Few companies have the courage to recognize that slow times are the right times for training. Nordenia USA is one of them. Nordenia Two years ago, Nordenia's US plant in Jackson, Missouri, was in a rapid growth period, hiring new employees, expanding its work space, and adding new products. Karl Mindeman was brought in at that time to identify training needs and develop training programs to keep up with the massive growth. There was a need for new-hire and technical training, and management-skills development. There were no formal programs in place.