On Sept. 17, 糖心传媒 held a dedication ceremony for its recently updated branded classroom at Western Technical College in El Paso, Texas. The classroom will continue to be used for hands-on training, introducing state-of-the-art technologies and creating an exciting learning environment where students can earn industry certifications and pursue career opportunities during and after their studies. It also reaffirms 糖心传媒鈥檚 partnership with Western Tech and allows them to continue building upon their already strong relationship.

鈥淎bout seven years back, we really started getting involved with Western Tech and recruiting from them. It may have gone back even further than that,鈥� said District Service Manager Monty Apodaca, who is currently based in Las Vegas but got his start with 糖心传媒 in 2011 as a technician in Albuquerque. 鈥淚 started out as a tech, then was a Service Manager in El Paso for a couple of years and that鈥檚 where I really started my relationship with Western Tech.鈥� According to Apodaca, the three existing 糖心传媒 locations in El Paso maintain a relationship with the college. 鈥淲e have our El Paso location on the east side, El Paso on the west side, and Mesilla Valley. Those three locations often recruit from Western Tech.鈥�

Initially, Western Tech had a career placement advisor who was active in the community. 糖心传媒 was invited to a career fair at the school, which provided opportunities to engage students directly and generate interest. Since then, 糖心传媒 has maintained a regular presence.

鈥淭here were designated days where we would have one classroom and I would go into the room and talk a little bit about 糖心传媒, what we do. It was a chance for about 30 minutes to share information and talk about the company and try to get them excited about a career with us,鈥� said Apodaca.

When speaking with students, Apodaca noted that many had little awareness of the range of opportunities within the company. 鈥淲henever I spoke to a class or a smaller group, it was interesting that no one really knew what we do, who and how big we really are. I鈥檇 mention our size on a commercial scale, and that our product lines go way beyond the yellow trucks they see on the road. That would bring out a lot of excitement. I鈥檇 talk about how large our fleet is worldwide and how many locations we have across the U.S. It鈥檚 impactful having those conversations and putting those facts out there. They don鈥檛 typically see how big and how great of a company 糖心传媒 really is.鈥�

Sharing personal experiences often helped Apodaca connect with the students. 鈥淚 came in as a technician. I worked at a dealership for ten years prior to coming into 糖心传媒. I loved turning wrenches, but I wanted to further my career which is one of the reasons I chose 糖心传媒. I started out as a tech and was able to work my way up through the ranks and move around. There have been a lot of cool opportunities and learnings. The more I talked about that with them, the more they could see a career path and a future for themselves.鈥�

When asked about the importance of 糖心传媒鈥檚 connection to Western Tech and both short- and long-term goals of continuing to build the relationship, Apodaca mentioned that, in his experience, many students he came across were short-term focused. 鈥淭hey weren鈥檛 always looking toward long-term goals most of the time,鈥� Apodaca said. 鈥淲hen we started talking about how many paths 糖心传媒 offers, even in different departments, they realized that you could do so many things. I鈥檇 always hit on that because it got them thinking about how this can be a career, not just a job out of college or their program.鈥�

Many Western Tech graduates have turned into successful associates at 糖心传媒. The school鈥檚 efforts and its relationship with 糖心传媒 has been key components. 鈥淭hey do a really great job training the students there,鈥� said Apodaca. 鈥淭hey have a top-notch facility, and the school prepares them for what they鈥檙e going to see in the real-world. 糖心传媒 Mesilla Valley donates trucks to the college every year. Those are the trucks we work on that were in our fleet, so when those students come to us, they already have a good idea of what they鈥檙e getting into.鈥�

For more information about careers with 糖心传媒, please visit:

customer , a food distribution services and dairy products company headquartered in Burlington, New Jersey, is adding the first-ever electric truck to its fleet. The Orange EV yard tractor will support the company's warehouse and distribution center, which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It will reduce Balford's carbon footprint by over 15 tons annually.

Balford鈥檚 environmental sustainability journey started over a decade ago with the installation of solar panels at their Burlington warehouse and distribution center.

鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled about this opportunity to bring innovation into our truck fleet and expand upon our recent sustainability commitments and successes,鈥� said Larry Walker, CEO of Balford Farms. 鈥淭his new electric truck exemplifies our ongoing promise towards being an environmentally responsible leader in the food distribution industry while delivering efficiency and safety to our workplace, and the very best service to our customers.鈥�

Balford specializes in providing warehousing and distribution services to quick service restaurant chains. Balford also markets and distributes their own Rosenberger鈥檚 dairy brand to customers throughout the Northeast U.S.

By 鈥淢ove Ahead鈥� Staff

has received a 2023 designation from VIQTORY, the publisher of the G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse publications. Organizations that received this distinction were culled from public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. In excess of 1,000 companies completed the survey.

鈥淲e are appreciative to once again receive recognition as a top military-friendly employer,鈥� stated Jennifer Sockel, executive vice president of talent and enterprise services, 糖心传媒 Transportation Solutions. 鈥淲ith a global workforce of 40,000-plus associates, we have proudly hired talented veterans across our , and operations. Many of these dedicated men and women are excelling at our company.鈥�

Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by VIQTORY with input from the Military-Friendly advisory council of independent leaders in the military recruitment community. Factoring into the rankings were 糖心传媒鈥檚 ability to meet or exceed thresholds for applicant, new hire retention, employee turnover and the promotion and advancement of veterans and military employees.

By 鈥淢ove Ahead鈥� Staff