Builder uses Workforce Board to help find employees, grow company

Frontier Communities goes to great lengths to recruit the best and brightest – a commitment the company’s president says is key to its success as the Inland Empire’s fastest-growing private homebuilder.

Fulfilling that objective is increasingly difficult as the demand for construction-industry workers has grown throughout the Inland Empire. The San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board has proved to be a valuable resource for Frontier Communities and thousands of other companies with hard-to-fill job openings.

“Our employees are our most important assets. They define who we are as a company, and ultimately determine how successful we will be,” says James Previti, President and Chief Executive Officer for the Rancho Cucamonga-based builder. “The programs offered through the Workforce Development Board are beneficial for companies such as ours as we grow our business.”

Recently, Frontier Communities hired Construction Superintendent Trainee Joseph Revoier, who was retrained through America’s Job Centers of California (AJCC) for Class A Truck Driving. AJCC are operated by the Workforce Development Board.

“America’s Job Centers helped me to get where I am today,” Revoier said. “Because of the workshops, training and people that assisted me, I was able to get back into my career.”

Mr. Revoier, after receiving this training, began work with the company on August 29.

“Knowing that there is a pipeline of qualified employees can save us time, and ultimately help us deliver the best possible product to our customers,” Previti said. “The construction field is extremely competitive, so being able to find someone like Joseph is vital for a company such as ours.”

Previti goes on to explain that the kind of training Revoier received is critical to the success of businesses.

According to research conducted for the Workforce Development Board in 2015 by Chmura Economics & Analytics, the Inland Empire has 79,965 total employees in the construction industry, including 19,890 hired in the past three years alone.

“Construction is one of our county’s key industries, and helping our residents get the training they need to secure well-paying jobs in this growing sector is critical,” said San Bernardino County Second District Supervisor Janice Rutherford, whose district includes the City of Rancho Cucamonga. "That’s true not just in construction, but also in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and other industries that play an increasingly important role in our county’s economy.”