For half a century Ralph Moyle Inc of Benton Harbor — or simply RMI — has provided transportation and warehouse services throughout the Midwest. Thanks to a their work with team Kinexus, they have been honored by state leaders with a Michigan Works! Impact Award at the state capitol.
The logistics company was cited among the Southwest Michigan talent development and employment successes being celebrated by state leaders at the Impact Awards this week.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, local lawmakers and statewide talent development officials gathered at the Capitol Wednesday to recognize RMI, HR Manager Marjorie Curtis and Michigan Works! Berrien, Cass, Van Buren, powered by Kinexus for developing a strong, homegrown apprenticeship program.
RMI is the logistics company in Benton Harbor providing transportation and warehouse services which, in 2017, approached Kinexus about the difficulty in finding qualified commercial drivers. The issue was impacting company performance and raising insurance premiums for them.
Kinexus and RMI worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to develop a 12-month commercial driver’s license apprenticeship program. To support the apprenticeship, RMI applied for a Going PRO Training Fund grant and converted a spare building into a training academy. RMI also hired instructors to manage the training portion of the apprenticeship. Within 18 months, RMI was able to address the talent shortage that it had faced.
RMI says the program wouldn’t be successful without HR Manager Marjorie Curtis, known as the glue who holds the company together.
Jon Moyle, Chief Financial Officer at RMI says, “Marjorie has helped continue the unique family culture at Ralph Moyle,” adding, “Her can-do attitude has helped position the company as a preferred employer for our area. In the current climate companies are competing quite often on company culture, particularly when trying to recruit a younger workforce. Marjorie is instrumental in delivering that culture.”
The Impact Awards, hosted by the Michigan Works! Association, recognize the economic development success being achieved in communities across Michigan. During the event, local lawmakers present tributes to dozens of honorees from across the state.
Kalamazoo State Senator Sean McCann says, “Congratulations to Kinexus and Ralph Moyle Inc. for developing a program that boosted the company and developed new talent in Southwest Michigan.”
Award winners included employers, workers, Michigan Works! organizations, and partners from across the state.
Lawton State Senator Aric Nesbitt says, “Every company needs a leader who knows what needs to happen to make everything work,” noting, “It’s great that RMI has someone like Marjorie working hard to take the company to the next level and committed to making sure the apprentices feel like part of the team.”
Michigan Works! Association is a non-profit membership organization that provides services and support to Michigan’s talent eco-system. For over 30 years, the Association has been the go-to resource for federal, state and local workforce initiatives.
State Rep Beth Griffin of Mattawan says, “It’s impressive that RMI created an apprenticeship program that fixed its workforce issues in just 18 months,” and adds, “Thank you to Kinexus for providing talent solutions to help local companies and congratulations to everyone who worked hard to solve this talent gap.”
The Association’s work ensures top-quality services and support for Michigan’s talent pipeline. For more information, please visit michiganworks.org.
You can find the nearest Michigan Works! American Job Center by visiting http://michiganworks.org/agencies/map or by calling (1 800) 285-WORKS (9675).
