A couple months ago, I attended a meeting that dealt with retaining young talent and the message I took away from it was that most employers look at so-called “Millennials” like a calf looks at a new barn door. Millennials (born 1982 to 1995) are now the largest age group in the workforce and will be 75 percent of the workforce by 2025.
That means that retaining the talented or hard-working younger workers is very important to the future of our local and regional workforce, the health of our businesses and the future vitality of Logan County.
What seems, from the mounds of information I’ve read and the hours of seminars I’ve sat through, to be the (perceived?) problem with Millennials is how different they are in thought, deed and action than Generation X and Baby Boomers. With Baby Boomers leaving the workforce in droves, it is time for Logan County to take a hard, long look at its future workforce and leaders and find out what needs to be done to retain and attract Millennials.
That is why the Chamber of Commerce will be taking the next six or so months to interview Millennials and perhaps some from the upcoming Generation Z and find out just what they are thinking. It is our hope, sometime in early 2016, to have a report to give to employers, civic leaders and educators in asking just what is needed to make our workforce stronger and more attractive to both internal and outside investment.
Here are a few of the sample questions: What is especially challenging for people in your age group right now? What makes a community inviting to you right now? What characteristics do you really dislike or try to avoid when choosing where to live/work/do business? And, how can your community best support you?
These are questions that the TVA asked its own Millennial employees, and the answers will surprise you. We will tailor a survey for Logan County and will be asking local employers and educators for help in, what I feel, may be a great way to shape the conversation of living, working and doing business in Logan County for decades to come.
(A big thanks to Melissa Halsell, Program Manager of TVA Economic Development for the idea.)
Ribbon Cutting for Levine Group
The Chamber will be having a ribbon-cutting celebration for the Levine Group Inc. Russellville office on Aug. 19 from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for 8 a.m. The Levine Group is located at 105 Robins Way (Suite 205) Russellville.
WOMEN IN BUSINESS SEPT. 3
We are excited to announce the Women in Business Luncheon will be on Sept. 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Logan County Extension Facility. The cost is $15. The speaker this year is Evelyn Richardson, who will discuss the role women have played in businesses in Logan County. We have a full house each year, so get your tickets now! Call Amanda at the Chamber at 270-776-2206.
Small Business Success and Quality
Some of you may remember the Ford slogan of the 1980’s, Quality is Job #1.
That slogan was true then for businesses. And it remains true today.
Yet, quality sometimes remains hard to find. For example in the last year, two households in my family had to purchase dishwashers. Two different brands were purchased but, to our amazement, both of them had production mistakes that needed to be fixed during installation. The chances of that happening just seem to beat the odds. Neither company seemed to live up to the quality expected.
Will the companies that produced the products survive? Probably. They are large and can overcome it. Large companies have shown time and again they have the capacity to overcome mistakes, although not without some pain.
Small businesses, however, may not have the resources to overcome quality issues. And small businesses in small communities are even more likely to get hurt as word will quickly spread if expectations are not met.
Quality was, is and will remain key to building a successful small business.
When thinking about it, remember:
Quality is not a cost – It is possible to cut costs and retain quality to a point. But at some point, that relationship will no longer hold true. And as many companies will attest, short-term gains can turn out to be large long-term losses.