St. Charles Chamber of Commerce ■ Industrial Committee
Strengthening Relationships
O
ne of the greatest strengths of the Chamber lies in its ability to bring people together, and as 2020 gets underway it is important to reiterate the goals as they relate to the reinvigorated Industrial Committee. The purpose of the Industrial Committee is to develop and strengthen relationships among the industrial businesses, educational community, city officials and the entire business community.
these businesses to share their needs as well. Serving as Chairwoman of the Industrial Committee is Cheryl Flood of Practical Human Resource Support Services, Ltd. Flood says one of the primary goals of the Industrial Committee includes creating targeted, high-quality educational programs to meet the needs of our Manufacturing and Distributors Community.
While it may be easier to visit and see first-hand the retail and office businesses within St. Charles, the industrial and manufacturing sector of our community remains an important asset providing jobs as well as its role importing and exporting goods.
“One of the top goals we’ve been made aware of, from our Industrial Advisory Group Members, is the need to recruit and retain employees within a shrinking labor market,” Flood says, adding that the issue is pressing for many jobs, from entry level positions through management and, in particular, for skilled labor.
Within this committee there is the opportunity to increase communication between the Chamber and the industrial businesses. There is room to promote the benefits of the Chamber within the industrial and manufacturing sectors in our community. And there will be opportunities for
As an effort to address these issues the Industrial Committee, along with FONA International of Geneva, will host the panel discussion, “Overcoming Talent Acquisition Challenges in a Shrinking Labor Force.” As we continue to see long-time employees reach
retirement age, companies are facing questions as to how they can pass along the knowledge and maintain staffing levels to fulfill operational needs within our community. While this program is targeted to the manufacturing and distributing businesses specifically, the discussion is quite applicable to other businesses in a time when finding and maintaining well-qualified and talented employees has become a growing challenge in our marketplace. Slated to speak on the panel are Jim Nelson, Vice President of Education & Workforce Policy and Executive Director of Illinois Manufacturing Association; Tonya Hubbartt, Human Resource Director of FONA International; Don Wilkins, Chief Operations Officer of Tiger Drylac; and Amy Coneys, Human Resource manager of Batavia Container. This dynamic group will bring their experience, expertise and fresh perspectives to this important issue.
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