Cody Laboratories, Inc.
Since Wyoming doesn't have the population, we don't have the ability-other than the Cheyenne area or Laramie,-for convenient training opportunities. When you have to travel and have all that cost on top of the program costs, this Fund allows us businesses to get a lot more opportunities and bang for it.
~ Patrick Borer
Cody Laboratories, Inc.
Cody Laboratories, based in Cody, Wyoming, has been manufacturing prescription drugs since July 2000. They have been involved in the Workforce Development Training Fund program for years, using it as a vehicle to make training more affordable and accessible to their employees.
Cody Laboratories applies online with ease and has refined the process. Comfortable with the forms and clearly understanding the documents needed, to Cody Laboratories the process of applying is straightforward. Relationships developed with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services' staff members have also helped improve the process.
For the June 2009 fiscal year, Cody Laboratories had two classes for three staff. Currently, they have three classes and four staff training. Prior to 2009, more than 18 staff members had been trained through the program.
Cody Laboratories appreciates that the program is an easy, user-friendly program. As a small business, the grants are a nice source of support and funding that allows them to spend more money on training, thus, getting a lot more value per staff member. The training programs make training more affordable.
For businesses that have not applied, Cody Laboratories advises them to read the instructions and call the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services with questions. They encourage businesses to apply because it is a great opportunity.
Cody Laboratories plans on benefiting from the fund in the future.
Jorgensen Associates, P.C.
When it comes to applying for grants, we have found the staff at the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services to be very helpful and readily available to answer any of our questions.
~ Julianne Fries
Jorgensen Associates, PC
Jorgensen Associates, P.C., located in Jackson, Wyoming, has been providing a broad range of civil engineering, land use planning and land surveying services to the greater Yellowstone area since 1974. They began using the Workforce Development Training Fund after a business partner had referred them to the program.
Because of the grants available to Wyoming businesses, Jorgensen Associates employees have benefited by being able to participate in training conferences in-state and throughout the country. Not only have these training opportunities enhanced the technical skills of our employees, the also have contributed to the productivity of the firm, adding greater value to our clients.
Grants have also contributed to the costs associated with hiring and training new employees. Since Jorgensen began using these funds in 2008, more than 10 employees have benefited from advanced skills training. This funding resource provides opportunities to our staff that may otherwise not have been available to them, especially during these economic times. We feel the grants have benefited our firm by enhancing the skills of our employees, this, in turn, enables us to offer our clients the expertise they deserve.
Jorgensen Associates works closely with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services' staff throughout the application process, ensuring a successful outcome. When it comes to applying for grants, we have found the staff at the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services to be very helpful and readily available to answer any of our questions. Jorgensen Associates plans are to continue to use the funds.
Eleutian Technology
Working with Joan Evans and her team at the Workforce Development Training Fund has been critical to expanding our business in Wyoming. Joan has built a great team and has a great vision of working in partnership with companies to expand and create jobs in Wyoming. Her passion for what she does and her desire to create jobs in Wyoming sets Wyoming apart and is a key for job growth in Wyoming. Without the great partnership with the Workforce Development Training Fund it would have been difficult to build the core of our business in Wyoming. The application process is clear and straightforward and the people at the Workforce Development Training Fund are friendly and enjoyable to work with. We look forward to working with the folks at the Workforce Development Training Fund to train many more teachers as we continue to grow in Wyoming.
~ Craig Holiday
Eleutian Technology, LLC
Headquartered in Cody, Wyoming, Eleutian Technology provides English-language instruction using internet-based video conferencing to K-12 public school students, private academy students, and business executives in South Korea, Japan and China using certified teachers based in Wyoming.
The company was introduced to the Workforce Development Training Fund by Dave Reetz in 2006 when he was with First National Bank in Powell. First National was Eleutian's first banking partner when they started the business in Wyoming.
Eleutian Technology has been able to utilize the Fund to work closely with local community colleges and the Workforce Development Training Fund Staff to train pools of teachers that can then be hired to teach for the company. The training program is well-designed, extensive and allows teachers to hit the ground running.
Starting the training program took some time to design initially, but once completed, the application process was very simple to work through. To businesses that have not used the Fund, Eleutian encourages businesses that need to train employees to use the resources and the expertise that the Workforce Development Training Fund has to offer.
Powell Fueling, LLC
Powell Fueling, LLC, is a small Wyoming business with three full-time employees that provides airport management for the city of Powell on a contract basis. As airport management, Powell Fueling's duties include, but are not limited to, providing hanger space as it is available for transient aircraft, assisting in fuel sales, and participating with the annual Wings-N-Wheels fly-in/air show/car show.
Several years ago, Wyoming Aeronautics granted Orville Moore, Powell Fueling's owner, money to put on an official air show. Moore acted as the Air Boss, but to his dismay the show was not as professional as he had wished it to be. After two years of air shows, one of the performers told Moore that he should look into attending the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) convention held in Las Vegas every December.
Moore visited with the Powell Chamber of Commerce who advised him to contact the Wyoming Workforce Development Training Fund and apply for a grant to help offset the cost of going to ICAS. He followed the advice of the Chamber and contacted the office staff. According to Moore, he was treated very well with personnel going way beyond the norm to help me in filling out the paperwork for the grant. Without the grant, Moore wouldn't have been able to attend the convention because of the large cost associated with going.
The benefits Moore obtained at the ICAS have helped him make improvements in the planning and execution of the air show. The training also allowed him to be aware of the dangers that accompany air shows and implement safe planning measures to avoid such hazards. Although he is the only one in his business who has utilized the grant so far, he is looking forward to using it again in December 2010.
Young Women's Christian Association of Sweetwater County
Education and skill development are valuable to both employees and employers, and utilizing the training funds to assist with the cost is a great opportunity. We were able to get a large volume of training at very little cost to the Young Women's Christian Association Program thanks to the Workforce Development Training Fund.
~ Melinda Baas
BBBS Program Director
It was good to be able to learn more about our financial accounting software package.
~ Cheryl Petek
Financial Director
The valuable skills I obtained at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference have helped me to integrate learning through music into the curriculum at The Early Care and Learning Center. I now have the skills to boost children's brain function through the use of brain-boosting movement, songs and activities.
~ Cindi Wittig
Assistant Childcare Director
The Young Women's Christian Association of Sweetwater County is a non-profit organization, in which the mission is to eliminate racism and empower women. The Young Women's Christian Association provides three community programs, including: The Early Care and Learning Center, providing quality care for children birth to age 12; The Support and Safe House Program, providing a 24-hour crisis line and shelter for survivors of domestic violence/sexual assault; and The Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, which provides adult mentors to children of the community.
The Association was referred to the Business Training Grant program from a Sweetwater Economic Development Association employee, Pat Robbins. It didn't take long for the Training Fund to provide the opportunity for Young Women's Christian Association employees to receive enhanced or advanced trainings to improve their skills and their ability to provide quality services. Approximately 15 Young Women's Christian Association Employees have been able to access training because of the Workforce Development Training Fund.
The application process for the Young Women's Christian Association has been very easy and the Web site format provides all of the information in one location. Their questions and requests for information have always been answered by a very responsive staff. The Young Women's Christian Association appreciates that the program is very simple to apply for and has clear guidelines. They feel the funds provide not only financial assistance for employees to improve work skills, but also benefits both the employee and the employer and can lead to increased earnings for the employees.
Their question to businesses that have not applied for a Business Training Grant is why not? The Young Women's Christian Association believes it is a wonderful program Wyoming offers to help move the workforce forward. There is no reason not to take advantage of such a program. The application and reporting requirements are simple to complete and the employees and local Workforce Services offices are available to assist businesses in applying for the funds.
They will definitely use the fund in the future. As a non-profit organization, funds are limited, and using this funding provides opportunities for Young Women's Christian Association employees to receive training.
Coffey Engineering and Surveying LLC
The people who work for Workforce Development Training Fund are very helpful in filling out the paperwork. Clients can tell that the staff works hard to make sure that each applicant will be approved for the grant. Applicants are encouraged to talk to an office staff member who works for the Workforce Development Training Fund for answers to all the little questions that might come up.
~ Shawna Bee
Coffey Engineering and Surveying, LLC
Coffey Engineering and Surveying LLC is a third generation engineering and surveying business that has been in Laramie for 60 years. Because of their roots in the community, the Coffey team is committed to growing the company into a sustainable business model for Laramie that will continue to support job growth and a multitude of local families well into the future. Coffey is one of the leading familyowned civil engineering, land surveying and GIS consulting firms serving Rocky Mountain west.
Coffey searched the web for alternative sources of funding to help the company's employees to grow in their skills. The funds received from the Workforce Development Training Fund allow Coffey employees to keep up with the latest techniques in their perspective fields and allows them to be competitive in the region with the services they offer. The application process has been learned by Coffey office personnel and the task of applying is not difficult.
All of Coffey's staff members have made repeated use of the funds available from the Wyoming Workforce Development Training Fund.
Turner Fine Art
This class gave me the confidence and ignited my passion for painting. I have found that this sense of confidence and passion are of utmost importance when painting any subject matter, but certainly with painting portraits. I expect that I can charge $400 to $800 for an 11 x 14 painting of children. This would more than double my hourly wage of $35 per hour. I benefited a great deal from this class and want to thank the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services for this grant. It was very helpful for the development of my skills as a professional artist.
~ Kathryn Mapes Turner
Turner Fine Art
The Workforce Development Training Fund also assisted Ms. Kathryn Mapes Turner, a fine art painter and sole proprietor of Turner Fine Art. The Fund allowed her to enroll in a Master Portrait painting course. During this course, Ms. Turner was able to have master painter Charles Reid demonstrate how to create the likeness of a live model in watercolor. For years, I had read many of his wonderfully helpful instructional books, but there is no substitute for watching the process unfold on the surface right before my eyes, she said.
Ms. Turner hopes to use this training to expand her business in providing custom children's portraits. Her custom designs are anticipated to have a high demand from Wyoming families.