Local businesses honored for their longevity

Jay Lee, president of Northeastern Junior College, receives a certificate of recognition celebrating the college's longevity in northeast Colorado. NJC has been in Sterling since 1941. (David Martinez/Journal-Advocate) ( Picasa )

Nevertheless, those three companies plus 43 more were honored for at least 60 years of business Thursday afternoon in NJC's Tennant Art Gallery. They received certificates of appreciation from the Eastern Workforce Center, as part of the Department of Labor and Employment's statewide Grown in Colorado initiative.

Though only about two dozen representatives came to accept their certificates,

Jessie Ruiz, director of human resource and public relations at MV Equipment, talks about the benefits his company's five John Deere dealers has brought the region. (David Martinez/Journal-Advocate) ( Picasa )

I think we had a great turnout, she said. It was a great showcase for what the Workforce Center does.

Garcia said the 10-county region's six offices assist business customers in recruitment and retention of employees. On the job-seeker side, they post new openings on their website and offer classes that teach job readiness skills. The older businesses provide a consistent source for northeastern Colorado jobs, which can be a boon in an economy that hangs at about 8 percent unemployment.

Jessie Ruiz, director of human resource and public relations for MV Equipment, said his company provides about 100 jobs over five John Deere locations (Sterling, Holyoke, Wray, Burlington and Yuma). That's a steady pace for a business that started in 1938 with one employee and a garage.

He said MV Equipment, like many of the other 60-plus-year-old businesses, has embraced the community by partnering with two colleges (including NJC), and six Workforce Center offices even sponsoring the day's ceremonies.

We talk about work force, we talk about job market, he said. We've created 10 new positions. An average employee makes about $40,000. That's about $400,000 we can put back into the economy.

Jay Lee, president of NJC, flaunted the college's status as the biggest junior college representative in the state, plus the fact that it employs about 200 people.

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Local businesses honored for their longevity