Western States College of Construction
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 850695313
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jul 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Denver, CO, USA
- Phone
- 303-757-3956
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,661,334
- Expenses
- $2,139,115
- Assets
- $1,158,884
- Liabilities
- $84,700
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
15 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- HEATHER SHERWOOD (President)
- Todd VonLintel (PRESIDENT)
- DALE THROWER (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- HEATHER SHERWOOD (President): $208,993 total reported compensation
- Cliff Rivard (Campus Lead): $171,114 total reported compensation
- DR MOSTAFA KHATTAB (EXECUTIVE ADVISOR): $147,895 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To provide the opportunity for each member of our community to build and sustain an exceptional career while making a positive difference in our community and our country.
Western States College of Construction (WSCC) is a nonprofit educational institution that offers hands-on training in the skilled trades, including HVACR, sheet metal, plumbing, and pipefitting. Students earn while they learn through apprenticeship programs, with an average placement rate of 100% and competitive compensation. WSCC also provides an Associate Degree program and a Professionalism in Construction leadership course. Accredited by the American Council for Construction Education, the college serves students across multiple campuses in Colorado and Wyoming, partnering with local unions, contractors, and trade associations to build careers in construction.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 69
- Transparency & Controls: 70
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 50
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.1%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 88.2%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 19.6%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 24.7%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 36.2% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 38% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 59.3% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 71.1% of revenue deployed · 88.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $209K · 15 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $610K reported
- Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.