THURSDAY June 17, 2021
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THE BENEFITS ISSUE
Jaguars say Lot J plans could return
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But team President Mark Lamping says the focus now is on developing the Shipyards and football performance facility. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off a town hall meeting tour June 15 in Arlington about the team’s $441 million development proposal for the Shipyards and a football performance facility. Team executives also fielded questions about a return to the Jaguars’ last attempt at Downtown development — the mixeduse entertainment center at Lot J west of TIAA Bank Field. Michael Roberts, who bought t h e fo r m e r Fairfield School No. 9 in 2015 on Victoria Street near the stadium, told Jaguars President Mark Lamping his property Lamping investment would benefit from team owner Shad Khan’s plans. But Roberts said he is skeptical that the proposed project south of TIAA Bank Field would gain the City Council support to move forward. He asked Lamping if the Shipyards is successful, would a proposal for development at Lot J return. “I’ll give you a very honest answer — we need things like Lot J and we need more than that Downtown so that people will come visit us 52 weeks a year, not just on Jaguars’ game days,” he said. “It has to be the right package. It has to be at the right time. It has to be through the right process.” Lamping told the group of
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Photo by Max Marbut
Fairchild HR co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Keith Fairchild with co-founder and President Sandra Lief, left, and Human Resources Generalist Stacie Brock.
The co-founder of executive search firm Fairchild HR says employees now are looking for benefits that once were considered perks. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
T
he mutually beneficial business relationship between the employer and the employee is changing. While much of the change is driven by gradual societal and generational evolution, like so many other aspects of life, the shift was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Years ago, “benefits” amounted to employerprovided health insurance and some type of pen-
sion or retirement savings plan, maybe. A trend for 2021 and beyond is that some considerations that used to be considered “perks” offered to employees as a courtesy are moving onto the list of benefits potential employees look for when considering a job, said Keith Fairchild. He is co-founder and chief technology officer at Fairchild HR, a Jacksonville-based executive search firm that works with privately held companies with up to 500 employees. “It’s a buyer’s market and the employee is the
INSIDE ■ Flexible leave and mental health care are “the flashing lights” in employee benefits. Page 4 ■ Statistics on what employees think about benefits and the workplace. Page 4
SEE BENEFITS, PAGE 5
SEE JAGUARS, PAGE 5
THE MATHIS REPORT
Wisconsin water products firm opening warehouse Plus: Publix Neptune Beach store plans. PAGE 3 VOLUME 108, NO. 150 • TWO SECTIONS