Month: August 2018

Representatives of Pueblo Community College and NextEra Energy Resources on Thursday announced an academic partnership that will create a living laboratory for renewable energy at PCC.

NextEra Energy Resources will deliver and install 52 photovoltaic solar panels to create a 20-kilowatt solar energy system on PCC’s Pueblo campus. NEER also will provide training and curriculum to help the college create a pipeline of skilled workers for the rapidly evolving industry. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, solar panel installer is the fastest-growing job in the country.

PCC students will be able to use the solar energy system as a learning lab as they study how to operate and maintain the system, as well as analyze its data and build predictive analysis systems to optimize its operations.

“This commitment and generous gift from NextEra to invest in Pueblo, and in particular Pueblo Community College, is a wonderful opportunity for the institution to prepare the next generation of a renewable energy-skilled workforce,” said PCC President Patty Erjavec. “My team has already begun to explore the realm of educational possibilities this learning lab will afford our students and we are eager to unleash their creativity and innovative prowess.”

Ken Salazar, former US Secretary of the Interior and US senator from Colorado, joined PCC and NextEra Energy to celebrate the announcement. He also discussed the importance of solar storage projects in southern Colorado, pointing out that Pueblo County stands to benefit greatly from Xcel’s proposal. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission soon will vote on the plan.

“Under Xcel’s Preferred Colorado Energy Plan, Pueblo County would get a $1 billion investment in solar and energy storage, would gain 1,000 construction jobs and get an annual average GDP uplift of almost $10 million,” Salazar said. “This is truly an historic opportunity for Pueblo.”

PCC is ready to be a vital partner in developing the industry’s local workforce, Erjavec said, and the relationship with NextEra Energy Resources is key to making it happen.

“We are most humbled to partner with NextEra Energy Resources and commit to being good stewards of their investment in us,” she said.

Learn more about NextEra Energy Resources on their website!

Pueblo’s newest major employer will host a public job fair next week.

Fresh produce distributor Russ Davis Wholesale expects to start by hiring 50 workers for its planned opening this fall.

Long-term, as orders grow, the company plans to hire 160 or more workers. The jobs include production supervisors, line leads, production fruit and vegetable cutters, order fulfillment leads and truck drivers.

Next week’s hiring event will take place from 1 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Friday (Aug. 17) at Pueblo Community College’s Gorsich Advanced Technology Center at 900 W. Orman Ave. Job seekers are advised to bring their resumes.

PCC and Pueblo Workforce Center are co-organizing the event. “These hiring events are a time-effective way to meet with representatives from the Minnesota-based company and learn about its work and the open positions,” PCC said in a statement.

More information about Russ Davis Wholesale can be found at their website!

Story originally posted by The Pueblo Chieftain.

US hemp sales reached $820 million in 2017, with CBD oil and personal care products generating the most sales. (Source: Hemp Business Journal)

U.S. hemp sales reached record breaking levels last year, thanks to the continued spread of legalization and the growing popularity of CBD oil.

Hemp Business Journal recently released their 2017 hemp industry analysis, reporting sales of hemp products hit $820 million. Despite ongoing legal and regulatory complications, the industry grew a total of 16 percent last year.

And that number is expected to continue rising. With more and more states seeing the value in hemp, legalization is spreading like wildfire.

Responsible for 23 percent of U.S. hemp sales, CBD products banked in at $190 million last year. Personal care items come in at 22 percent, generating around $181 million.

Here are other major uses for hemp and the total value of those sales:

• Industrial applications – $144 million
• Food – $137 million
• Consumer textiles – $105 million
• Supplements – $45 million
• Other consumer products – $16 million

As mentioned, U.S. hemp sales are expected to rise as laws and regulations around hemp continue to ease.

With Congress increasingly supportive of total federal legalization of industrial hemp, hemp experts are predicting sales can more nearly triple within the next 5 years.

Though it’s only an estimate, Hemp Business Journal expects U.S. hemp sales to reach $1 billion in 2019, and climb as high as $1.9 billion by 2022.

This is due to two important factors: Hemp is easier to grow than other resources, such as cotton or corn. With it’s over 25,000 known uses, businesses see large potential in hemp as a resource.

Still, we have a long way to go until these estimations become a reality. In 2017, over half of the hemp industry was based in Colorado alone. The biggest barrier: not every state is on board with hemp legalization.

Since hemp is still only partially legal, the amount of production allowed varies from state to state. Therefore, we aren’t seeing as big of a hemp boom as we could because farmers and vendors still face regulatory hurdles from growing their crops to bringing products to market.

Read the full report here.