Bison Gear & Engineering Corporation has been selected by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity as a recipient of the Business Leadership Award. The award was presented at the Illinois Workforce Development Conference in October. Bison was chosen for this award because of the successful leadership demonstrated and the significant contributions made to workforce/ economic development activities over the past year.
"Bison Gear, a committed collaborator and leader in workforce and economic development, has brought together a team of manufacturing partners, government, and education leaders working to remedy the shortage of qualified entry–level manufacturing workers," said Tom Mihelic, of the River Valley Workforce Investment Board. "Through this program, Bison is making significant contributions to the economic vitality of the region, while aiding high school graduates, retired, or displaced workers and workers seeking to improve their current skill set, by supporting an important tool for economic, workforce development, education, and manufacturing organizations."
Bison has collaborated with a team of local leaders, along with the College of DuPage, in developing the Skilled Workforce Initiative to assist with the shortage of finding qualified personnel in the manufacturing industry. The classes meet weekly for 12 weeks, and the curriculum includes a variety of skills such as applied math and manufacturing practices, blueprint reading, hand tool usage, and employment, life, and safety skills. Participants must be at least 18 years old, legal residents, and meet qualification determined assessments.
Upon successful completion of the training program students will seek an entry level position at one of the 10–12 manufacturing organizations in Illinois who are partners of the initiative. Students will then be placed in a paid 90 day internship where the focus will be On the Job Training (OJT) to improve their manufacturing skills. Participants will also be granted college credit from the College of DuPage upon successful completion in special sections of MSSC delivery system courses such as; Manufacturing Technology 1180 Quality Control (three semester hours), Manufacturing Technology 2200 Production Technology (four semester hours), and Manufacturing Technology 2800 Industrial Safety (two semester hours).
In other news, Bison Gear announces the promotion of Bunnyray Larmond to senior application & sales engineer. Larmond joined Bison Gear almost four years ago as an application engineer after receiving his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Wright State University. Larmond has contributed to or is responsible for developing new business for Bison Gear. He is a positive influence on fellow associates, leads by example, and continually strives for 100–percent customer satisfaction. In this new role he will phase into a sales management responsibility initially for the state of Wisconsin, working with customers, sales reps, distributors, and prospects in that region.
Also, Sylvia Wetzel—corporate training manager for Bison Gear and vice president of Bullock Properties—has been named one of 22 "Influential Women in Business" for 2007 by the National Association of Women Business Owners–Chicago Area Chapter and the Business Ledger. Wetzel joined Bison in 1994, where her career has encompassed marketing, information technology, international strategy, and corporate training and development. She has taken primary day to day responsibility for the Skilled Workforce Initiative Training and Internship Program developed by Bison Gear in cooperation with local colleges, development organizations, and manufacturers. She is also president of BisonCares, the 501 (C) 3 nonprofit charitable foundation supported by Bison Gear & Engineering, its employees, and others in the community.
The company has also promoted Bruce Ashe to manager of electrical engineering. He will be responsible for the maintenance of AC and DC product lines and will manage product development for the motor lines. Ashe joined Bison in January 2006 with 12 years of experience in AC motor design for HVACR markets. He has innovated a highly efficient sensorless electronically commutated BLDC motor for the commercial refrigeration industry and designed the axial flux BLDC prototype motor for Bison’s SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation. He graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.
To learn more call (800) AT–BISON or (630) 377–GEAR (4327). Send e–mail to info@bisongear.com, or go online to [www.bisongear.com].
