Business View Magazine - October 2018

74 75 WORKING AT HIGH ALTITUDES A irstreams Renewables, Inc. (ARI) is a leading vocational training solutions provider committed to delivering compli- ance, education, certification, and indus- trial training to the energy and hazardous duty industrial sectors, with strong ties to the wind and telecom industries. The company, which is based in Tehachapi, California, was founded in 2003 by Dave Schulgen, one of the original pioneers in the wind energy sector. Its early mission was to provide independent, industry-driven, quality, third-party safety and technical training to stu- dents who sought jobs in wind tower construction and maintenance. In 2007, the company was invited to develop a curriculum under a federal grant program, which was then distributed to any public junior college that wanted it. ARI was officially incorporated in 2009, following the revision of its first technical training curriculum. In 2011, it became the first private technical training company approved by California’s Bureau of Post-Secondary Education.