Investing in People and in the Community with New Training Programs – Fort Wayne Metals

By Tabitha Ervin
Editorial Director

Fort Wayne Metals uses the words innovators and life-changers as they describe their workforce and the work they do. They develop new alloys, pioneer revolutionary materials, and continue to refine their high-quality precision products to enhance their performance in highly demanding medical devices as well as other applications. They are a wire-manufacturer, but when you dig in and spend time talking with them, it’s clear they do so much more. They care deeply about their workforce, about the impact they play in the lives their products touch, and they are significantly invested in this community.

A few years ago in a meeting, Fort Wayne Metals’ former HR Director Dennis Rohrs (now semi-retired), along with VP of People and Strategy, Evan Wood, and community partner Javier Mondragon with Bridge of Grace Compassionate Ministries discussed the idea of supporting Fort Wayne Metals’ new hires while also making jobs more accessible for individuals living on the Southeast side of Fort Wayne who may have a transportation challenge getting out to the Fort Wayne Metals’ main campus by the airport.

The result of that conversation is the James Building. Fort Wayne Metals’ latest addition to their now 12 manufacturing facilities in Indiana. Rather than adding the building on Ardmore Avenue near the airport with the majority of their buildings – CEO Scott Glaze selected the southeast side of Fort Wayne so they could renovate an existing building in an area of town that needed revitalization while creating an investment in the local community.

The vision for the James building was to put an emphasis on training new employees. By putting it on South Hanna Street, where local business is lacking, it gave residents an opportunity to find local work from an employer who came alongside them and provided what they needed to be successful.

Evan Wood and Claudia Krock, Assistant Talent Development Manager both jumped on a Zoom call to fill me in on the growth of the program and building!

Ervin: Thanks for your time today so tell me about the program at the James Building.

Wood: The program started with an idea to remove barriers, such as transportation and training, so more people in the community, specifically on the south side, could access a variety of opportunities within the company. With the new path into the company, applicants can be hired and then trained to pass an assessment required for employment.

Today at the James Building, we focus on training as well as Specialty Products expansion.

Ervin: How is the new trainee program going so far?

Krock: We’ve had more than 26 people go through the program and so far, we have a 100% success rate! We are thrilled with the results and can’t wait to engage more applicants in the program. Our first cohort was in April 2021. As we’ve expanded this program, we wanted to make sure employees were able to bid into positions that fit their experience.  We originally started with a few less jobs at the James building, and we’ve since added more. We also have seen that transportation has not been as big of an issue as we originally thought.

Ervin: What are the ways that you get the word out about the various opportunities?

Wood: It has been some word of mouth, but we have connections to various community partners including churches and pastors such as Javier Mondragon and Luther Whitfield. We want to get the word out more as we have about 94 openings across all jobs.

We want to make sure people understand we are eliminating barriers to employment by including training as a part of the process to become an employee. We also have partnered with 1st Federal Credit Union to have a daily pay system as needed for the first 90 days of employment to help people get their feet on the ground.

People can also check us out online and fill out an application at fwmetals.com under careers. For more information contact Fort Wayne Metals Careers at 260-747-4154 ext. 2499 or careers@fwmetals.com.

I enjoyed my time speaking with Fort Wayne Metals, and they even shared some rave reviews from individuals who have gone through the program and are currently working at the company.

One of those individuals was Teresa Frantz, a former social worker from El Salvador who was completely new to the world of precision wire. She went through the training program and worked hard to succeed. As a result, she is thriving in her role as an Assembler. “I love it here,” Teresa says. “I never felt alone here because I’ve had so much support along the way. And because we make wire that our customers use in medical devices for the human body, I just want to keep getting better and learning more.”

Teresa completed the Mechanical Aptitude Program, also known as Production Training Program, in early 2022.

“The first time that I did not pass the assessment/test, HR told me that I had a second chance with the Utility Training Program. Fort Wayne Metals has taught me how to think more mechanically. This program gives employees all the details they need to be successful. Fort Wayne Metals wants every one of their employees to be successful. They gave me a chance even though English is my second language. The leadership at Fort Wayne Metals is so encouraging and helpful. I never feel alone here. Fort Wayne Metals has helped me more than you can ever imagine. I am proud to work here.”