Minority- and women-owned STEM Boomerang LLC — a company that creates connections between science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals, companies and colleges — received job training incentives from the state to skill up 40 employees and hire executives to create recruitment strategies for growing STEM jobs.
The company, which received $48,000 in funds from the Job Training Incentive Program, is one of nine companies in February to receive funds for skilling up workers across a variety of industries. The money totaled nearly $870,000, and the awards came following a JTIP board meeting in February.
JTIP, one of the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s incentive programs for growing businesses, primarily focuses on aiding businesses with money for “classroom and on-the-job training for newly-created jobs in expanding or relocating businesses for up to 6 months,” according to EDD.
The program got its start in 1972 with help from the New Mexico Legislature, and JTIP reimburses 50% to 75% of employee wages, giving companies the breathing room to expand faster.
“It’s exciting to see so many new companies taking advantage of JTIP,” EDD Secretary Alicia Keyes said in a statement. “It has become such a powerful tool for growing our economy throughout the state. We’ve found that we can not only help businesses grow, but with a little creativity, JTIP can be used to expand the workforce and support New Mexico’s high-potential industries in new and innovative ways like the program at STEM Boomerang.”
The other eight companies which received JTIP funds in February range from manufacturing to aircraft and food distributors. They are as follows:
- Albuquerque-based Archer Laboratories LLC received $50,925.04 to train one employee at a wage of $78.93 an hour and one intern at $25 an hour. The company, which supports contractors that serve the Department of Defense, manufactures high power radio frequency devices and plasma application systems.
- Albuquerque-based Blue Eye Soft Corp. Received $134,776 to train four employees at a wage of $58.25 an hour. An IT and ITES company, Blue Eye focuses on predictive analytics and business intelligence using AI.
- Roswell-based General Airframe Support Inc. received $253,754.48 to train 25 employees at $18.81 an hour. The company serves as an accredited distributor of aircraft parts.
- Albuquerque-based KiloNewton LLC received $118,131.96 to train four employees at $43.98 an hour and two interns at $25 an hour. The company provides engineering and technical analysis, and software design for the renewable energy sector.
- Santa Fe-based Molten Salt Solutions received $54,629.04 to train two employees at a wage of $46.66. Molten Salt operates in the nuclear industry, providing isotopically enriched materials to companies commercializing nuclear power generation technologies.
- Albuquerque-based Safe House Distilling Co. received $87,441.04 to train seven employees at $25.78 an hour. The company creates spirits, including canned cocktails and bottled vodka.
- Albuquerque-based Vibrant Corp. received $49,500.88 to train two employees at $43.27 an hour. The company does unparalleled nondestructive testing for the automotive, aerospace and power generation industries.
- Albuquerque-based WiseChoice Foods LLC received $70,982.52 to train three workers at an hourly wage of $40.64 WiseChoice is the company behind WisePies Pizza, which is sold in stores across the country.
