March 13, 2024

By Lane Kimble

COLOMA, Wis. — Carved out of the woods and sandy soils of central Wisconsin, the Operating Engineers Local 139 Training Center has stood for nearly 50 years.

Last Friday marked the first time the center formally invited contractors to tour the sprawling 400-acre campus. It almost certainly will not be the last.

“The employers that came out here are really showing an interest. I love it,” OE139 President Terry McGowan told WTBA during the tour. “I want them to say that we’re doing a damn good job in our industry and the partnership is working.”

The center offers apprentices plenty of space to learn, both in the classroom and in the field. A bus tour revealed huge outdoor spaces to practice and hone skills in excavating, utility marking, and crane operation, complementing a cavernous indoor practice space.

McGowan says the Operating Engineers just finished a $22 million expansion, thinking the additional space would give them room as interest in the industry grows over the next several years. This year, that space is already full.

“It’s a win-win… so much that our members are going to make more money and our contractors are going to make more money because they’ve got a skilled, efficient employee,” McGowan said. “It’s a great partnership, and that’s the way it should be.”