Monday Business Briefs: ANB, Sturm family make big donation; Aspen Science Center hires two

ANB Bank, Sturms fund mechatronics training

ANB Bank and the Sturm family recently announced a gift to Western Colorado Community College for more than $450,000 to implement mobile mechatronics training and high-tech learning in the Roaring Fork Valley and Western Slope.

“Our participation with WCCC and Colorado Mesa University is meant to reinforce creativity in the market place when it comes to higher education. We want to reward ideas that align industry and business needs,” said Donald Sturm, ANB Bank’s owner and chairman, in a statement. “Through the mobile learning lab, WCCC will provide vital workforce development through mechatronics training in rural communities. This is the kind of innovation required in an economy driven by technology, and we are pleased to be a part of the project.”

Mechatronics is a manufacturing and technology discipline that integrates software, programmable electronic controls, sensors, robotics and mechanical systems into automated equipment and advanced manufacturing processes. The mobile learning lab is a training facility that will be available for teaching and learning in fall 2019.

The gift from ANB Bank and the Sturm Family will provide more than $450,000 to fund the truck, trailer, mechatronics equipment, and other materials. The lab will be the size of a semi-truck and trailer and will include modern conveniences and climate controls to make learning both mobile and comfortable. The mobile learning facility will be named after ANB Bank and the Sturm family.

Aspen Science Center announces two hires

Aspen Science Center announced last week the hiring of MJ Faas as development and marketing manager and Jason Winokur as operations manager.

Faas previously served several Roaring Fork Valley nonprofit organizations in the development capacity, including Challenge Aspen, Komen Aspen, Aspen Film and Aspen Music Festival & School. She is a 14-year Aspen transplant from Iowa with a B.S. is History and Political Science and 20 years’ experience in fundraising, development and organizational management.

Before relocating to the Roaring Fork Valley, Winokur was a professional scientist at the University of Colorado Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, where he participated in the university’s educational outreach program. He also taught and developed curriculum for mathematics and physical sciences at a Denver area high school for teens engaged in substance abuse recovery, and later taught at valley high schools.