BVU, Positech Corporation Bond in Strategic Partnership
Initiative with Buena Vista University allows for employees of Positech Corporation, as well as eligible family members, to receive benefits to reduce the cost of education.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and Positech Corporation have joined forces as Strategic Partners to strengthen the communities and the people they serve.
This partnership allows for employees of Positech Corporation, as well as eligible family members of full-time employees, to receive grant funding to lower the overall cost of education while enrolled in classes at BVU’s Storm Lake campus. Partner grant funding also lowers the cost per credit hour for students enrolled in BVU’s convenient online/hybrid undergraduate programs or the organizational leadership graduate program.
“We’re really trying to push the needle when it comes to innovation in this industry, and being one of the leaders that we are, we want to hire the best. This partnership shows positives and strengths for both Positech and BVU in regard to trying to attract people to our communities,” says Positech Corporation Human Resources/Corporate Officer Tony Statz. “This is a great partnership to have with Buena Vista University as it offers a high level of exposure of our employees and their families as well as prospective interns and graduates with respect to the proximity from Laurens to the Storm Lake campus.”
“We’re really trying to push the needle when it comes to innovation in this industry, and being one of the leaders that we are, we want to hire the best. This partnership shows positives and strengths for both Positech and BVU in regard to trying to attract people to our communities.”
Positech Corporation Human Resources/Corporate Officer Tony Statz
Positech Corporation designs and manufactures custom material handling equipment for local businesses and large companies. The Laurens-based business specializes in offering the industry’s largest selection of industrial manipulators and pre-engineered articulated lift arms, which aim to eliminate workplace safety hazards and increase profitability.
“We are a custom industry, so the need to think outside and beyond the proverbial box are traits that are attractive to us from an employment standpoint,” says Statz. “BVU could help not only the business office portion of our corporation, but our manufacturing operations as well. The current job market is very competitive, and ‘rural’—Northwest Iowa—is a hotbed for the manufacturing industry. We’ve been fortunate to not see the staffing hardships that others have and part of that is exploring benefits and opportunities such as this Strategic Partnership. The biggest investment we can make is in our own employees, and this is another step towards that as we look forward to working with BVU.”
Positech Corporation began in 1951 as Mefferd Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders. The business now employs more than 50 workers.
As longtime members of the community, BVU and Positech Corporation are committed to serving the residents of Northwest Iowa and the surrounding area as they strive to better equip Iowa’s workforce.
“Buena Vista University is proud to partner with an industry leader like Positech Corporation,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “Our collaboration will offer more accessible pathways to higher education, providing opportunities for Positech employees, their family members, and the people they serve.”
For more information about BVU’s Strategic Partnerships and partner opportunities, please visit the BVU website at bvu.edu/strategic-partnerships or contact Strategic Partnerships at StrategicPartnerships@bvu.edu.