Launch of the Thumb Area Business & Community Leaders Forum
Even before the onset of COVID there was a growing sense within the business community that something was beginning to change regarding our regional workforce. It was becoming more difficult to recruit talent across all industries and skill levels, and employee retention was also beginning to suffer. This evolution within our regional workforce seems to have accelerated in the aftermath of COVID but has not settled into a new normal. The number of applicants is increasing, but the number of unfilled jobs across all industries is still high, and employee retention is a challenge. There is a resurgence of entrepreneurial energy, and regional tourism is trending toward a very strong season. Manufacturing orders remain high, and unemployment remains low, despite poor economic indicators. There are a lot of mixed signals within our workforce and economy, but there is a strong positive energy and entrepreneurial resurgence as well. With the forced isolation of COVID in the past, people are ready to gather in person, and many business and community leaders are inspired to move forward and bring positive change.
In the last ten to fifteen years, GST has hosted a successful Thumb Area Human Resource Association, and a Thumb Area Manufacturing Forum, which COVID brought to an abrupt end. With things opening back up on most fronts, and the rising positive energy, the timing is right to begin another regional working group. These forums have led to strong relationships with new partners, several industry led collaboratives, incumbent worker training projects, etc. We do not want to re-create the past, but tap into this new positive, yet unsettled energy. To that end, the first Thumb Area Business & Community Leaders Forum convened on March 28th, with a follow up gathering on May 16th.
The objective of this new working group is to bring together leaders from all sectors and industries to determine how we may begin to move our communities forward… together. Representatives from manufacturing, healthcare, services, entrepreneurs, consultants, city government, and economic development, are meeting together to brainstorm and discuss both the challenges and the assets within our communities, and where the opportunities are to innovate. At this stage, three areas of interest have emerged: attracting and retaining a younger workforce, availability of transportation across county lines, and marketing and promotion of our communities. As a work in progress, these focus areas will change and adapt, leading to some form of action. A small but diverse group of participants has volunteered to join a steering committee to move this initiative forward. All involved are eager to see what develops from the new Thumb Area Business & Community Leaders Forum.