On Sept. 17, Penske held a dedication ceremony for its recently updated branded classroom at Western Technical College in El Paso, Texas. The classroom will continue to be used for hands-on training, introducing state-of-the-art technologies and creating an exciting learning environment where students can earn industry certifications and pursue career opportunities during and after their studies. It also reaffirms Penske’s partnership with Western Tech and allows them to continue building upon their already strong relationship.

“About seven years back, we really started getting involved with Western Tech and recruiting from them. It may have gone back even further than that,” said District Service Manager Monty Apodaca, who is currently based in Las Vegas but got his start with Penske in 2011 as a technician in Albuquerque. “I started out as a tech, then was a Service Manager in El Paso for a couple of years and that’s where I really started my relationship with Western Tech.” According to Apodaca, the three existing Penske locations in El Paso maintain a relationship with the college. “We have our El Paso location on the east side, El Paso on the west side, and Mesilla Valley. Those three locations often recruit from Western Tech.”

Initially, Western Tech had a career placement advisor who was active in the community. Penske was invited to a career fair at the school, which provided opportunities to engage students directly and generate interest. Since then, Penske has maintained a regular presence.

“There were designated days where we would have one classroom and I would go into the room and talk a little bit about Penske, what we do. It was a chance for about 30 minutes to share information and talk about the company and try to get them excited about a career with us,” said Apodaca.

When speaking with students, Apodaca noted that many had little awareness of the range of opportunities within the company. “Whenever I spoke to a class or a smaller group, it was interesting that no one really knew what we do, who and how big we really are. I’d mention our size on a commercial scale, and that our product lines go way beyond the yellow trucks they see on the road. That would bring out a lot of excitement. I’d talk about how large our fleet is worldwide and how many locations we have across the U.S. It’s impactful having those conversations and putting those facts out there. They don’t typically see how big and how great of a company Penske really is.”

Sharing personal experiences often helped Apodaca connect with the students. “I came in as a technician. I worked at a dealership for ten years prior to coming into ������ I loved turning wrenches, but I wanted to further my career which is one of the reasons I chose ������ I started out as a tech and was able to work my way up through the ranks and move around. There have been a lot of cool opportunities and learnings. The more I talked about that with them, the more they could see a career path and a future for themselves.”

When asked about the importance of Penske’s connection to Western Tech and both short- and long-term goals of continuing to build the relationship, Apodaca mentioned that, in his experience, many students he came across were short-term focused. “They weren’t always looking toward long-term goals most of the time,” Apodaca said. “When we started talking about how many paths Penske offers, even in different departments, they realized that you could do so many things. I’d always hit on that because it got them thinking about how this can be a career, not just a job out of college or their program.”

Many Western Tech graduates have turned into successful associates at ������ The school’s efforts and its relationship with Penske has been key components. “They do a really great job training the students there,” said Apodaca. “They have a top-notch facility, and the school prepares them for what they’re going to see in the real-world. Penske Mesilla Valley donates trucks to the college every year. Those are the trucks we work on that were in our fleet, so when those students come to us, they already have a good idea of what they’re getting into.”

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customer , a food distribution services and dairy products company headquartered in Burlington, New Jersey, is adding the first-ever electric truck to its fleet. The Orange EV yard tractor will support the company's warehouse and distribution center, which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It will reduce Balford's carbon footprint by over 15 tons annually.

Balford’s environmental sustainability journey started over a decade ago with the installation of solar panels at their Burlington warehouse and distribution center.

“We’re thrilled about this opportunity to bring innovation into our truck fleet and expand upon our recent sustainability commitments and successes,” said Larry Walker, CEO of Balford Farms. “This new electric truck exemplifies our ongoing promise towards being an environmentally responsible leader in the food distribution industry while delivering efficiency and safety to our workplace, and the very best service to our customers.”

Balford specializes in providing warehousing and distribution services to quick service restaurant chains. Balford also markets and distributes their own Rosenberger’s dairy brand to customers throughout the Northeast U.S.

By “Move Ahead” Staff

has received a 2023 designation from VIQTORY, the publisher of the G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse publications. Organizations that received this distinction were culled from public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. In excess of 1,000 companies completed the survey.

“We are appreciative to once again receive recognition as a top military-friendly employer,” stated Jennifer Sockel, executive vice president of talent and enterprise services, Penske Transportation Solutions. “With a global workforce of 40,000-plus associates, we have proudly hired talented veterans across our , and operations. Many of these dedicated men and women are excelling at our company.”

Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military-Friendly advisory council of independent leaders in the military recruitment community. Factoring into the rankings were Penske’s ability to meet or exceed thresholds for applicant, new hire retention, employee turnover and the promotion and advancement of veterans and military employees.

By “Move Ahead” Staff