Many Wabash area employers have expressed frustration with their efforts to find and keep good employees. If you have experienced the same frustration, rest assured that this is not a problem unique to the Wabash area. Some of the hard-to-fill jobs include: welders, truck drivers, machinists, tool & die makers, auto repair technicians, electricians, computer programmers, systems analysts, sales professionals, financial people, retail sales people and all sorts of entry-level jobs. According to the Small Business Development Center, here are what some employers around the country are doing to attract and keep good employees...

ATTRACTING EMPLOYEES

1. Offer more flexible hours, not just 9 to 5 for five days a week. To acquire needed workers, many employers are going to compressed workweeks, such as four 10-hour days; also, part-time schedules and reduced hours.
2. Going after nontraditional workers ... retirees, college students, part timers, temps, job sharers, moonlighters and people from overseas.
3. Working closely with local colleges, even helping faculty members develop courses so future computer programmers, etc., learn what is needed to succeed on the job. Also, aggressively recruite promising interns...a chance for them to learn the ropes and for employers to size them up.
4. Develop skilled workers in-house through education programs and apprenticeships. An auto dealer in Arizona hires junior college grads and trains them for advancement in service, sales and parts operations.

KEEPING EMPLOYEES

1. Workers usually stay or leave because of the way they are treated. Most employees prefer to stay where they are...itās human nature. But, they leave because of what they consider inadequate pay and benefits, lack of recognition for accomplishments or an opportunity to move ahead.
2. Recognition is VERY important. Many employers overlook this or pay less attention to it than they should, thus lose good workers.
3. Flexible scheduling also helps keep employees...making it easier for two-income couples to have someone home when the school bus arrives, take care of a childās illness, run errands and attend school events.
4. Giving employees a piece of the action also increases retention. A Fargo, ND firm recently offered stock options to all 550 employees along with a stock purchase plan. Nearly 90% signed up!

In other words, be creative and flexible. Itās easier and less expensive to try and work with your employees than it is to hire new ones.

"Oh that Damned Highway, Again"

The saga continues regarding the Hoosier Heartland Industrial Corridor and its quest to see a highway completed from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Lafayette, Indiana. By William E. Bradley, Jr., Executive Director, WEDCOR

Over the past year, the HHIC Board of Directors have been working at attempting to complete the entire highway from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Lafayette, Indiana. Several things have contributed to our unusual success, including the following:

1. The election of a new governor;
2. The new emphasis placed at both the federal and state levels regarding infrastructure; and,
3. The reauthorization process of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act (ISTEA) at the federal level.

As part of this effort, members of the HHIC Board of Directors have been visiting Washington D.C. over the past year. Meetings have been held with state Congressional staffs, both from the Senate and the House. Also, we have met with staffs from neighboring states, especially Ohio and Illinois. These visits have proven to be very successful and have brought to the forefront, in the transportation discussion, our project. The mantra from several circles is, Oh, thereās that group from the Heartland again.

The Board of Directors have authorized another visit to Washington for September 13 - 16. Francis Jaquay, President of the HHIC Board, along with Vice President Larry Muffett and Secretary Bill Bradley will visit all of the Indiana delegation once again (both House and Senate). In addition, we have meetings established with staffs from Congressman Ewing of Illinois and Congressman Shuster of Pennsylvania (the Committee chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee). We will also be meeting with the chief lobbyist for the state of Indiana, who represents the office of the Governor in Washington.

This will be the third visit from the Hoosier Heartland to Washington over the past year. This makes, however, for a very powerful impression upon the minds of those who will make the ultimate decision as to who gets what and how much money. In addition, and very importantly, it has made a very positive impression in the minds of similar officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). Dennis Faulkenberg (Deputy Commissioner of INDOT) and Curt Wiley (Commissioner of INDOT) have found our assistance invaluable, especially at very critical times in the legislative process. Likewise, the Heartland has built up a very positive image with INDOT. This type of partnership will only pay dividends in the years to come.

Many may ask, why do we go to Washington, especially since it is so expensive and you are spending so much money to go? That is a good question. Our heightened presence in D.C. has brought this project to the forefront. Without these visits, the Heartland project would have been one of many projects on the shelf. Instead, an awareness has dawned concerning the importance of this project. These visits have shown the various Congressional staffs that this highway has a great deal of grass roots support - so much so that these people will even spend money to come to Washington and carry that message to their respective offices. Remember the mantra, Oh, thereās, that group from the Heartland again!

The other key issue is that Heartland has been supportive of garnering greater transportation dollars for the entire state of Indiana. We have not been parochial in our single-minded support of Heartland. Rather, we have lent our support to other projects within the state of Indiana and have been recognized by INDOT as such.

Some may also wonder why Wabash should any longer be involved in this process. Simply the ground, If there is a downturn in the economy or some other catastrophic event happens, that money allocated to the Heartland project could easily be diverted to another more pressing project. That is why, both at the federal and the state levels, we need to work with all parties to insure that this highway becomes a reality.

At the present time, no one really knows what will happen at the federal level. The ISTEA legislation will need to be reauthorized by the end of September. How much, how long and what the ultimate division of dollars will be is up-in-the-air. However, Indiana has made a very valuable contribution to this discussion through the leadership of INDOT, and yes, even the Heartland has provided a small portion of that effort. In the future there will, undoubtedly, be rewards for our efforts. Keep your fingers crossed, I think that you will see a highway being built very soon!