"Primera Plastics Inc. has had trouble finding qualified workers to fill gaps in its staff.
"West Michigan is growing so fast, the talent is not keeping up with it," said President and CEO Noel Cuellar.
"We have positions open right now, but we're using temp agencies to fill those because we can't find permanent employees," said Steve Berkenpas, Primera's CFO.
Cuellar, who has involved his company in community outreach in the past, thought of a solution that had his staff momentarily confounded.
"We bought a bus," he said.
The "bus" is a part of the company's new program, Primera Pathways, which targets local, unemployed high school graduates who lack reliable transportation.
Primera plans to hire three to five per shift for full-time, entry-level positions and will offer the new employees transportation to and from work for one year in the company's recently purchased 15-passenger shuttle.
"We will pick you up, we will bring you to work, and we will train you," Cuellar said.
The company-funded program, which launched last month, is intended to benefit the community while filling Primera's own needs for workers. "
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