Collaborative effort spurs Quest van pool
—Courtesy photo Quest employees gather in front of a van used for the company’s new van pool program. Pictured, from left, are HR staff/safety employee Tiffany Goodvin, assembler Chad Nelson, CFO and senior vice president of administration Susan Jordan, HR manager Rory Stowell, assembler Robbie Lloyd, and production supervisor Rob Lloyd. Nelson, Stowell, and the Lloyds all participate in the van pool.
SANDPOINT — Thanks to the collaborative efforts of local and business leaders, residents in the greater Coeur d’Alene area who work at Sandpoint’s Quest Aircraft Co. are enjoying a new van pool program.
Over the past six months, a collaborative effort between Quest Aircraft Co., Selkirks-Pend Oreille Transit, Bonner County Economic Development Corporation, and Enterprise Rental has resulted in the creation of a van pool system for Quest employees living in Hayden, Coeur d’Alene, and Post Falls.
Adding a van pool not only allows Quest to broaden its employee market, but the system provides a major economic benefit to the individual employees utilizing the van pool. Reduced auto, fuel and maintenance costs, along with pre-tax shared fare payments are just a few of the advantages the program supplies.
“The addition of the van pools to the Sandpoint labor market grow our skilled labor base and to increase the availability of affordable family homes,” said Paul Kusche, executive director of the BCEDC. “The use of van pools in and out of the Sandpoint area is expected to increase as our local economy grows.”