HCEDC, chamber to host business session on employee retention, recruitment

In a time when recruiting quality, capable employees and retaining the ones currently in position has become demanding, the timing of an upcoming collaborative effort in Holmes County should be an educational experience.

The Holmes County Economic Development Council and the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau will cohost a Retention & Recruitment Education Session for local business leaders Jan. 22 at The Encore Hotel in Berlin.

This is the second year the two organizations have partnered to bring a timely education program to local businesses.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with the Chamber of Commerce to host this timely event,” said Mark Leininger, executive director of the Economic Development Council. “Difficulty attracting and retaining employees is often cited by companies as their biggest obstacle to continued growth. This event will provide attendees with the latest strategies for addressing these challenges.”

Tiffany Gerber, executive director of the chamber, said, “Employment retention and recruitment was recognized as a top challenge for our area by our board while updating our vision. When we look at the whole quality of life in the area, matching people with jobs and keeping those positions filled is a vital need.”

Last year the two organizations teamed up to present an educational event on succession planning that was highly successful.

The hope is to continue presenting timely insight for business professionals, and Gerber said this topic is one that has all kinds of meaning in today’s business market.

“We found a great deal of value in last year’s presentation, and we hope to present one every January for our business community and partners,” Gerber said. “This year we felt everyone is in the same boat with both recruitment and retention, so we believed this would be the most timely, important program to present.”

The session titled Retention, Recruitment, Repeat: The Cycle of Building a High-performance Workforce” will be presented by Denise Cowburn, workforce development specialist for Tooling U-SME, an online workforce-development platform that bridges the gap between industry needs and worker skills and was created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Cowburn brings over 25 years of experience in learning and development in the manufacturing industry.

“Denise tries to customize every session she does, so we were able to provide her with some details and insight on Amish culture and what this county and our communities are like, so she will tailor her topics specifically to our needs and wants,” Gerber said.

The program will focus on four topics: the current state of the workforce, attracting and retaining employees, retention facts and reports, and best practices to attract, engage and retain employees.

There will be a time of Q-and-A following Cowburn’s presentation.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. and include lunch. Registration is required and is $25 per person. The deadline to register is Jan. 20.

To receive a registration link or to register by phone, call the chamber at 330-674-3975 or email Gerber at tiffany@holmescountychamber.com.