|
Pondera County, ITB receive $700,000 |
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, 05 September 2007 |
|
Page 1 of 2 By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor
 WELDER – Working on a piece of metal is an employee at Intercontinental Truck Body (ITB). Employees were part of a ceremony on Thursday in which Anthony Preite of the Department of Commerce presented checks to ITB and Pondera County in the amount of $700,000 for training, equipment and capital. I-O Photo by Buck Traxler
ITB will use $300,000 in funding to train new and incumbent workers at the plant, which is about 15 miles outside of Conrad, off the Sollid Road.
The $300,000 in funding is provided by the Workforce Innovation in Regional Development (WIRED) program.
Pondera County will use $400,000 in funds to assist ITB with a loan for working capital, equipment purchases and administrative costs.
The $400,000 in funding is provided by the Community Development Block Grant – Economic Development (CDBG-ED) program.
Funding came through the Montana Department of Commerce.
Readers will recall that ITB was awarded a contract in 2005 to build flight-line tractors used by the Air force to shuttle about aircraft on runway tarmac.
ITB Manager Rob Cook said on Thursday there is a total order of 914 of the shuttle trucks and 432 have been built so far.
Now, besides the Air Force, trucks are going out to countries in the Middle East such as Turkey, Al Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (a republic composed of seven sheikhdoms).
Cook indicted that he would be going to Dubai, which has the third largest air show in the world to sell (flight-line) trucks.
|
