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A true Oklahoma business success story started as
the dream and vision of one man, Roger Valdez, founder of Duncan-based
Valco Manufacturing, Inc.
Valco began as a part-time business with three employees in Oklahoma
City in 1989. The aviation and aerospace parts manufacturing
company moved to Duncan in 1995 with assistance from the Duncan
Area Economic Development Foundation, according to Valdez.
Today, Valco employs 105 people, with an annual payroll of $2.5
million, on sales of $7 million. The company inventories more
than 20,000 high quality parts for Gulfstream, Bell Helicopter,
Northrop Grumman, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing and Vought Aircraft.
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"When I moved the company, I expected the business to
grow," Valdez said. "But, Valco's progress took me by surprise."
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"My company would not be where
it is today without Red River Technology Center," Valdez
said. "In my travels around the country, I have come to
know there are very few states which provide the level of services
to business offered by Oklahoma's CareerTech system."
Red River Technology Center is one of CareerTech's 29
technology center school districts located on 54 campuses across
Oklahoma.
Valdez credits the company's partnership
with Red River Technology Center for its success. That's why
Valco is being recognized as one of Oklahoma's CareerTech
Business Champions.
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Roger Valdez |
CareerTech
Business Champions attribute much of their economic success to
the partnerships they have formed with the local technology center
or high school CareerTech programs.
Valco's partnership with Red River Technology
Center began shortly after relocating. Together with Workforce
Oklahoma, steps were taken to increase employee retention rates.
 The first step was
with CareerTech's Training for Industry Program (TIP)
for new and expanding industry.
TIP, established in 1968, has helped attract
hundreds of businesses and industries to Oklahoma and has played
a key role in helping businesses become more productive and profitable
before and after they locate.
Following that training, initial screening improved, and pre-employment
and pre-production training took place both on-site and at the
technology center campus. More than 130 people participated,
and retention rates improved, Valdez said.
The tech center has also provided classes in health, and environmental
safety as part of Valco's overall emphasis on employee development.
"Our partnership with Red River has kept our product quality
and employee performance high during periods of rapid growth,"
he said.
The success of the Valco-Red River partnership was highlighted
when a potential Valco customer was skeptical that qualified
people could be found to meet his requirements.
"When I detailed our prior success with the hiring and training
process from Red River, the contract was signed," Valdez
said.
Valdez also served as a strong advocate for the services of the
CareerTech system when Family Dollar was considering Duncan
as a location for their distribution center, according to Jerry
Morris, Red River superintendent.
 "Family Dollar
representatives have publicly stated that Red River's history
of strong business partnerships and assistance was a factor in
their decision to locate in Duncan," Morris said.
Valco's excellence was recognized by the Small Business Administration
as the Oklahoma Small Business of the Year in 2000, Valdez said.
The company has also been honored with the Federal Government's
Quality Award, by Northrop Grumman as their Small Business Supplier
of the Year, and with the Free Enterprise Award from the Duncan
Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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