nside this issue

Top Quality Employees Key to a

Growing Business ………………. 2

New Business Partnership………. 3

Opportunity Leads to Future

Partnerships ……………………... 4

DACA Recipient Pursues the

American Dream…………………. 5

Pursuing a Certificate Leads to Higher Pay

By Henry Coronado, NFJP Client Service Agent

Nic Luttman grew up in Meriden, Kansas, a small town north of Topeka with a population of just over 800

people. Nic previously worked in farming for many years. He worked at John Wonder’s Farm, harvesting

corn and beans. He had also worked for Gary Page, cutting hay and fixing fences while making around $8.50

per hour.

Nic decided he needed to earn more money and chose

to pursue a certificate in Commercial and Heavy

Construction. He enrolled into Washburn Institute of

Technology in Topeka and learned about the SER

National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) from his

instructor Mike Evanson. He attended a NFJP

presentation and submitted his documents for the pro-

gram. After a few days he was determined eligible.

SER was then able to assist Nic with college tuition

and expenses.

Nic was very grateful and appreciative of the NFJP,

as it allowed him to pursue his certificate in Commercial and Heavy Construction. The Construction program

he was enrolled in, was instrumental in teaching him the principles of running different equipment and other

employable skills that he would need.

In May of 2017, after graduating and receiving his certification, he found employment with Hamm, Inc. in Per-

ry, Kansas as a paving operator. He currently makes between $22.00 and $24.00 per hour, depending on the

job that he has been assigned. He gets vacation pay, and they also match a certain percentage towards a retire-

ment plan. Hamm, Inc. also pays a Per Diem while Nic is on the road. His goal one day, is to own his own

excavating company.

Henry Coronado, Client Service Agent for SER, continues to make contact with Nic to see how he is doing.

SERvices for you SERvicios para usted

April 2018 Volume 35

SER Corporation

Top Quality Employees Key to a Growing Business

By Roberta Pianalto, NFJP Client Service Agent

Davis Electric is a family owned electrical business specializing in both commercial and residential elec-

trical needs. Davis Electric located in Cimarron, Kansas, is a growing company in southwest Kansas.

Current plans are to expand the business to several other locations. Rodger Davis the owner, founded this

company in 1980 and is celebrating thirty-eight years of service to its customers in Kansas, Texas, Okla-

homa and Colorado.

Davis believes the main reason for their success is due to their customer satisfaction from outstanding

employees. Knowledgeable employees who work hard at providing exceptional customer service has

been key to this growing business. Currently, the company owns twenty-five service trucks plus employs

approximately forty employees who are very professional and educated in the electrical field. Highly

satisfied customers include: packing houses, feed yards, industrial sectors, local businesses and residen-

tial clients. The company recently completed electrical projects for some of the latest businesses to open

at the new shopping complex in Garden City.

Over the past years, Davis Electric has hired several SER National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP)

participants. These participants completed technical training and now are working with Davis Electric

employees to earn their journeyman’s licenses. The NFJP participants are working to become Master

Electricians. Davis Electric has been very happy with the quality of candidates SER Corporation has rec-

ommended to their company.

Davis Electric is looking forward to working with SER Corporation for many years to come. SER Corpo-

ration as well, is excited about continuing our successful partnership with Davis Electric. It is companies

like Davis Electric who are willing to hire SER clients and give them a chance for a better life. Mr. Davis

stated that their goal for every project is total customer satisfaction and that can only be achieved with top

quality employees like the NFJP clients.

Republican Valley Irrigation

is in the small town of Clay

Center, Kansas, population

approximately 4,000 people.

As the name suggests, Re-

publican Valley Irrigation

works with all aspects of irrigation and has

been in business for 25 years. Their promise to

the farmers they do business with is to have,

“Quality equipment and service, done right the

first time.” Irrigation is very critical to any

successful farming operation and if there is a

problem, farmers need it corrected quickly.

Republican Valley Irrigation promises

to get their customers back up and running

quickly. They sell center pivots, control panels,

linear, GPS Solutions, plus corners and bend-

ers. They do repair, replacement and installa-

tion on pivots, pipe, and flowmeters as well as

pipe fitting. Their technicians are trained and

certified to service irrigation equipment as well

as center pivots.

Vicki Needham, Client Service Agent

in the Hays Office, met Kerri Callaway, Hu-

man Resource contact at Republican Valley

Irrigation in May 2017. Vicki had a participant

who was interested in working for Republican

at that time. She was able to enter into an On-

The-Job Training (OJT) contract with Republi-

can to help her participant secure a position as

well as save the company almost $2000 in

wages.

Kerri and Republican Valley

Irrigation have been a great

company for SER to partner

with. This employer was will-

ing to consider one of our par-

ticipants who was trained as a

Diesel Technician and transfer those skills to

train and work as a Service Technician for their

company. Our participant landed a great job

with a livable wage plus benefits. The partici-

pant told me that the company treats him like

family and is a great place to work. The em-

ployer also benefited from the OJT by saving

money during the time they trained our partici-

pant.

Kerri shared the following,

“SER Corporation is easy to work with. The

paperwork is easy, getting paid what is owed is

easy, and the company was able to save some

money for the company. I would recommend

working with SER Corporation. Republican

Valley Irrigation would definitely do another

contract with SER Corporation.”

SER is excited about this new

business partnership and getting to know Kerri

at Republican Valley Irrigation. As an organi-

zation we look forward to working with her

again and to help fill future openings.

New Business Partnership

By Vicki Needham, NFJP Client Service Agent

Metal Finishing Company (MFCO) is a third-

generation business run by Robert Babst Sr. CEO/

President and Robert Babst Jr. MFCO is the larg-

est private aerospace processing company in North

America and provides one stop shopping for their

clients. MFCO specializes in Aerospace metals;

incorporating nondestructive testing, ultra-sonic

inspection, finishing, heat treatment, hard metal

processing, composite processing, plaiting, pro-

cessing of aircraft doors, painting and packaging

for stainless, titanium and other metals.

Last year, SER corporation had the opportunity to

partner with MFCO to successfully place in em-

ployment one of our National Farmworker Jobs

Program participants. Our candidate was a recent

Non-destructive testing graduate from Cowley

Community College. The participant was looking

for work after graduation and received the help of

Wichita, Client Service Agent, Sarah Guardado.

She convinced MFCO to enter into an On the Job

training contract where the employer is reimbursed

up to 50% for the cost of training a new employee.

MFCO was very willing to hire and train our par-

ticipant who had technical training but still needed

skills necessary for the specific job. The employer

was very content with their new employee and

liked that they were reimbursed for the time of

training the employee with skills to meet their

business needs.

The outcome of the OJT resulted in a win-win for

all and SER looks forward to future partnerships

with this employer. MFCO has 5 locations includ-

ing one in Chihuahua, Mexico. Wellington, and

Wichita, Kansas. MFCO has been serving aero-

space suppliers since 1940 and was founded by

Harley Babst.

Opportunity Leads to Future Partnerships

By Sarah Guardado, NFJP Client Service Agent

DACA Recipient Pursues the American Dream By Mike Medina, NFJP Client Service Agent

Heinrich (Henry) Penner grew up in the small farming commu-

nity of Trousdale, Kansas (Ks), population approximately fifty

people. Henry is one of seven children born into the Penner

family. His father and mother immigrated to and settled in the

Trousdale area in 2002 from Zacatecas, Mexico, bringing Henry

and all of his siblings with them. He was brought over as a child

illegally by his parents.

Most of the time, HenryH worked in the area as a part-time sea-

sonal farmworker on harvest crews. While working at this job

he obtained a good work ethic of toiling long hours, never com-

plaining, and he got along well with others. In high school,

Henry was an average student and liked shop class and disliked

English class.

Henry thought about becoming an engineer but due to his immigration status and ability to obtain

scholarships he decided to take advantage of another opportunity he learned about. During his sen-

ior year in high school he heard about a great program offered through the John Deere Company.

He learned that John Deere would help pay for some of his college courses and provide him an

opportunity to join the John Deere family as a Diesel Technicians upon completing their program.

In 2013, Henry received DACA status and could now be legally employed. He graduated from

high school in 2015 and made the decision to enroll into the John Deere Program. He shared with

me that he was glad to have met me when he did. Henry wasn’t sure how he was going to pur-

chase tools he needed for class. The SER National Farmworkers Jobs Program (NFJP) helped with

purchasing some of the tools he needed and helped him with transportations issues of going back

and forth to Garden City. “Being a part of the NFJP was blessing and I will always be grateful” he

said.

After completing the John Deere Program at Garden City Community College he went to work for

Bucklin Tractor Implements in Pratt Ks, where he began his job earning $14.00 per hour. He has

worked his way up to making $18.50 per hour and puts in an average of more than fifty hours per

week.

When I asked him about his future plans, he silently shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, if I

don’t get deported because of the things going on in Washington, I would like to one day move

east, to Iowa or Indiana and maybe marry and settle down.”

Henry is a perfect example of how SER and DACA have helped the recipient and employer. This young man was able to participate in a program to better himself and allowed him to pursue the American Dream. His goal at the moment is to become a United State Citizen.

1020 N Main, Suite D Wichita, KS 67203

Phone: (316)264-5372

Fax: (316)264-0194 E-mail: receptionist@sercorp.com

SER BOARD MEMBERS

Bill Ellison, John Salem, Sergio Gonzalez

Senator Paul Feleciano, Victor Balderas

Norman Bent, Deepak Gupta

Edited By:

Richard E. Lopez, CEO/President

And

Carolyn Benitez EO/NFJP

EEO/Non-discrimination

SER Corporation is an equal

opportunity employer and does not

discriminate against any person on

the basis of race, religion, color,

gender, identity, sexual orientation,

age, national origin, disability,

veterans status, or any other status

or condition protected by law.

SER Corporation

www.sercorp.com