Converse County Donates Kenworth Tractor to EWC’s Douglas Campus

The Converse County Commissioners donated a Kenworth tractor to Eastern Wyoming College’s (EWC) Douglas Campus on Thursday, June 19, bolstering EWC’s recently expanded Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program.

Converse County Commissioner Rick Grant presented the keys to Darryl Spitzer, EWC’s Dean of Workforce and Career Technical Education, during a handoff ceremony on the Douglas Campus.

“Instead of auctioning it off, we felt it would be beneficial to the CDL program EWC offers on the Douglas Campus,” Grant said.

The donation supports EWC’s growing CDL training efforts in Converse County, which now include partnerships with area high schools to provide early access to workforce training.

“This donation directly strengthens our hands-on training opportunities for students,” Spitzer said. “Thanks to the support of Converse County, more residents, both youth and adults, will be able to pursue high-demand careers in transportation and logistics.”

Converse County Commissioner Robert Short echoed the importance of investing in local career training.

“Converse County Commissioners believe in the importance of workforce development that helps create greater opportunities in our community and state,” Short said. “The CDL program at EWC does just that.”

In addition to supporting CDL training, the Converse County Commissioners are leading efforts to launch a new construction trades program at EWC. They took the lead in acquiring a grant for the program. According to Short, this initiative is “one of the steps to help address the housing shortage both in Converse County and across the state.”

Converse County Commissioner Rick Grant (right) presents the keys to a Kenworth tractor to Darryl Spitzer, Eastern Wyoming College’s Dean of Workforce and Career Technical Education, while fellow commissioner Robert Short looks on. Converse County donated the tractor to EWC for their CDL program.