News Article

FSW Secures $524,000 Employee Training Grant for Cheney Brothers

Jun 21, 2018

What can a growing and successful company like Cheney Brothers do with a $524,000 grant? Hire and train onsite up to 330 new employees.

Cheney Brothers, in partnership with Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW), has been awarded that $524,000 grant.

“Our partnership with FSW furthers our commitment to building our local workforce by attracting and training the employees we need to continue growing and expanding,” said Shane Simmons, President of Cheney Brothers in Punta Gorda. “We are deeply committed to being a vital part of the communities we serve. Our employees work here, live here, and raise families here.”

“We are proud of this partnership and the results our corporate training center at FSW brings to our region’s business economy. Cheney Brothers is a well-established and successful company, that with this grant now has the funding necessary to train and expand our region’s workforce with up to 330 new hires,” said Dr. Robert R. Jones, vice president, economic development and external affairs, FSW. “These new employees will receive training that ranges from logistics to management and supervision positions. These are the type of positive, economic driving companies that these grants are designed to help take their success to the next level. In turn that helps our economy.”

Cheney Brothers, Inc. began its family business in 1925. From humble beginnings in West Palm Beach with one truck delivering eggs, milk and butter, Cheney Brothers has grown into one of the largest broadline food & beverage service distributors across the Southeast. Cheney Brothers presently employees over 2,500 people in Florida with yearly sales exceeding $2 billion. Their export services extend to over 80 countries worldwide, including the Caribbean and Latin America.

Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) administers the Quick Response Training (QRT) grants in southwest Florida by working closely with the state of Florida Economic Development Office. FSW has been successful in securing $2.6M in QRT funds to train over 1,400 new hires since July 1, 2017. This funding not only directly benefits the companies receiving training funds, but also results in a benefit to the local economy through increased jobs and increased wages. Since 2013, FSW has secured over $12M in QRT funding to train over 6,800 new hires.

The QRT grant lasts for one year and is targeted on the highly customized training programs that companies need to improve the transferable skill base of new hires. These programs can be instructed by FSW faculty and consultants or by specialists from the company itself. More information is available by contacting Adrian Kerr, FSW’s Director of Corporate Training and Services, at 239-432-5233 or email: adrian.kerr@fsw.edu

Last Updated: June 21, 2018