YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY

Springfield, MO

Log in Subscribe

IN DISCUSSION: Carrie Richardson moderates a panel discussion as participants Brad Coy, at left, Tiffani Claussen and Michael Eaton listen during the Dec. 4 Manufacturing Outlook event.
Tawnie Wilson | SBJ
IN DISCUSSION: Carrie Richardson moderates a panel discussion as participants Brad Coy, at left, Tiffani Claussen and Michael Eaton listen during the Dec. 4 Manufacturing Outlook event.

Industry officials share talent retention strategies

Posted online

As the manufacturing industry continues to be a strong employer statewide, the demand to bolster a skilled workforce remains a challenge, officials said Dec. 4 at a Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce event.

The annual Manufacturing Outlook event, organized by the Springfield Business Development Corp., the chamber’s economic development arm, featured a panel discussion among industry leaders who explored strategies to recruit, attract and retain talent.

Jonas Arjes, the chamber’s senior vice president of economic development, told the audience of 410 at the White River Conference Center that five of the eight business investment projects SBDC was involved with this year involved manufacturers. The projects are expected in the next several years to add roughly 370 jobs and over $200 million in new capital investment in Springfield.

One of those is Cold Zone, a subsidiary of Springfield-based Erlen Group, which is expanding to Partnership Industrial Center West. The company broke ground in June on a $57 million, 170,000-square-foot facility in the northwest Springfield industrial center, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Officials expect a fall 2025 completion date and plan to add 25 jobs as part of the expansion.

“We have heard repeatedly that an available skilled workforce remains a top priority for every business owner,” Arjes said of discussions the chamber has with companies. “So, we continue to actively engage in programs focused on talent development, attraction and retention.”

Carrie Richardson, executive director of Leadership Springfield, said a section of this year’s Community Focus Report noted a skilled labor shortage as one of the local red flags, which are key trouble spots to focus problem-solving efforts. The biannual report card for Springfield and Greene County was released in October.

Richardson served as moderator of the event’s panel, which comprised Tiffani Claussen, CEO of Amprod LLC; Brad Coy, co-founder of Impact Recruiting Partners Inc.; and Michael Eaton, executive director of the Missouri Association of Manufacturers.

Statewide, employment in manufacturing is on the rise. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employee count in the sector reached 290,200 in October, a 2.5% year-over-year increase.

Industry demand will likely remain high nationally for the next decade, according to a recent report from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. The report said up to 3.8 million new jobs in the U.S. manufacturing industry could be needed between 2024 and 2033, but half could go unfilled due to workforce challenges.

‘Know your audience’
Claussen, who was promoted in June to CEO of Strafford-based manufacturer Amprod, said the company had skyrocketing sales around three years ago but struggled to attract enough skilled labor to keep pace. Claussen has worked for nearly six years at the company, which employs over 400 people with divisions including American Products, DustShield, EnSight Solutions and Watson Metal Masters.

As efforts to attract enough talent made only small strides, Amprod conducted its first comprehensive employee survey in 2022. While she said some of the feedback was a little tough to hear, it resulted in wholesale changes for the company to better serve its workforce.

“We made changes in our frontline leadership management. We made changes in policies and procedures and pay and in how we dealt with our team, reverse developing them,” she said. “We started a succession plan and then development plans on an individual basis.”

For Claussen, it came down to the company meeting its employees where they are. It’s a management style she has utilized since becoming a leader at Amprod.

“I have to get to know my team individually. I have to know what appeals to them, and I have to take the time to do that,” she said. “So that was a different thing for us. And I think the hardest thing was us breaking out of that mindset of one size fits all and it’s going to attract everyone.”

Since taking on the leadership role at MAM in 2020, Eaton said he’s been on around 275 manufacturing plant tours in the state. He’s heard plenty of unique and creative retention strategies from employers, noting one he talked to said she pays for the cellphone plans of her employees.

“Know your audience. Know what connects and resonates with them,” Eaton said. “It will go a long way.”

In support
Mark McNay, president of SMC Packaging Group, was among those in attendance at the chamber event. SMC employs around 375 in Springfield and 500 companywide, he said, adding it has up to 10 positions open on any given day.

He said a key industry challenge is how best to connect early with new hires to make them feel a part of the organization and its culture. At SMC, the orientation process has been extended to multiple days to help the new employee understand the operation, the job they will start and the culture that will support them.

The company also sends a welcome card to the new hire’s home and provides lunch for the person and their crew to allow them to get to know each other better.

Claussen said Amprod partners with Ozarks Technical Community College through a company program called Ignite the Possibilities.

“We’ll pay for our team members to continue their learning, whether it’s a certification or a full degree,” she said. “We want them to continue to learn and grow.”

They’ve also hired a training and development specialist, who Claussen said is tasked with helping employees get resources they need to continue their career path.

“Maybe they haven’t even thought about their career path, but she’s there for that, too,” Claussen said. “We’ve got events that are going on for our team outside of work where they can connect. And I think that connection makes them more sticky to the workplace.”

Coy, whose employment search firm largely focuses on the attraction piece of the talent supply chain, said companies need to better promote their attractiveness to employees.

“From a recruiting standpoint, the biggest key and things we see people miss most often is doing all that work of reinventing a culture, reinventing perks, spending money to do so, to care about your workforce and your future workforce,” he said. “And then just missing opportunities to capitalize on that from the employer branding standpoint and the marketing standpoint. But that’s where recruiting starts – passively and proactively – and they don’t tell those stories.”

Additionally, Coy said employees are more interested in recent years about a company’s sustainability efforts, as well as community volunteering opportunities.

“You need to be intentional and proactive very early about building what we would call a talent community,” he said, noting that includes companies expanding their social network with search consultants, leadership experts and even the employee candidates. “That network can’t be expansive enough because you don’t know when you’re going to need to tap into it. But when you do, it’s going to be in a very big and impactful way.”

Comments

No comments on this story |
Please log in to add your comment

Comments

No comments on this story |
Please log in to add your comment
Editors' Pick
From the Ground Up: Reed Academy for Fine and Performing Arts

A new and improved Reed Academy is being constructed on the middle school’s original site to preserve a neighborhood connection that goes back a century.

Most Read
SBJ.net Poll
Has your business made any changes in response to shifting federal government priorities?

*

View results

Update cookies preferences