Fleming CREW Employment Services Haliburton presented Terry Craig and Jennifer Wanless-Craig of Artech Studios with an employer award at the Employment Ontario Eastern Region Conference by Debby Keating on April 23. /Photo submitted By Olivia Robinson
Published June 12 2018
Artech Studios a Tory Hill-based glassblowing studio is the recipient of this year’s Fleming CREW Employment Centre employer award. The accolade was presented at the Employment Ontario Eastern Region Conference on April 23 at Pinestone Resort and Conference Centre. Artech was just one of two Haliburton County-area employers to receive the award this year.
“They understood coaching training being flexible and in general [they] fostered a good relationship to increase opportunities for job seekers” said Jess Marlow Fleming CREW Employment Centre consultant.
The awards are organized by Employment Ontario’s Eastern Region – which celebrated its 20th anniversary. Fleming CREW Employment Centre is responsible for identifying positive placements for their clients that foster a good training environment and willingness to bring opportunities to the Haliburton area.
Marlow said one of the reasons why they chose to recognize Artech was because of the employer’s support of Fleming CREW Employment Centre’s Employment Ontario program. Artech currently employs two full-time workers and one part-time employee.
Employer Jennifer Wanless-Craig of Artech said that she and her husband never thought that as artists they’d be bosses – and even now she doesn’t even really consider herself to be one.
“It was nice to be recognized for being good people” she said of the award. “Our studio is in our home … people are coming to our house we’re not disconnected from being in a different environment. We really hire people that take pride in what we do.”
She credits some workplace perks “like cooking for them” as a reason for the positive work environment.
Wanless-Craig said she and her husband are always thinking of ways to improve their place of work from an employee’s perspective and through discussions with their employees.
The couple has since started another business this time a food business called CinderFella – specializing in vegan and vegetarian fare like plant-based and smoked treats – at the Haliburton County Farmers’ Market.
