WINDSOR — State and county officials are racing to help the 100 or so employees of Iron Mountain Autoplex now without jobs after the closure of the dealerships this week.
Weld and Larimer workforce centers as well as the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment are setting up “Rapid Response Workshops” to help the employees get a handle on their future, said Shannon Gutheil of the Larimer County Workforce Center.
“We help these people find out what’s out there for them,” she said.
The workshops will explain how to file for unemployment-insurance benefits and go about searching for a new job. The workshops also cover resume building and how to deal with the sudden loss of a job.
The first workshop is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. today.
Autoplex owner John Chamberlain turned over his dealerships to Chrysler Financial because he allegedly failed to pay liens on vehicles taken as trade-ins.
In July, the Colorado Motor Vehicle Dealer Board suspended the licenses of dealers in the autoplex, including Champion Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Champion Chevrolet, Champion Kia and Champion Mazda in Windsor, and Champion Mitsubishi in Greeley.
Closure of the 3-year-old business is another blow in a tough economic time, said Lew Wymisner, assistant director of the Larimer County Workforce Center.
“It’s going to add another 100 people to the unemployment rolls, and that’s not a good thing,” Wymisner said. “We’ve got 19 computers in here for people to look for jobs, and there is always someone behind every screen and a long line behind them.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
