The City of Williston’s Economic Development Office has announced that Williston native Shawn Wenko has accepted the position of Workforce Development Coordinator for the city. Wenko will play a central role in implementing the City Commission’s “Build Williston Initiative.”

A 1994 graduate of Williston High School, Wenko has over 10 years experience in destination marketing development. Previously employed as a representative for South Dakota’s regional tourism marketing powerhouse Black Hills Badlands and Lakes Association, he assisted in the purchase of big print advertising and marketing campaigns to promote tourism in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

He also brings experience in the areas of website analytics, advanced strategic planning, and case study analysis through past projects that include the Black Hills Visitor Information Center tourism research survey and the National Harbor impact analysis project in Washington D.C.

Wenko has earned a Bachelor of Science in hospitality administration from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. and holds an MBA in tourism management with an emphasis on sustainable destination development from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

A recent oil industry survey anticipates that the emerging Bakken play will require some 3,000 additional workers a year over the next four years. "To be effective at finding these workers we need to make sure we have adequate housing.The perceived quality of life is important for families when they consider relocating to another city. Each of these issues is an important element of an overall workforce attraction plan," said Tom Rolfstad, Director of Economic Development. “Shawn will work closely with the business community to develop and implement the plan.

“Our office has already fielded inquiries from some 25 different developers interested in building housing in the community, so having Shawn on board is critical to ensure that we can do all that we can to encourage private sector initiatives to solve our housing and workforce needs,” added Rolfstad.

Wenko is the son of Rodger and Lucy Wenko of Williston and is scheduled to assume his responsibilities March 24.