Director of Facilities Cherishes Lessons from BOCES Education
Hamburg resident Warren Ristine credits his education at Erie 1 BOCES with motivating him to strive to always do his best. That motivation landed him a job as director of facilities for the same organization that taught him.
Ristine graduated from Frontier High School and the Trade Electricity program at the Potter Road Occupational Center in 1976. He then went to work in his father’s electrical contracting business. During the 25 years he worked there, he became a journeyman electrician and a licensed master electrician.
In 2002, Ristine was hired by Erie 1 BOCES as a principal stores clerk for Technology Services, where he supervised the CIS Warehouse team. In 2015, he was promoted to manager of security, facilities operations and material logistics, taking on additional duties of supervising Buildings and Grounds staff. Ristine became director of facilities in February 2020.
"I’m grateful for attending Erie 1 BOCES,” Ristine said. “I received a full nourishment of the life lessons that I’d need. My instructors, Salvatore Sciandra and Francis Metler, spent time in the field, providing the skills I’d need to be successful.”
Ristine recalled at one point during a wire splicing lesson, Sciandra inspected his work and told him something that changed his life for the better.
“I didn’t know at the time, but my work was not good. Mr. Sciandra looked at me and said, ‘Son, I think you have soft hands,’” Ristine noted. “This bothered me because my father was an electrician and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. My mantra from that day on was, ‘I do not have soft hands.’ It made me try harder with everything I did, and it gave me inspiration to succeed.”
Ristine has been a member of the Big Tree Volunteer Fire Co. for over 30 years, seven of which as either chief or assistant chief.