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Kurt Johnson
It’s not exactly Ellis Island, though a building on the south side of Aurora’s downtown square quite suddenly is becoming a life-changing venue, a passageway to the American dream.
That may seem like a lofty description for a building known locally as the long-time home of the Treetops Cafe and most recently as a t-shirt/embroidery business, but talk to the folks working and studying there and you’ll hear convincing testimonials. There is passion in the eyes and voices of the trainers and the trainees, which makes for a vibrant atmosphere.
A story in this week’s edition tells the tale of a start-up business launched here in February. International Workforce Services, LLC is the brain-child of David Vettel, who saw an opportunity to bridge the gap between a US workforce shortage, particularly for truck drivers, and experienced truckers from around the world seeking a slice of prosperity pie here in America.
Vettel, his wife Crystal and sons Todd, Trevor and Tim lived here years ago, with several family members returning last year. Anyone who has spent some time with the Vettels gets a sense of their energy and drive almost immediately. They are vested in this community, anchoring their corporate offices here (Get After It LLC), opening a Scooter’s Coffee franchise, launching IWS and as of this month converting the L Street location into The Office, offering remote workers desk space as well as creating a home base for IWS training.
This is a visionary business plan, to be sure, and in some ways represents change for the host community. In fact, some unfamiliar with the plan, which brought more than 30 international clients to the community in the last two weeks alone, called the police out of precaution, not sure what they were seeing.
There is no need for alarm, in fact it’s quite the opposite. After spending time chatting with and interviewing a few of the drivers (see related story), I was struck by their courage and conviction. These are bright, experienced people taking a huge leap of faith to make a better life for their families, with IWS showing the way here in Aurora. Their first impressions of America, all agreed, were very positive, due in large part to the sense of community they’ve experienced here.
The term “global economy” is becoming more relevant every day, and it’s visible now in downtown Aurora, which is a win-win deal for everyone involved.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net
