Jacksonville Machine, Inc.
Jacksonville Machine Inc. was referred to West Central Development Council (LWIA 21) in March 2023 by the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC). Located in Jacksonville, Illinois, Jacksonville Machine is a family owned and operated “state-of-the-art” CNC machine shop that has been in business since 1919. The company of 58 employees was looking to retain, train, and grow their workforce as they were striving to keep up their commitments to customers such as Caterpillar, John Deere, and other high profile companies.
As part of the initial discussion, Jacksonville Machine and Vice-President Rob Rodems stressed how they wanted to greatly invest in their company employees. Potential training could not only provide promotions and higher wages, but would also create annualized savings that could be shared with everyone in the form of bonus payouts. There was also a strong possibility that up to 6-8 jobs would be added over the next calendar year. Additionally, the company had been debt free for 5 years and was using the approach of saving money for a potential 12,000 square foot building expansion instead of taking out loans, which is a truly unique concept in today’s financial world. LWIA 21 also referred the company to DCEO and other partners for grant opportunities that might assist with equipment investment and job creation.
After additional discussions between Jacksonville Machine, LWIA 21, and IMEC, a formal proposal was submitted, and eventually approved, for an Incumbent Worker Training project. The training, entitled “Training Within Industry — Job Relations”, was designed to be presented in a 4-Step Method over a one week period in June 2023. The overarching goal of the training was to put strategies in place that would lower the turnover rate, increase communication, and provide methods for problem solving and conflict resolution. Upon completion of a contract, it was agreed that Jacksonville Machine would pay IMEC for the training and be reimbursed for the full amount by LWIA 21 upon successful completion of the project. In addition, being true to their word and committing to investing in their employees, the company provided a grant match of employee wages during training that equaled over 80% of the total training cost.
By the end of June 2023, the training was successfully completed for 9 employees. The company was very satisfied with the quality, content, and delivery methods. As Jacksonville Machine continues to grow its production capacity and workforce, LWIA 21 and its WIOA partners will continue to assist as much as possible and strive to provide solutions for their workforce needs. This was also the first time that the company worked with WIOA or any type of grant programs. They have already mentioned that it was a very seamless process and there could be the possibility for additional collaborations in the near future.