CDLU of Oklahoma was awarded the Business Leader of the Year for 2022 by Western Oklahoma Workforce Development, which oversees 25 counties in Northwest Oklahoma. The award was received at the Capitol on Nov. 17.
CDLU of Oklahoma, 1129 N. 54th, is a company owned by David and Meri Ann Miller that trains drivers to obtain their commercial driver’s license. The Millers worked for many decades in the Intermountain West, working for numerous Fortune 500 companies, and decided to get into CDL training in 2017. They opened their first location in Boise, Idaho, and in 2019, they decided to move their business to Enid.
David Miller said he always says he’s a “boy from Oklahoma,” and that the community of Fairview where he grew up is nothing like it was when he was in high school. He said when something like oil work disappears from a community, there aren’t many similar-paying jobs that are available in the area.
“When oil goes down, there’s not a whole lot of jobs in Northwest Oklahoma that are going to pay like the oil field pays. And yet, getting your CDL and getting into the transportation is one of the few things. So being recognized for what we’ve done over the last three and a half years in Northwest Oklahoma, helping people come in and train them to get their CDL so they can get, literally in four weeks, walk away and get a job that pays them $50,000-$60,000 a year the first year, is a big thing. It’s a big thing for them personally, and a big thing for our community and for our tax base. If there’s not opportunities in Northwest Oklahoma like that, then people will move out of state, and communities like ours lose that tax base.”
David Miller said he hopes the award serves as validation for the service they provide to the community.
“I hope it actually helps give Northwest Oklahoma some credibility as having a great product here,” he said. “We’re a private business, and we compete against some big vo-techs that aren’t in this area, but they draw from this area. It’s great to get people here locally, because the more people we keep here locally, the more money goes into the community. But I think it helps solidify that there is an absolutely outstanding, great school here in Northwest Oklahoma.”
