Photo courtesy of Knife River

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (fourth from L) and Montana Department of Labor & Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson (fifth from L) pose with officials in front of a John Deere 944K loader.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) Commissioner Sarah Swanson announced a $325,000 grant for a pilot program to hire and train veterans living with disabilities to operate heavy construction equipment from a remote and accessible location.

"We have a responsibility to support those who have served our country," Gianforte said. "Through this grant, we are empowering veterans with good-paying jobs and helping them transition after a life of service. I'm proud to join DLI in recognizing this innovative program to support our nation's heroes."

Photo courtesy of Knife River

The state of Montana, alongside Knife River and RDO Equipment Co., provided a $325,000 grant to support the pilot project to employ disabled veterans at the Knife River gravel pit in Belgrade.

"Technology can create opportunities for our veterans," Swanson said. "With Gov. Gianforte's support and the public-private partnership with Knife River and RDO Equipment Co., we are paving the way for veterans with physical limitations."

Remote work is possible because of Teleo's technology, which allows operators to circumvent the physical limitations of job sites and instead operate from the safety and comfort of an accessible workstation. This remote workstation makes the job more accessible for veterans living with disabilities.

During a recent onsite demonstration, the governor used Teleo technology to remotely operate a John Deere loader to move gravel while seated at a command center near the work site.

"The latest developments in construction technology are changing the way we work from so many different angles," said David K. Zinke, president of Knife River's Mountain Region. "Most encouragingly, technology provided by Teleo is opening new opportunities for workforce inclusion in the construction industry."

Knife River seeks qualified applicants — veterans living with disabilities within reasonable travel distance to Bozeman — to fill two operator roles for the pilot project. These operators will be trained to run two John Deere 944K loaders equipped with Teleo technology for quarry operations.

For details, qualified applicants can visit jobs.kniferiver.net.

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