On Aug. 3, Stinger Welding Inc., which is building a new facility in Libby that will eventually employ 200, hired a core group of employees to conduct initial production.

Included in the first wave of hiring are two administrative staffers, a maintenance manager, a machine operator, a laborer and five welders.

Duke Brown was hired as human resources and administration manager, Teri Reyome-Kelly as safety and training manager, Stan Hudson as maintenance manager and Lucas Backen as a general support laborer.

Additionally, the facility hired five expert welders that are potential candidates for crew leads, foremen and supervisors. They will direct the activities of the welders who will be hired over the next three to four years.

"Lincoln County has the highest unemployment rate in Montana and Stinger Welding will bring 200 jobs to the area," Brown said.

For the initial hire, Stinger interviewed 35 people. It has hired the first five - Jacob Barton, Bryan Denton, Cody Piwonka, James Rockwell Jr. and Thomas Rose, as well as Joshua Peterson as the first machine operator.

Brown said that five more welders have been hired to start in September.

"There will be a few scattered hires here and there," he said. "We will hire a lot in February when the building is finished."

Stinger is setting up in the recently refurbished Central Maintenance Building in the Kootenai River Business Park.

Stinger Welding is a fabricator of major steel and bridge components based in Coolidge, Ariz.

Reporter K.J. Hascall may be reached at 758-4439 or by e-mail at kjhascall@dailyinterlake.com