James Valley Career and Technology Center to add CDL program

Jan. 14—JAMESTOWN — The Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. Board of Directors unanimously approved on Monday, Jan. 13, a funding request of $35,000 from the James Valley Career and Technology Center to add a commercial drivers license program.

If approved by the Jamestown City Council and Stutsman County Commission, the city of Jamestown’s share will be $28,000 and the county’s share will be $7,000.

The funds will be used as a match for the North Dakota Department of Commerce’s Technical Skills Training Grant. The grant supports eligible training providers and employers in their efforts to design and launch rapid, non-degree reskilling and upskilling programs or expand capacity in existing programs, according to the Commerce Department’s website. All grants require a 1-to-1 local match.

The Career and Technology Center total grant request was $215,000 from the Commerce Department’s Technical Skills Training Grant. The Career and Technology Center needed to raise $107,500 for the matching grant.

So far, the James Valley Career and Technology Center has committed $37,500, which left $70,000 to be raised through community support, according to the Career and Technology Center’s application for funds from the JSDC.

The James Valley Career and Technology Center is adding a commercial drivers license program that will increase the number of certifications that students can earn, wrote Alyssa Looysen, business development director for JSDC, in a memo to the board.

“With the addition of this program, the CTC (Career and Technology Center) will be able to help address a critical need in our community by increasing the number of qualified Commercial Drivers for positions ranging from agricultural services to activity buses,”Looysen wrote. “The program will allow JVCTC students to earn high school credit and professional certification as well as provide adult education opportunities through access to CDL training equipment and partner programs.”

The grant funds will be used to purchase a CDL driving simulator, a semitractor, a van trailer that moves the simulation to other communities and a golf cart and small trailer for entry-level trailer training.

Heidi Eckart, assistant director of the James Valley Career and Technology Center, said staff does a comprehensive local needs assessment every two years to see what the job needs are in the Jamestown area. She said CDL drivers are a need in the area.

She said the course will be available to seniors and the Career and Technology Center will look to provide the training to adults.

“I think it’s a lynchpin for us and our geography and the geography of the state of North Dakota to get a CDL program stood up in Jamestown,” said Adam Gehlhar, director of the Career and Technology Center.

Gehlhar said the Career and Technology Center has had conversations with businesses in the Jamestown area to contribute funds for the grant. He said Dura Tech and Valley Plains Equipment have contributed funds for the grant.

In the last two years, there were 321 job openings in Stutsman County that required a CDL, said Danica Chaput, workforce center manager for Job Service North Dakota’s Jamestown office. She said 47 jobs openings in the past six months in Stutsman County required a CDL.

“There’s huge demand,” she said.

Chaput also said it’s difficult to get people to come back to the community once they are sent for training outside of the Jamestown area.

“It’s a really good opportunity for us to keep some of those folks here or upskilled in their current positions,” she said.

Corry Shevlin, CEO of JSDC, said the JSDC has previously provided funds to the Career and Technology Center for expansions and other projects.

“The workforce piece I think is tied in very directly to the work that we do,” he said.

The JSDC board unanimously approved a PACE interest buydown request for over $214,000 to Mid Mac Marketing Inc. for an expansion of Midmach.

If approved by the City Council and county commission, the city’s share will be over $171,000 and the county’s share will be about $43,000.

Midmach is consolidating operations into one location in Jamestown, according to the application of Mid Mac Marketing, which is owned by Keith and Casey Veil. The expansion at 8171 36th St. SE in Jamestown is the first phase of the consolidation and will give additional capacity and help increase efficiencies.

“The expansion will give more stability to current employees as well as increase room for new employees, increase local property taxes as well as continue to be more competitive in their industry to promote future growth,” Looysen said.

The JSDC board unanimously approved a Flex PACE interest buydown for up to about $33,100 for the purchase of a building at 122 4th Ave. SW in Jamestown.

If approved by the City Council and county commission, the city’s share will be over $26,400 and the county’s share will be more than $6,600.

Purchasing this building will allow Vetter Construction to have a store-front entrance for customers to see products in person or inquire about services, Looysen said. She said the building will allow Kiella Lawrence Photography to have more studio space that will help meet the client demand.

Kiella Lawrence, owner of the photography business, said she would like to have the additional space to host workshops and small events such as bridal and baby showers.

In other business, the JSDC board unanimously approved:

* the South Central Dakota Regional Council dues for 2025 at more than $36,400 with a 63-37 city-county split. If approved by the City Council and county commission, the city’s share will be almost $23,000 and the county’s share will be over $13,400.

* three applications for JSDC’s Internship Reimbursement Program for the 2025 spring semester. The applications are for an information technology intern at Anne Carlsen, a marketing intern at Triumph and a tax intern at Schauer & Associates. Each employer will receive up to $3,500 in reimbursement, which is the maximum amount.

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