WITCO occupies long-planned facility in Caldwell 

WITCO, formerly Western Idaho Training Co., recently occupied a new building of nearly 20,000 square feet at 3919 E. Ustick Road, Caldwell.

The nonprofit organization, whose mission includes providing employment services to people with disabilities, vacated smaller quarters on the Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard.
“When we started in 1974, more of our services were in-house services,” WITCO President and CEO Mary “M.C.” Niland said. “We needed more training room and more classroom-type training opportunities. This just better met our needs.”
The new WITCO-owned building includes office and production space, classroom and other education space, a kitchen that accommodates instruction in preparing meals, and space for day treatment programs. It is more accessible than its predecessor.
Fundraising for the $2.5 million facility – site of a ribbon-cutting Oct. 7 – began about three decades ago, Niland said.
“Many, many businesses contributed, literally hundreds,” she said. The contribution that put the project “over the top” was $400,000 from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, she said. The project involved Sage Construction of Caldwell and JGT Architecture of Nampa.
WITCO provides services for adults and children with disabilities. Offerings include education, life-skill development and residential and employment services. The organization provides speech and hearing services, physical and occupational therapy and home-based services such as helping to find transportation for clients.
The annual budget is just under $5 million. About 20 percent comes from grants and donations.
“Our mission is to help people with disabilities achieve their life and career goals,” Niland said. WITCO “is one of the largest and most diverse providers of services in the state.”
Employment services include finding jobs in the community and training clients as needed – either at a job site in the organization’s service territory in western Idaho and eastern Oregon, or at the WITCO headquarters. She said the new building is well suited for in-house training, known to the organization as vocational services.
WITCO has a trophy and engraving business, a silk-screening business and a popcorn business. It is considering expanding into embroidery and laser engraving, Niland said.
“We’re always looking for things the community needs,” she said. “What do they need to buy? What do they need to outsource that they’d like to keep at home?”
The organization also contracts with other businesses. Contract work includes custodial service, manufacturing and assembly work, power line recycling and secure document destruction.
More small businesses are approaching WITCO recently, including “startup companies that don’t have the assets to invest in a large labor force,” Niland said. “A number of companies have contacted us.”
WITCO production and marketing staff work with entrepreneurs to develop ideas about the product and to produce it as efficiently as possible, she said. WITCO then bids on the project.
But these production clients don’t come to WITCO for a big cost savings, Niland said. WITCO is certified by the U.S. Department of Labor and is required to pay its labor based on a prevailing wage that is determined by surveying other businesses in the community that do similar work.
A reputation for quality goods and services provides one reason for businesses to choose WITCO, she said. The longstanding organization has a stable workforce and a good reputation in the community, and can offer client businesses a sense of satisfaction, she said.
WITCO fields six offices not including community sites where it has a workforce in place. It employs about 100 office, administrative, training and service staff. WITCO provides services to about 800 people with disabilities.

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