Otto Instrument Service Inc. was in a bind. Business was strong, but like any company in the aerospace and defense sector, Otto was facing a deadline to meet increasingly stringent federal cybersecurity requirements.
With a one-person Information Technology (IT) team and time running out, the Ontario small business faced the elimination of 18 jobs. That all changed when Jerry Luttrull, Vice President of Operations for Otto, heard about the WDB’s Layoff Aversion Program, which helps businesses develop an individualized action plan to access local resources and prevent a reduction in force or a shutdown altogether.
As a result of the professional and confidential consulting it received through the Layoff Aversion Program, Otto was able to put together a plan and secure the resources and support it needed to meet the deadline, save those 18 jobs and add six more since then.
“By the end of this past September, we completed our insurmountable task,” Luttrull told WDB members during a recent Board meeting. “Programs like this are very important to small businesses, not only keeping up with the competition but in retaining jobs locally and preventing the technical brain drain out to Orange County and Los Angeles.”
WDB’s support will allow Otto Instruments to continue to expand its business and provide high-growth career opportunities in the technical and manufacturing sectors. The family-owned business has been in operation since 1946 and employs about 100 people.
Layoff Aversion is one of a multitude of services provided by WDB to support business growth and career opportunities across the nation’s largest geographic county. Other programs and resources provided by WDB’s Business Services Team include customized recruitment, On-the-Job Training funds, access to a large pool of screened job applicants, a free Human Resources Hotline, labor market information and customized training programs. For more, please visit our website.
