, we’re building the next generation of master tradespeople,” said Matt Desoto, CEO of MITER Brands. “We have young, talented individuals who take pride in their work, want to grow, and have a desire to use their skills to advance the business. Andrew and apprentices like him are exactly the kind of talent we’re proud to have and continue to look for to help us carry American manufacturing forward.”

With Clark’s recent accolade, this marks the third consecutive year that a member of MITER’s apprenticeship program was acknowledged by FloridaMakes. In 2023, MITER Brands team member William Merriman won the Apprentice of the Year award, and in 2022, MITER Brands team member Brentyn Szalbirak was awarded Apprentice of the Year. At the event, Merriman and Szalbirak were also recognized for their achievements and graduation from their respective apprenticeships. Both are now certified Journeymen for PGT’s Tool and Die program.

“Innovation is more than just a word in our MITER Brands name or the new products we engineer,” said Chris Davis, Vice President of Operations at MITER Brands. “It shows up in how we grow our teams, strengthen our culture, and invest in the future. Our apprenticeship program is a perfect example of this spirit of innovation at work — thinking differently, acting boldly, and building something that lasts.”

MITER Brand’s apprenticeship program, sponsored by CareerSource Suncoast, launched in 2018 for the Tool and Die Department. The program aims to build interest and awareness in manufacturing career opportunities, placing MITER Brands at the forefront of innovative ways to invest in its team members. Registered apprenticeship programs must be designed, developed, and then approved by the Florida Department of Education before they can operate.

Following its strong success in the Tool and Die department, MITER Brands’ apprenticeship program has now been expanded to include the Maintenance Department at its PGT location.

About MITER Brands

Founded in 1947, MITER Brands is a residential window and door manufacturer that produces a portfolio of window and door brands for the new construction and replacement segments with an owner-operated, family-first approach. With more than 20 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States, MITER Brands is a nationwide supplier of precision-built and energy-efficient products. Through optimized manufacturing, valued relationships, and dedicated team members coast to coast, MITER Brands instills confidence and drives quality customer experiences.

For more information, visit www.miterbrands.com.

From left to right: Front row - Matt DeSoto, MITER Brands; Andrew Clark, MITER Brands; Curt Celentano, MITER Brands; William Merriman, MITER Brands; and Rod Hershberger, MITER Brands. Middle row - Chris Davis, MITER Brands; Mariely Velez, FloridaMakes; Julie Guinn, MITER Brands; Stephanie Cz, MITER Brands; Anthony Gagliano, CareerSource Suncoast; Stephen Seville, FL Department of Education; Veronica White, MITER Brands; James Disbro, CareerSource Suncoast; and Hailey Dacey, MITER Brands. Back row - Chris Ruff, MITER Brands; Rob Harris, Sarasota-Manatee Area Manufacturers Association (SAMA); Marcelo Dossantos, FloridaMakes; Tyler Stover, MITER Brands; Bruce Wesner, MITER Brands; Brentyn Szalbirak, MITER Brands; Dave McReynolds, MITER Brands; Luis Laracuente, Sen. Rick Scott's Office; Diane Seavers, CareerSource Suncoast; Sean Zubyk, CareerSource Suncoast; and Jim Shank, MITER Brands

RHO, Italy (AP) — No ice is colder and harder than speedskating ice. The precision it takes has meant that Olympic speedskaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink – until the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

In the pursuit of maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials brought on ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speedskating tracks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada — one of the fastest tracks in the world with over 300 records.

Messer has been putting that experience to work one thin layer of ice at a time since the end of October at the new Speed Skating Stadium, built inside adjacent trade fair halls in the city of Rho just north of Milan.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in icemaking,’’ Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.

If Goldilocks were a speedskater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for fast puck movement and sharp turns. Figure skating ice would be softer, allowing push off for jumps and so the ice doesn’t shatter on landing. Curling ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled sliding.

For speedskating ice to be just right, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very smooth.

“The blades are so sharp, that if there is some dirt, the blade will lose the edge,’’ Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.

Speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to be deputy sports manager at the speedskating venue in Rho. For him, perfect ice means the conditions are the same for all skaters — and then if it's fast ice, so much the better.

"It's more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,'' he said.

Messer’s first Olympics were in Calgary in 1988 — the first time speedskating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about the weather, wind blowing or rain,’’ he said. Now he is upping the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.

Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks setting up insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes that carry glycol — an antifreeze — that is brought down to minus 7 or minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make the ice.

Water is run through a purification system — but it can’t be too pure, or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,’’ Messer said.

The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; after the ice reaches a few centimeters it is painted white — a full day’s work — and the stripes are added to make lanes.

“The first one takes about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it again, and again and again. So we do it hundreds of times,’’ Messer said.

As the ice gets thicker, and is more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks for easier spreading.

What must absolutely be avoided is dirt, dust or frost — all of which can cause friction for the skaters, slowing them down. The goal is that when the skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,’’ Messer said.

The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the track clean, cutting off a layer and spraying water to make a new surface.

One challenge is gauging how quickly the water from the resurfacing machine freezes in the temporary rink.

Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that the Zamboni, weighing in at six tons, doesn’t shift the insulation, rubber tubing or ice itself.

“When you drive that out, if there’s anything moving it will move. We don’t want that,’’ Messer said.

The rink got its first big test on Nov. 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. In a permanent rink, test events are usually held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,’’ Messer acknowledged.

Dutch speedskater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft — but Messer didn’t seem too concerned.

“We went very modest to start, now we can start to change the temperatures and try to make it faster and still maintain it as a safe ice,’’ he said.

Fine-tuning the air temperature and humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically — taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators in the venue for each event. The next real test will be on Jan. 31, when the Olympians take to the ice for their first training session.

“Eighty percent of the work is done but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way of running the equipment so all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,’’ Messer said.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Serpentines are set on the ice of the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Workers clean the ice surface during a peed skating Junior World Cup and Olympic test event, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)