With unemployment numbers growing, many people this holiday season are just wishing for a job and not a gift.
Thanks to a grant from the federal government, the Green Exchange may be able to help when it's completed in spring.
"Our objective going back to our grant application is that this will provide and create 58 jobs for low-income people," said Ted Wysocki, CEO of the Local Economic and Employment Development Council.
In place of the Cooper Lamp Factory that once sat on the city's Northwest side, the Green Exchange is aimed to serve as the largest green business community in the nation.
"Its designed to be a place to help green business grow and a one stop destination where business executive and retail customers can come to find the products and services that they are looking for to be greener in their personal lives," said Phil Baugh, Director of Community Development for the Green Exchange.
The latest development helps future tenants like Scott Banks, who is the Director of Business Development of Renewable Resources
"What we're looking for is train people who may not have the opportunity to get into the green business. We have always wanted to be green but also be good to the community," Banks said.
Green collar jobs will cover an array of employees and backgrounds.
"From being someone who maintains the systems to some who designs those systems, we will have many different levels of job opportunity available. And that's really what its all about is giving people a new skill set so can then parlay into their future career," Baugh said.
