Life can change in a moment, and that is what happened to Benito and his wife last June. Both were employed at HyLife in Windom, working full-time with good benefits and pay. Then, their lives were turned upside down when suddenly HyLife announced that the plant would be cloning and its nearly 1000+ employees, including Benito and his wife, would lose their jobs permanently.
Windom has a population of 4,742, so the impact this closure had on this small community was tremendous. Not only did the employees and their families lose their jobs, but the closure impacted City officials, Community Services, Schools, the Chamber of Commerce, Business leaders, and more.
After receiving a WARN notice from the State of Minnesota about the closure, the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council took immediate action and set up an office in Windom to begin working with individuals affected by the layoff. This is where we met Benito. He was ambitious and motivated to get back to work. He needed to find full-time employment and asked for help obtaining his CDL License.
Through the Dislocated Worker Program, Benito was connected with MN West Community and Technical College in Marshall, where he started the journey to obtain his CDL License. Under the guidance of Dan from the college, Benito wasted no time, swiftly clocking in the necessary hours behind the wheel. After just 30 hours of driving, Benito confidently stepped up to take his License test — and aced it on his very first attempt!
Benito is now successfully employed, and he is using his CDL License to support his family.
We are proud of you, and we thank you for using the Dislocated Worker program to gain your new license and career.
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