Category: Workforce

Central CaliforniaWorkforce
By Jennifer Hi-Tech • New Location • Workforce 0 Comments

Bitwise’s planned expansion into Bakersfield seen as taking the city to ‘the next level’

 

 

John Cox / The Californian

Anticipation was in the air as dozens of Bakersfield business and political leaders jammed into a small room on the second floor of the Padre Hotel Wednesday morning for what was sure to be a big announcement.

Once things got going, levity took over. The two presenters, one of whom stood in front of the crowd while the other spoke via video link from Fresno, made little jokes and took friendly jabs at each other.

The day’s big news, as The Californian reported Wednesday morning, was that downtown Fresno-based tech hub Bitwise Industries had raised $27 million that, among other things, would help pay for the company’s expansion into Bakersfield.

Bitwise’s plans call for coding classes, shared office space and other forms of local investment. Initial operations are expected to begin by early next year, followed by the purchase of a permanent space downtown for Bitwise’s new second home.

There were questions from the audience, naturally. Someone asked why the company chose to expand into Bakersfield as opposed to some other “underdog” city.

“The answer is, we were terrified of what you’d do if we didn’t” come to Bakersfield, quipped Jake Soberal, Bitwise’s CEO and co-founder.

There’s truth in his jest: The company has talked for about two years with local leaders anxious to bring Bitwise’s brand of tech culture to downtown Bakersfield. By now, anything less would have been a big disappointment. Instead, people in attendance saw the news as cause for celebration.

“My initial feeling is this is literally game-changing for the community,” said Kern County’s administrative officer over workforce development, Teresa Hitchcock.

She linked workforce development, a key focus for Bitwise, with local economic development. Her prediction was that local companies will quickly recognize the value of having a training entity come to Kern, and that other individuals will see the value later as they begin to benefit from expanded opportunities.

Bakersfield businessman Morgan Clayton saw substantial promise in Wednesday’s announcement.

“Bitwise has validated we have a starting point,” he said. “We are now connecting to the millennials,” he added, referring to 20- and 30-something-year-olds who have largely embraced digital innovation and its associated business opportunities.

Local economic development chief Richard Chapman, president and CEO of Kern Economic Development Corp., traced the news to a tour he and others involved with KEDC took to Fresno in 2017. That’s when Bakersfield leaders learned how tech hubs can spark new businesses and good-paying careers.

He expressed hope Bitwise will attract other tech companies, which will, in turn, offer internships for local youth with computer programming talent.

David Anderson was optimistic for different reasons. The Bakersfield financial advisor and managing partner at Moneywise Guys noted that downtown has added positive amenities in recent years that could be attractive to tech companies and the kind of people they employ.

Bringing Bitwise into the mix, he said, “takes downtown to the next level.”

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/bitwise-s-planned-expansion-into-bakersfield-seen-as-taking-the/article_40b0f672-92e1-11e9-9911-cb60bd736cf3.html

By Jennifer Economy • Workforce 0 Comments

Preparing the Way for a Central Valley Renaissance

by Stuart VanHorn

June 6, 2019


Farm of the Future (Photo: WHCCD)

Recently, Governor Newsom announced his new “Regions Rise Together” initiative. Launched in partnership with California Forward and the California Economic Summit, this initiative is in recognition of the fact that the substantial economic and job growth that the state has experienced since 2010 has been concentrated in the state’s coastal areas and has largely passed over the state’s inland regions.

In fact, by the Governor’s own calculations, residents of California’s inland regions have seen their per capita income drop dramatically while 70% of job growth in the state during this same period has occurred in the state’s coastal regions. With the Regions Rise Together initiative, Governor Newsom intends on turning his “California for All” slogan into a strategy to design a comprehensive economic plan that will ensure sustainable and inclusive growth across the state and benefit all parts of California.

The announcement of the Governor’s new initiative is welcome news for those of us who live and work in the Central Valley. West Hills Community College District covers nearly 3,400 square miles of Central California, primarily in the western portions of Fresno and Kings Counties. The District serves over 8,000 students with two accredited colleges: West Hills College Coalinga and West Hills College Lemoore. In addition to its main campus location in Coalinga, West Hills College Coalinga also operates the North District Center in Firebaugh, and the Farm of the Future located at the north end of Coalinga. We are very proud of our students and our graduates and we have an 87-year history of serving students in efficient, innovative practices such as Prior Learning Assessment that promote student success and completion.

We also know well that our students face more social, economic, and structural obstacles to student success. Many of the students that we serve are first generation college students that must balance work and family obligations with their educational goals. They are hindered by the region’s higher unemployment rates, fewer jobs, and one of the highest poverty rates in the country. While Fresno County is California’s single most productive agricultural region and one of the most productive in the world (providing more than half of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts grown in the United States), Census data show that it is also the poorest metro area in the state and the second most impoverished region in the nation.

This data also show that Valley areas (Fresno, Modesto and Bakersfield-Delano) are among the top five U.S. regions with the highest percentage of residents living below the poverty line (one of every four). In Fresno County, median income fell from $46,479 to $42,807 during the last Census period while unemployment rose to 16 percent. In addition, food stamp use climbed to nearly 18 percent.

Beyond these economic statistics, our students also suffer from the lack of broadband internet in much of rural Fresno County. This broadband inequity makes distance education impossible, severely limits tele-health and tele-medicine opportunities, and significantly hinders educational attainment and economic growth in the region. The inequity of broadband access is a key reason why poor communities stay poor, chronic illness manifests, and social mobility is stunted. This fact is borne out by statistics. Our district has 12% of the state’s population but only 6% of the state’s bachelor’s degree holders. In addition, only 11% of the population ages 25 and above possess an associate’s degree or higher. This compares to 41% statewide.

West Hills is not intimated by these statistics. We are working every day to close these achievement gaps and increase educational attainment in our region. We offer Career Technical Educational programs that build a skilled workforce for our regional employers. We assist our students financially through our President’s Scholars program and by offering free Open Educational Resources (OER) textbooks. And we are helping eliminate the broadband inequity and ensure that reliable, high-speed broadband service is available in our region by ensuring that broadband infrastructure is built throughout the West Side and by raising funds to augment the monthly internet subscription fees of our student-led households.

The Governor’s initiative promises to build on existing locally driven initiatives in our state’s diverse regions while also leveraging the investments and policy priorities of the state. West Hills looks forward to representing our students’ and our communities’ needs in this conversation and working toward a future in which educational attainment soars, infrastructure supports growth, skills gaps are eliminated, and the quality of life increases for all residents in Fresno County.

https://caeconomy.org/reporting/entry/preparing-the-way-for-a-central-valley-renaissance

By Jennifer Commercial • Economy • Tourism • Workforce 0 Comments

How many jobs might Hard Rock casino bring to Kern County?

  • The Bakersfield Californian

It might take five years, it might take a decade, but Kern County is apparently getting a Hard Rock Cafe-branded hotel and casino.

At least that’s the hope of the Tejon Tribe of Kern County, which announced an agreement this week with Hard Rock International, the global hospitality company known for its rock ‘n’ roll-themed restaurants. Hard Rock has agreed to develop and manage a $600 million, 400-room hotel and casino that the tribe has proposed on farmland just west of Highway 99, half an hour south of Bakersfield.

Sandra Hernandez, a council member with the Tejon Tribe, joined The Californian’s Robert Price Wednesday on his weekly “One on One” noon webcast to talk about the Tejon Tribe and its vision for the hotel-casino.

Among the topics they discussed:

• The tribe is considering the possibility of building administrative offices, a health-care facility and housing near the hotel-casino, which will occupy 52 acres of the 306-acre parcel the tribe owns near Mettler.

• The hotel-casino would employ 2,000 people — more than twice the number of known Tejon tribal members. There’s no such thing as a hiring advantage for tribal members, however. “We’re an equal opportunity employer,” Hernandez said.

• Hernandez said she expects to maintain good relations and mutual support among the management of the Tejon’s Hard Rock casino and those of the Eagle Mountain and Tachi Palace gaming casinos in adjacent Tulare and Kings counties, respectively.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/how-many-jobs-might-hard-rock-casino-bring-to-kern/article_f756f168-87c6-11e9-a7da-37ca7ab1260e.html

By Jennifer Economy • Health/Medical • New Developments • Top Stories • Workforce 0 Comments

Plans to create medical school in Valley takes shape

The school would likely need $500 million to get started.

Friday, June 7, 2019 6:29PM

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Creating a medical school in the Valley brought dozens of leaders to UCSF Fresno.

“The San Joaquin Valley has roughly 150 doctors per 100,000 residents. In contrast, San Francisco has 411 per 100,000 residents. You can see the dramatic difference that exists. This is one of the most underserved medical regions in the country,” said Assemblymember Adam Gray.

Gray helped lead the first San Joaquin Valley Coalition for Medical Education. He’s currently working on AB 1606 to help fund the school by not allowing people to write off their gambling losses on their taxes and using that fund.

The school would likely need $500 million to get started.

At Friday’s meeting leaders spoke about combining facilities and programs to jumpstart the school.

UCSF Fresno and UC Merced would combine forces to educate students.

“Getting a medical school started is extremely complicated there are a lot of regulatory barriers, political challenges and funding challenges. We’re excited to be partnering with UCSF, the Fresno office on a path to solving those problems,” said Gregg Camfield, UC Merced Executive Vice Chancellor.

UC Merced is working to create programs for the next generation.

“You name it, every kind of health professional is needed in the Valley and we’re committed to helping to produce that workforce,” said Camfield.

More than 300 doctors are currently training in the Valley through UCSF Fresno.

“Helping to develop students from the region who come from in those underrepresented areas in medicine will allow us to put people out into the community to provide care” Michael Peterson, UCSF Fresno Associate Dean.

Keeping the community healthy with a strong workforce of health professionals

“Lawmakers, University officials and leaders hope to the ideas from this meeting and to build more partnerships and find more funding. The San Joaquin Calley Coalition for medical education plans to meet later this year.

By Jennifer Economy • Top Stories • Workforce 0 Comments

Manpower: Strong employment outlook predict for Q 3

Central Valley Business Times

June 11, 2019

  • 21 percent of employers nationwide plan to add employees
  • Two Central Valley metros are topping that

In the third quarter of 2019, 27 percent of U.S. employers expect to increase payrolls, 3 percent anticipate a decrease and 69 percent expect no change.

Once the data is adjusted to allow for seasonal variation, the national Net Employment Outlook for the U.S. stands at +21 percent, the strongest reported in 13 years.

Hiring intentions are 2 percentage points stronger when compared with the previous quarter, and improve by 3 percentage points in comparison with this time one year ago.

Employers in 28 percent of businesses surveyed in the West expect workforce gains during the coming quarter, while 3 percent anticipate a decrease and 68 percent expect no change. The resulting Net Employment Outlook stands at +25 percent. Once the data is adjusted to allow for seasonal variation, hiring plans for the region are the strongest reported in more than 11 years. Employers report a slight quarter-over-quarter improvement in the Outlook, and a moderate increase when compared with this time one year ago.

In three of the West’s industry sectors, employers report moderately stronger hiring intentions for Quarter 3 2019 when compared with the previous quarter: information, professional & business services and transportation & utilities. Slightly stronger hiring prospects are reported in four of the region’s industry sectors: financial activities, government, leisure & hospitality and nondurable goods manufacturing.

Education & health services sector employers in the West report a relatively stable labor market in a comparison with the second quarter of 2019, Manpower says.

During the next three months, job seekers in the West’s durable goods manufacturing and other services sectors can expect moderately weaker hiring activity when compared with the previous quarter, according to employers. Employers in the region’s construction and wholesale & retail trade sectors report slightly weaker hiring plans.

Manpower says 31 percent of employers in the Sacramento metropolitan area expect a net employment increase in the third quarter, one of the strongest performances in the nation.

More than one out of four (26 percent) of employers in the Stockton metro expect a net employment increase in Q 3, on par with Boston, Columbus, Omaha, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C.

Twenty percent of Bakersfield employers told Manpower that they plan to increase their workforces in the third quarter and 19 percent of those in the Fresno MSA said the same.

Employers in the Midwest report the strongest hiring prospects in 18 years, with Manpower’s outlook improving by 2 percentage points in comparison with Quarter 2 2019.

In the Northeast, hiring plans are 1 percentage point stronger when compared with the previous quarter and the outlook reported in the South is unchanged. The strongest regional hiring pace is expected in the West, where the outlook is +22 percent. Midwest employers report an  outlook of +21 percent, and outlooks stand at +20 percent and +19 percent in the South and the Northeast, respectively.

In a comparison with the second quarter of 2019, hiring prospects are slightly stronger in the West and the Midwest, says Manpower. Northeast employers report relatively stable hiring plans, and the outlook for the South is unchanged. When compared with this time one year ago, employers in the West report moderately stronger hiring intentions. Slight year-over-year improvements are reported in the Midwest and the Northeast, while employers in the South report relatively stable hiring plans.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/1756cf8e-fe1a-41d2-aafe-b7693a621acd.pdf

By Jennifer Education • Workforce 0 Comments

Community welcomes home Madera HS robotics team after win at world championship

By 

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — MadTown Robotics 1323 is sporting a new title: World Champions.

Fresh off their victory from the 2019 FIRST championships in Houston, the team was greeted at Fresno Yosemite international airport by dozens of family, friends and city leaders.

Even the Mayor of Madera, Andy Medellin, put his Easter plans on hold to congratulate the team.

“In Madera, we all stick together. We’re all there for one another regardless,” he said. “Whether it’s sports teams or academics our schools in general we come together to help support.”

That support system wasn’t only celebrating the victory, the team attributes their success to their parents, mentors, Madera Unified, and their sponsors.

“Most of our mentors are alumni so most of our support comes from the Central Valley,” said team member Roger Villagomez.

Each year more than 4,000 teams around the globe are given specific instructions and a timeline to build a robot for competitions.

“It’s crazy to see where we started just 4 years ago to now right,” Villagomez said.

By Jennifer Economy • Quality of Life • Workforce 0 Comments

Change is happening in Fresno schools and the workplace


(Photo: JISC/Flickr)

Developing a strong workforce is critical to the success of our communities and the employment of everyone who wants to work. Figuring out how is crucial.

There is no better place to begin than within our school system. Students that go to schools where they are assigned project-based lessons learn far more than academics and technical skills. They learn to work as a team, how to hold people accountable, why diversity matters, and they develop vital social skills. These students go above and beyond because they don’t want to let their team down. As many of the projects involve real-world business or social problems, they learn what it feels like to make a difference.

Project-based learning is proving to be an effective path to developing a strong workforce and confident life-ready citizens. The good news is that this approach is taking root and spreading.

However, many educators are not prepared to teach this way. Classrooms are designed for students to learn sitting in rows with the “sage on the stage.” Learning to coach, working alongside practitioners from various workplaces, teaching on a team all require a change in mindset and new practices. What we hear from those teachers who have embraced these new practices is remarkable. Working on a team to achieve a meaningful purpose brings out the best in most people. It’s what makes companies, communities and classrooms the places we want to be.

This shift is not limited to the classroom. It is happening in workplaces too. Top-down leadership parallels the sage on the sage model. It is no longer effective. Change is too rapid. Facts don’t stay facts for long and data are overwhelming. Self-governing enterprises are the wave of the future.

Earlier this year, representatives of the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance had a meeting with students and teachers at Phillip J. Patiño School of Entrepreneurship, an innovative high school in the Fresno Unified School District. They found the culture remarkable. It was clear that the students AND the teachers want to be there.

As part of the visit, students from Edison High School and Patino presented their projects.

Students from Patino were concerned about the health and well-being of their friends. They decided to put together a package of items to support them. They formed a company and named it Reborn, apt for their goals. Their excitement in forming their own business and filling a need were inspiring. An entrepreneurial mindset is contagious.

The students from Edison are proud “geeks.” Having the opportunity to focus on STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Math—they wanted to make sure younger students understood the opportunities. They started a nonprofit with this mission: “Students are told to push themselves, to better themselves in a global economy where success is no guarantee. We students must do this dogma justice: we study, learn, act, work and play with this maxim as we strive to become our best selves.” On our journey of self-improvement, however, many of us forget to bring up our community along the way.” Check out their website here. Clearly they already understand the importance of civic stewardship.

The Democracy Schools projects, facilitated by the Civic Learning Center, are chosen by students in grades 5, 8 and 11. For the past several years their choices were sobering—mental health, teen suicide, date rape, and other difficult topics. This year many of the topics are focused on preventing and de-escalating violence. Their solutions and commitment to executing them are a beacon of hope. Peers impact peers. Team-based projects can change the trajectory of our community both in the classroom and the workplace.

Our country was founded on the principle that we could govern ourselves if we were informed, enlightened and engaged. Our schools are starting to create the environment for this to happen.

Building a strong workforce is our common cause. Success means a whole community call-to-action to support our students by getting involved as advisors and mentors and offering them internships and externships.

An earlier version of this commentary ran in the Fresno Business Journal.

Deborah Nankivell is CEO of the Fresno Business Council.

http://caeconomy.org/reporting/entry/change-is-happening-in-fresno-schools-and-the-workplace

By Jennifer Commercial • New Location • Workforce 0 Comments

Find a job at Turlock’s Ten Pin Fun Center as staffing begins for spring opening

 

By Marijke Rowland

March 27, 2019 04:58 PM,

While you can’t bowl at Turlock’s new Ten Pin Fun Center just yet, you can find a job — more than 100 of them, in fact.

As finishing work continues on the large family entertainment center being built just off Highway 99 in the Monte Vista Crossings shopping center, hiring has begun to fill some 125 jobs. Applicants are invited to attend a multi-day hiring fair from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 2 to April 5 at the center, at 3700 Countryside Drive.

The center will be hiring restaurant hosts, servers, bartenders, cooks, bowling and gaming hosts, game technicians, bowling mechanics and more. Job seekers must be at least 16 years old, but those under age 18 require a work permit. Take a resume and identification, and be prepared for on-the-spot interviews during the event.

The new Ten Pin Fun Center building has been under construction since September 2017. The 62,000-square-foot space will have a full-service restaurant, 34 bowling lanes, more than 60 arcade and interactive video games, a two-story laser tag arena, three full bars, an outdoor beer garden, a bocce ball court and a covered patio.

The long-gestating project was first proposed in 2010 across from California State University, Stanislaus, on land that has since become the student housing complex The Vista. Since work began on the Monte Vista Crossings site across from Hobby Lobby, the center has been hit with unexpected construction delays that pushed it past a number of proposed opening dates.

For more information, call 209-226-1920 or visit www.tenpinfun.com.

By Jennifer Logistics • Manufacturing • Top Stories • Workforce 0 Comments

How to Meet Workforce Demands? Duncan Poly Leads the Way.

For years, there has been a nationwide shortage of workers in vocational and technical careers, largely caused by society adopting a more college-going culture.

According to Adecco, an estimated 31 million career tech jobs will be left vacant by the year 2020 due to Baby Boomer retirements.

Portrait of Bob Nelson

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city of Fresno and the Central Valley. If this is the thing of stuff to come, I am incredibly proud of this start.” — Bob Nelson, superintendent of Fresno Unified

Fresno Unified, the fourth-largest school district in California, is working to change the narrative of career tech and the looming worker shortage.

The district showcased its efforts last Thursday with an open house displaying $12 million worth of improvements to CTE facilities at Duncan Polytechnical High School.

New Heavy Trucks Facility

Perhaps the biggest upgrade is a new, 10,000-square foot heavy trucks facility large enough to fit eight semi-trucks.

“It’s the first of its kind in the nation,” said Vanessa Ramirez, Fresno Unified’s public information officer. “The facility provides the most modern equipment for preparing students for jobs in the Valley’s growing transport industry.”

Ramirez said students in the school’s heavy truck maintenance and repair program will utilize the facility. To ensure it met the needs of employers, Fresno Unified worked closely with industry partners on designs, she said.

This Has Been Needed For a Long Time

Hugo Rodriguez, the service manager at Fresno Truck Center, hopes the new facility is the first of many local high schools will construct for students.

“It is 20 years (late), but it is a great start,” Rodriguez said. “I am anxious to see what kind of kids we can get out of the program.”

Rodriguez said he’s also concerned about how many students he can get to fill vacant positions.

“The trades died out of the high schools years ago, and we’ve struggled for years finding technicians to come in and fill the voids,” Rodriguez said. “This facility is definitely needed.”

The district also expanded Duncan’s existing facilities in manufacturing and construction technology, automotive, welding and fabrication.

Related Story: Students Get a Jump-Start on Careers at This Popular Clovis Event

Students Give Thumbs-Up

To fund the work, the district utilized $7 million from Measure Q — a $280 million bond measure passed in 2010 — along with $5.2 million from a California Career Technical Education Facilities Program grant.

“In addition to better serving the Duncan students we already have, we absolutely expect attendance will grow from here for all of our Duncan pathways.” — Amy Idsvoog, Fresno Unified’s interim chief information officer

With the new improvements, Josiah Montijo said he’s not worried about whether he’ll be adequately prepared for a career in programming.

“(The improvements) will prepare you for your career or for any job you are trying to go into,” said Montijo, a senior in the school’s manufacturing pathway. “I don’t think I would be as prepared if I didn’t come to Duncan.”

Nathaniel Martinez said the new and updated facilities will definitely help him expand his knowledge in Duncan’s construction pathway.

“Previously, we were working in little portable classrooms and using the construction site that we already had to do anything that we needed,” said Martinez, a junior. “This new building is going to help us expand out more and attract new students.”

Related Story: Career Tech Expo Is Big Eye-Opener for Students

Return On Investment

There are 1,048 students at Duncan. Amy Idsvoog, Fresno Unified’s interim chief information officer, said the district is hoping the new improvements will help increase enrollment to 1,400 students in the next three to four years.

Seeing the new equipment and taking in the aroma of gas and oil reminded Trustee Veva Islas of the days she spent with her father, who was an agricultural mechanic.

“(My father) would have been so excited to have been a student here,” said Islas, who represents the area in which Duncan is located. “I am excited for those that are going to have the opportunity to come to this program, and just really have a fantastic experience.”

“I think the improvements are incredible. I think we should duplicate it in other areas.” — Brooke Ashjian, former Fresno Unified trustee

Once-In-a-Lifetime Opportunity

With all the new upgrades, Esli Cardenas said she is confident she will develop the skills necessary to land her dream job at Vanir Construction Management.

“It will definitely help me in the future, and hopefully I can start my own private business and build companies and more buildings like what we have here,” said Cardenas, a senior in Duncan’s construction pathway.

Superintendent Bob Nelson said the new facilities at Duncan is about opening doors.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city of Fresno and the Central Valley,” Nelson said. “If this is the thing of stuff to come, I am incredibly proud of this start.”

More CTE in the Pipeline

Former Fresno Unified trustee Brooke Ashjian was instrumental in boosting career technical education during his four years on the board. Seeing his vision come to life at Duncan, he said, is satisfying.

“I think the improvements are incredible,” Ashjian said. “I think we should duplicate them in other areas.”

That’s just what Fresno Unified plans to do, Idsvoog said.

The district, she said, has been approved for state grant funding, requiring a local funding match for CTE facilities at Fresno, Hoover, and McLane high schools.

Idsvoog said the district has also applied for funding for CTE facilities at Edison and Sunnyside high schools.

Such projects, Idsvoog said, are pending future board approval. She said the local match would likely come from Measure X construction bonds.

https://gvwire.com/2019/03/25/how-to-meet-workforce-demands-duncan-poly-leads-the-way/

By Jennifer Economy • Manufacturing • Workforce 0 Comments

Evapco West marks 40 years in business

March 27, 2019

John Rieping

John Rieping/The Madera Tribune

Daniel Evangelista of Evapco answers questions during a tour of the manufacturing plant.

An international manufacturer of cooling and refrigeration products recently celebrated 40 years in southwest Madera with a catered barbecue, car show, plant tours and more.

“Evapco Madera was the second manufacturing plant that Evapco founded,” said Bill Jones, senior vice president of global operations for Evapco. “We were established in 1976 in Baltimore, Maryland, and the operation out here in Madera was founded in 1979. … And the operation has grown substantially over the years.”

Evapco West hosted its annual employee bash Friday at its factory, which has more than tripled in size since its founding.

“I’ve seen it change where this building didn’t exist. It was an empty field,” said Daniel Evangelista after leading a factory tour.

One of 190 employees, Evangelista has worked for Evapco for 16 years.

“I started off in different positions, and I’ve been able to grow within Evapco,” said Evangelista, who handles aftermarket customer service as a Mr. GoodTower Service Center manager for Evapco. “And it’s a company that allows you to grow. It’s a good provider for myself and my family. But it’s also a neat place to work.”

Plant superintendent Gary Harrold has worked 37 years for Evapco. “I’ve been on a long ride, so I’ve seen many changes… The best thing is ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) — profit sharing. They’ve got a lot of good benefits (including a 401K) retirement plan (and) a lot of good people.

Robert Poythress, Madera County supervisor for District 3, praised the “off-the-charts good” benefits offered by Evapco, including semi-annual bonuses. “But even that’s not enough,” he said. “If people weren’t happy working here, they wouldn’t be here. And they’re very happy.”

The benefits have not been one-way for the company.

“Madera has always ranked as one of our most profitable plants as well as one of the highest in quality and safety… We’ve never struggled with quality of workforce,” said Jones.

Evapco has also benefited from the aid of local agencies.

“We have had a number of expansions over the years that we’ve received a tremendous amount of support from City Council members, Economic Development, (and the Madera) Chamber of Commerce,” said Jones.

“I know that the community, whether it’s city officials or the EDC, has really worked hard with Evapco to make sure anytime they want to expand,” said Poythress, who also noted the area’s affordable housing as a perk for employers. “It’s like: what can we do to help make that happen, to expedite deals?”

Bobby Khan, executive director of Madera County Economic Development Commission, said working with Evapco and similar companies has been “a great experience.”

When Evapco needed a new plant, “we were able to work with them and get special financing for them through the state of California, which helped assist them in building that addition,” said Khan. “And the same when they redid all this parking area in here.”

While business-friendly agencies help, Khan said, the city and county does need more “site-ready” industrial land with “infrastructure in place … sewer, water, street, curb (and) gutter” to attract more companies like Evapco West.

“That’s really what we need and the other thing that would be nice is if we had investors that would come and build some buildings on a speculative basis … We have a vacancy factor in the industrial (land) market of 0.5 percent,” said Khan. “So we tell them that we can build a building for them, and we can tell them that we can build it in six to seven months, but they don’t always believe that. Because there’s not too many communities that can get a project done that fast. But we can do that here in Madera.”

Poythress agreed, “The main thing that we have been missing historically has been space.”

But he said city and county’s Freedom Industrial Park, near Madera South High School, has enabled two businesses to come in. “We have the Span spec building and another business coming in on top of that. And then we’ve had some other areas — in Tesoro Viejo, a light industrial area — that’s going to be developed. So we just need to continue looking for space that can be developed to accommodate mid-size manufacturers.”

http://www.maderatribune.com/single-post/2019/03/27/Evapco-West-marks-40-years-in-business