HAMILTON, Ohio -- A recently relocated company is preparing to get potential employees into shape for electromechanical work with an upcoming "boot camp" training session.
Darana Hybrid, which in the past month moved its headquarters from Tennessee to Hamilton, will kick off its first boot camp March 6. During the five-day training session, individuals will learn the basics and safety of an electromechanical job.
"What the boot camp is going to do is give them the basics they need to be successful on the job," said Julie Bick, vice president of operations for AMPS Staffing, a sister company of Darana Hybrid.
Darana Hybrid is responsible for installing, repairing and maintaining conveyor equipment used to move products through warehouses.
"It's a very specialized industry that we are in," said Brenda Dane, vice president of strategic development for Darana Hybrid.
The company's equipment is used by numerous large distributors, but much of their work is within the food and beverage industry.
The upcoming boot camp is free and is open to up to 20 individuals seeking employment in the electromechanical industry. The company is hiring for positions including project managers, foremen, supervisors, electricians, conveyor installers, riggers and electrical and mechanical helpers.
"It's nice to have a company like this that is training people for positions that they can skip right into," said Jody Gunderson, director of economic development for the city of Hamilton.
The company's willingness to train potential applicants speaks to their commitment to their employees, he added.
"I just think that it creates a tremendous amount of opportunities for individuals that are really looking to strike out and create a very good career," Gunderson said.
Darana Hybrid is expected to bring 200 jobs to Greater Cincinnati over the next three years.
A 1.838 percent tax credit granted by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority provided an incentive for Darana Hybrid's relocation; however, the region's high concentration of individuals seeking electromechanical work is the primary reason for the company's relocation to Hamilton.
"What brought us here were the people of Ohio and the availability of trade talent," Dane said.
The tax credit was granted for an eight-year term and will allow the company to create $9 million in new payroll. Company officials have agreed to operate at the Hamilton location for at least 11 years.
"We're actually here for the long haul," Bick said.
In addition to providing job opportunities, the company will round out the local economy by adding the advanced manufacturing sector to Hamilton's mix of logistical firms and commercial businesses.
"This will help us keep a nice and balanced local economy," Gunderson said.
The boot camp starting March 6 is only the beginning of the jobs Darana Hybrid promises to bring to the area. Company officials expect to bring 200 jobs to Greater Cincinnati over the next three years.
"We're looking for unemployed, underemployed, people who are re-entering the work force … even students who for whatever reason they may not have finished school, and we want to give them a leg up," Dane said.
Those who go through the boot camp have first priority in the hiring process, she said.
"It would be very rare that we would not have a position that we could put them in right away," Bick added.
The company will continue to hold training sessions bi-weekly moving forward.
Anyone interested in attending a Darana Hybrid boot camp can register on the AMPS Staffing website. Inquiries also can be made by phone at 513-785-7530 or email at jobs@amps-staffing.com.
