Rotochopper has several long-standing relationships with local organizations, high schools and colleges including CareerONE Solutions and St. Cloud Technical & Community College. During the last week of July both organizations visited Rotochopper’s facility in St. Martin, MN to learn more about their mission, values, and how they can work together to prepare the next generation of workers for current and future positions.
Five members of St. Cloud Technical & Community College’s (SCTCC) faculty, including Dan Holtz, Interim VP of Administration, Steve Hoemberg, Dean of Skilled Trades & Industry, Jen Erickson, Interim Dean of Business, IT and Education, Ken Matthews, VP of Academic Affairs & Institutional Effectiveness, and Lori Kloos, President, visited Rotochopper to learn more about the ways in which we can collaborate to ensure that students have the skill sets needed to start a career in different roles at Rotochopper. The team was excited to learn more about the company, see the facility, as well as meet with Rotochopper employees who are SCTCC alumni.
SCTCC President Lori Kloos said, “St. Cloud Technical & Community College is proud to partner with local industry and businesses like Rotochopper, and we appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the company as well as explore additional ways to collaborate. As an added bonus, we were excited to meet with several SCTCC alumni who are now employed by Rotochopper. Witnessing the success of the alumni affirms that the relationships between the College and outstanding community partners such as Rotochopper are vital not just to us, but also students and alumni, their families, and the region.”
The CareerONE Summer Youth Camp for Paynesville/ Sauk Centre/ Melrose areas also toured the facility the last week in July. The camp is hosted by Career Solutions to help students develop job skills that local employers are looking for. This year we had the opportunity to host 25 students and 5 leaders on a tour of the factory and office to highlight the diverse job opportunities available at Rotochopper. “The tour that you provided our CareerONE youth sparked interest and excitement for opportunities that many didn’t even know existed in a manufacturing industry,” said CareerONE Melrose Team Leader Monsi. Following the tour, Rotochopper CEO, Tosh Brinkerhoff met with the group to encourage them to try different things and figure out what they like to do and then pursue a career doing that.
Career Solutions is another organization Rotochopper has partnered with for the last several years through the CareerONE Summer Youth Camp and also their Weld Discovery Days to share more information about careers available and benefits of working in the manufacturing industry. Brooke, one of the CareerONE youth, shared her thoughts on their visit to Rotochopper, “I think the tour meets the needs of CareerONE because Rotochopper has a lot of opportunities for careers and different positions to learn about.”
If you know of a group that would like a tour, contact our Director of Community Relations.