Business name: West Coast Training.
Owner: Jeff Woolever.
Address: 805 Dike Road, Woodland, on 33-acres leased from the Port of Woodland.
o Each week, The Columbian offers a brief snapshot of an interesting Clark County business. Send ideas to Mary Ricks: mary.ricks@columbian.com; fax 360-735-4598; phone 360-735-4550.
What the business does: Jeff Woolever said he owns a private vocational school that trains entry-level heavy equipment operators for backhoe, loader, excavator, bulldozer, earthmover, motor-grader and compactor. Also training is available for mobile crane operators and commercial driver training for class A and class B licenses. West Coast has classes of up to 12 students per shift (two shifts per day) in heavy equipment classes and new classes begin every four weeks. Woolever said his company is an accredited training unit of the National Center for Construction Education and Research. They are also an approved testing facility and provide crane testing every four weeks for their graduates and to crane operators seeking certification.
How has the economy affected your business: Woolever said the economic crisis dealt a crushing blow to his industry and that translates to a huge reduction in revenue. Prior to the economic collapse, he averaged more than 250 graduates per year and employed 22 full-time employees. The failure of the Sallie Mae student loan program to continue offering funding for vocational training compounded the issue and there is no credible replacement.
Greatest challenge: Finding financial resources for potential students to fund their training programs.