Over there across the Ship Canal along the foot of Queen Anne Hill, Fremont Rotary Club of Seattle has given its annual Vocational Award to Kvichak Marine Industries, a 25-year-old leader in design and construction of aluminum workboats with more than 125 employees.
Specifically, the company was honored for its work in developing its own training programs for welders. In this, Kvichak principal Brian Thomas acknowledged that the genesis of the program was a problem shared by many Northwest companies: "In the last year, it has become acutely problematic to find skilled workers."
After working successfully with several technical colleges, Thomas and his partners, Keith Whittemore and Jim Meckley, decided to start their own program this year. This entails seeking out steel welders, then training the tradesmen in the more specialized tasks of aluminum boat building. The welders receive both classroom training and practice on the floor of Kvichak's factory at 469 N.W. Bowdoin Place, near Leary Way N.W.
"We're very pleased with the results we're seeing from the graduates of our first class," Thomas said. "And the second class is already underway."
The success of this program echoes that of a training program with Native Alaskan people a dozen years ago. Over time, that program evolved into Kvichak sending dozens of boat kits to Alaska where semi-skilled community members now build their own aluminum skiffs for fishing.
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