A Founder’s Dream Becomes Larger Than Life

When Dreams Come True
Job Training Program Soars High Two Years After Launch

Angie Reynolds, Founder & Director of TEK Center

In a previous life, Angie Reynolds worked in human resources at a Kentucky-based construction company. Over her years there, she realized that the talent pipeline for workers was running dry. Workers were aging out, younger hires were rare, and skilled trade workers scarce.

So, Angie decided to do something about it.

In 2022, an idea formed in her head: to uplift Eastern Kentucky communities through sustainable career paths. She envisioned a technical training center that offered specialized skilled trades training tailored to meet the pressing demands of local employers. New job training and certifications would provide new opportunities to younger talent and those wanting or needing to change careers.

She committed to her dream, left her paid HR post, and through a program sponsored by the Mountain Association, brought me in to conduct an organizational assessment to turn her vision into reality.

The assessment analyzed 12 core areas of operational need and development and helped Angie prioritize her organizational start-up needs, her limited start-up resources, and her time.

Today – just two years later – Angie’s dream, TEK Center, is a thriving accomplishment. Located in the heart of Eastern Kentucky, a buzzing 15,000 square foot facility houses six staff members who provide industry-developed training in skilled trades designed to address the growing workforce needs across the region.

They teach four certification pathways – electrical, heavy equipment operation, industrial mechanic, and plumbing. For their first enrollment year in 2023, TEK Center had 103 applicants with 40 accepted for participation.

“We’ve had great success so far,” Angie tells me with a classic Kentucky twang. “Our attrition rate is very low, especially compared to community colleges. And our graduation rate is much higher than theirs as well – 67% compared to 25%. In our first year of classes, 27 new trained workers will be ready to serve in higher paying and needed roles across Kentucky.”

TEK Center students and instructors working and learning

Angie worked with her staff to structure classes to meet the needs of TEK Center students, allowing them to remain or be employed while they went through their schooling for certification. They created fast-tracked, skill-focused courses that lead to nationally accredited, industry-recognized certifications in less than a year. Through strategic networking and grantwriting, she acquired valuable start-up funds to propel her dream into a booming bricks and mortar space that is changing lives – and the local economy – for the long haul.

“College is not for everyone and I am very thankful that TEK Center is providing a way for young adults like myself interested in trade jobs here is Eastern Kentucky,” says TEK student Cameron Kilgore.

Angie’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed: TEK Center has earned two awards in just two years. Floyd County Kentucky recognized the Center as a Partner in Education. And the Best of the Mountains conferred them with the Silver Award in 2023 from a field of over 10,000 nominations.

Today TEK Center stands as a beacon of opportunity. But Angie’s not done yet: in the coming years, she plans for TEK to continue to grow. She has her sights set on a new building at least twice the size to accommodate explosive growth as well as participation in FAFSA to allow students to access federal financial aid. She has more certification pathways planned in masonry and carpentry. And in just the next two years, she projects that TEK Center will employ as many as 20 instructors and staff to teach 400 students per year.

“Coming from the private sector, I knew that starting a nonprofit would be a challenge,” says Angie. “Laura’s organizational assessment gave me so many tools to use to create the roadmap for today’s success. It saved me so much time trying to manage spinning plates and prioritized my actions.”

Are you a dreamer with a vision for a nonprofit? Does your nonprofit need an organizational assessment to help you juggle your plates? Need a roadmap from a pro on what steps you can and should take to leverage the results and impacts you want to see? Want to become an award-winning beacon of opportunity like TEK Center? I can help! Let’s talk about your organizational development and assessment needs!

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