Growing energy field creates a windfall of opportunity

Oskar Villalobos was tired of telling people he worked at Les Schwab. He wanted a job that sounded more impressive and paid better. Part of him dreamed... ROSS WILLIAM HAMILTON / NNS Information online Columbia Gorge College: www.cgcc.cc.or.us/ WASCO, Ore. — Oskar Villalobos was tired of telling people he worked at Les Schwab. He wanted a job that sounded more impressive and paid better. Part of him dreamed of making a global impact. So when he read about the renewable-energy-training program at Columbia Gorge College in The Dalles, he signed up. And after graduating from the six-month pilot program, he landed a job at the Biglow Canyon wind farm as a technician. Now Villalobos is a hot commodity. Several other wind-energy companies have offered him plum assignments. The industry has become so competitive in the Pacific... [read full story]