The Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Inc. (NWWIB) recently presented Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. with the Rising Star award. Jeannie Felix of Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. accepted the award at the NWWIB’s Annual Meeting at Lakewoods Resort in Cable, WI. The NWWIB is proud to present Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. with the Rising Star award for outstanding commitment and dedication to building their workforce.
Established in 2008, Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. in Phillips, WI re-purposes wood from barns and other structures across the United States into handmade specialty furniture. Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. was founded with a goal to build furniture in the heart of the Midwest with the same care, precision, and eye for quality that our forefathers instilled in the barns that they raised generations before. The entrepreneurs behind Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. had a vision of saving part of our American Heritage and turning it into something beautiful once again.
Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. has demonstrated this past year that they are committed to creating a talented workforce. Through an On-the-Job Training (OJT) program, supported by the NWWIB and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. was able to hire two individuals with language barriers—speaking, writing, and understanding very little to no English. Trainers implement training methods done by demonstration and took extra time to work with their new hires. Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. also coordinated with Northwest Wisconsin CEP on the OJTs and Northcentral Technical College on providing English as a Second Language (ESL) courses to these employees as well as other English learners. Over a year later, both employees are still employed at Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks, INC. Since these initial ESL hires, they have continued to expand their workforce and have brought on another ESL employee as well as other individuals from the community.
