NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, May 25, 2011

CONTACT: Brooke Bohnenkamp, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, 

                     605.773.3301

                            Rachel Casteel, Eleutian Technology, 307.366.2902

Eleutian Technology Opens Spearfish Teaching Center

PIERRE, S.D. – Eleutian Technology officially opened its new Spearfish facility today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The company plans to hire 50 people in the Spearfish area to teach conversational English skills to students in Asian countries via state-of-the-art video teaching technology. According to Kent Holiday, Eleutian President, the company has already hired 28 employees to work in the Spearfish teaching center.

“We are extremely pleased with the Spearfish applicant pool,” said Holiday. “Within 30 days of posting the positions, we received 51 applications. This area has a very talented workforce, and we’re excited to welcome them to the Eleutian Team.”

Eleutian’s Spearfish teaching center began operations on May 1.

The South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development helped recruit Eleutian Technology to South Dakota.

“These high-tech jobs are an exciting addition to South Dakota’s economy,” said Gov. Dennis Daugaard. “Eleutian is helping South Dakota enhance its presence in a global economy. The work being done in Spearfish is directly and positively impacting people more than 6,000 miles away.”

When at full-capacity, each month teachers in the Spearfish center will deliver 5,000 hours of English lessons to students in South Korean, Japan and China.

David Donat, President of the Spearfish Economic Development Corporation says the uniqueness of these Eleutian positions helps fill an employment niche in the community.

“These jobs aren’t traditional teaching jobs.  Eleutian employees have great flexibility with their hours and their schedules. It’s a great alternative for teachers who are interested in working outside the traditional setting,” said Donat.

Eleutian Technology has the world’s largest workforce of U.S. Certified Teachers who teach English as a foreign language to students around the globe. Eleutian has operations in Wyoming, Utah, and now South Dakota.

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