For Immediate Release: April 11, 2008
Contact: Karen Clifton
Phone: (559) 445-5532

Fresno, CA - Assemblymember Juan Arambula announced more than $2 million in funding awards to local businesses throughout the Central Valley at a press conference today. Local businesses received the funding from the California Employment Training Panel (ETP) and will use the money to help train new and existing employees for high wage and high skilled jobs.

One of 12 local businesses in Arambula’s Assembly District slated to receive job training funds is California Retreaders. The company and its owners, Paul Neufeld and Matt Schoettler, have been praised for hiring and retraining ex-gang members. They currently employ 25 convicted felons, of those, 11 are former gang members.

 Neufeld plans to use the $182,540 ETP award to help expand the successful program, “When you look into the face of someone getting their first paycheck, you see the pride and excitement beaming. Watching the transformation from hopelessness to proud, taxpaying citizen is an amazing thing to see. Without the help of Mr. Arambula this program expansion would never have been possible.”

“I am pleased business owners in my district could connect with the ETP and were able to take advantage funding opportunities that will help further their business goals and give their employees the skills they need to advance themselves into better jobs,” said Assemblymember Arambula.  “Bringing our business community together with the ETP has made a difference in the amount of funding the Central Valley receives for job creation and advancement.  I hope to continue these types of meetings.”

Another local business which was awarded an ETP contract is the Neil Jones Food Company (NJFC).  NJFC will use the $944,136 award to train workers and to transform the Firebaugh facility into a more competitive workplace.

“Programs such as ETP are so needed by manufacturers in order to meet the challenges of new technology year after year,” said Matt Jones, Chief Operating Officer of NJFC. “As we continue to invest in our infrastructure, we must be able to invest in our most important asset, our workers, and ETP funds will allow us to do just that.”

Since January of 2007, 12 local businesses have been awarded grant funding throughout Arambula’s Thirty-First Assembly District. More than $1.2 million in grant funding are a direct result of a meeting last November where Assemblymember Arambula brought together local businesses for a workshop which instructed business owners on how to apply for funding through the ETP.

“The Central Valley has always received less funding in the area of training employees and maintaining a high-performance workplace. This new ETP funding is a crucial step in creating a strong economy and workforce and ensuring the Central Valley gets its fair share,” said Assemblymember Arambula.