Business Advocate of the Year 2007

If one word could best describe an aerial view of Corpus Christi, it would be a word charged with economic promise and a budding future.  The word is simple: industry.  From the oil refineries with its thousands of workers to the Corpus Christi International Airport with its highly skilled aircraft mechanics to the Port of Corpus Christi with its hundreds of skilled laborers working through different contractors, the one agency at the forefront of the matter of “work” in Corpus Christi is WorkSource of the Coastal Bend.  For leading the charge to put the people of the Coastal Bend into better paying jobs everyday, WorkSource of the Coastal Bend is named the Business Advocate of the Year.

“We are honored that the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce is giving us such an honor,” Joe Guzman, Chair of the Board of Directors for WorkSource of the Coastal Bend, said.  “We work very hard to be the catalyst for all things workforce development related.  We also work very diligently with our partners to be the authority on workforce development in the Coastal Bend.”

The agency’s primary focus is to build a better workforce in the Coastal Bend.  Beyond placing qualified applicants with prospective employers, the agency consistently collaborates with local industry and business leaders to identify workforce needs in the Coastal Bend, and to provide adequate training for job seekers in the Coastal Bend.

“Our primary role is to serve the employers of this community, to enhance their workforce,” Guzman said.  “We strive to build a better workforce for the Coastal Bend.  From youth training programs to outreach programs to helping to make Corpus Christi a business destination and a prime city for relocation in terms of employment opportunities, we work everyday to do the best job we can do.  We believe in local business and the unlimited opportunities industry and workforce development bring to the area.”

-bios written by Chamber Member Omar Lopez