A fairly new business in the Castle Country area has grassroots to the local coal mining industry. Zooks Solutions opened its doors in the spring to help with staffing and recruiting of individuals to our local coal mines.

“We establish our company, my wife and I back in 2010, started it in New Mexico to provide some services to coal mining, underground coal mining. That’s my heritage, fourth generation coal miner from Emery County and some opportunities became available here in the Price area for a service like ours,” explained Ricky J. Van Buren, owner and operator. The agency is unique in that all decisions are made in-house and not through a big cooperation that is located outside the area.

It’s estimated that there are currently 200 jobs in the area that need to be employed. “So, we are helping to accomplish that and what we do is we can help get them their initial training. Also, we can help them get their annual refresher, which would be necessary if there is an experienced miner looking to get back into the coal mining industry. That’s something they have to get and we can help them get that also,” stated Van Buren. All training is done internally at their office located at 75 East Main Street in Price. Another great benefit is that Zooks pays their employees every Friday.

“We are vested in Carbon and Emery County. We are excited to see things coming back. That’s where our heart is and what we want to contribute to the growth and improvements of the community,” said Van Buren. Individuals interested in a possible career in the coal industry are invited to stop by the office or call 613-2154.

To learn more about Zooks Solution visit their website at www.zookssolutions.com or their Facebook page.