Euclid Works Expo & Job Fair

Euclid Works

 

Join the Euclid Chamber of Commerce at Euclid High School, 711 E. 222nd St., Euclid, Ohio, on Mar. 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as they spend the day helping to develop our future workforce, while also meeting potential candidates available for immediate hire. Give local students a first-hand look at viable career opportunities. Then the doors will open to the public for a job fair.

Timeline:

Manufacturer set-up: 9:30-10:15 a.m.

Students EXPO: 10:28 a.m.- 1:17 p.m.

Break: 1:20 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.

Job Fair: 2:30 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. (open to the public)

 

Manufacturer Registration:

$100 per 6-foot table

10% off registration and sponsorship for all Euclid Chamber of Commerce members

Sponsorship:

  • Presenting Sponsor- Euclid Chamber of Commerce
  • Gold- $750 (table and registration included)
    • Logo on website (with link to website)
    • Logo on advertisement for afternoon Job Fair
    • Social Media recognition (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
    • City, Schools, Library, and Chamber recognition on websites
  • Silver -$500 (table and registration included)
    • Logo on website (with link to website)
    • Logo on advertisement for afternoon Job Fair
    • Social Media recognition (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
  • Bronze- $250 (table and registration included)
    • Social Media recognition (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
    • City, Schools, Library, and Chamber recognition on websites

STUDENT EXPO

Engaging and hands-on activities or demonstrations to entice the student population.  You are welcomed to bring materials/giveaways for both the student expo and job fair.

Please register here.

Euclid plant manufactures components for naval nuclear reactors

U.S. Navy submarine
(courtesy of the U.S. Navy): A Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine heads out to sea after a brief port visit in Greece.

 

(An interview with Doug Paulson, general manager, BWX Technologies, Euclid, Ohio)

Tell me about how your business started.

BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) traces its history all the way back to the 1850s when Stephen Wilcox patented the water tube boiler. Almost 100 years later, with the advent of nuclear energy, our expertise in the power generation business put us at the forefront of commercial and government nuclear industries. Operating for many years as the Babcock & Wilcox Company, we spun off our power generation business in 2015 to allow BWXT to focus on government and nuclear operations.

Why was the decision made to locate in Euclid?

BWXT purchased the Euclid operations from an offshoot of TRW in 2007. TRW’s predecessors have been in the Cleveland area since the early 1900s and here on Euclid Avenue since before World War II.

How are the products that you manufacture used?

BWXT’s Euclid site manufactures electro-mechanical components for naval nuclear reactors used in submarines and aircraft carriers.

For more than 60 years, the Navy’s submarines and aircraft carriers have safely steamed millions of miles using components manufactured by BWXT Nuclear Operations Group facilities – a track record that is highlighted by our commitment to safety, quality and integrity.

How many employees work in the facility in Euclid, and what kind of skilled labor do you hire?

About 350 employees work at our Euclid facility. Due to the high-consequence nature of our products, most of our employees are considered to be highly skilled. We employ machinists, welders, inspectors, engineers and a variety of professional support staff.

Are there ways that the company participates in the community?

We support the community through sponsorship of Euclid Chamber of Commerce events and contribute to a number of deserving charitable organizations in the community such as the United Way.

What do you think is the biggest challenge that manufacturing currently faces?

The retirement of the older generation of trade workers has, in many cases, left manufacturers with more openings than there are qualified and available employees. This is exacerbated by generally low unemployment. We have an advantage in that our factories have industry-leading safety records and that our work is especially meaningful. Our employees take tremendous pride in the fact that our products keep our sailors and our nation safe. These jobs pay well and do not require tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, so attitudes about trades and technical careers are changing quickly. Our schools and community colleges are helping us narrow the gap.

What does the future of manufacturing, especially in Northeast Ohio, look like?

We can only speak for ourselves. This is an exciting time to work for BWXT. BWXT’s Nuclear Operations Group, which includes our Euclid and Barberton manufacturing facilities, has reported record revenues each quarter for the last few years. The Nuclear Operations Group had a backlog of nearly $3 billion at the end of September. Our fourth quarter and full-year 2017 results are scheduled to be announced Feb. 28, 2018.

What inspires you?

Our products enable our sailors to carry out their mission to keep our nation safe. We keep those customers in the forefront of our minds in everything we do.

Are there interesting facts about you or your business that most people don’t know?

In August 2017, NASA awarded the company an $18.8 million contract to start designing a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) reactor in support of a possible future manned mission to Mars. With NTP technology’s high-energy density and resulting spacecraft thrust, NASA is projecting up to a 50 percent reduction in interplanetary travel times compared to chemical rockets, significantly increasing the crew’s safety by reducing exposure to cosmic radiation.

U.S. Navy U.S.S. George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier
(courtesy of the U.S. Navy): The aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H.W. Bush underway from its home port in Norfolk, Va.

Kiddie City Child Care Community hosts annual fundraiser

Kiddie City Child Care Community Euclid Ohio logo

HGR loves to support the Euclid community. If you live or work in the community, you might be interested in attending a comedy show and Chinese auction on Apr. 14 at Kiddie City, 280 E. 206th Street, Euclid, Ohio. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. with three local comedians. Snacks, beer, wine, pop and water will be included. It’s only $27 per person or $52 per couple and is tax deductible since it’s a fundraiser for Kiddie City, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit in Euclid since 2006. This fundraiser occurs so that Kiddie City can continue to create a lifelong love of learning for children in its teachers’ care.

Jennifer Boger, Kiddie City’s director, says, “We’ve been doing this fundraiser for 11 years now to supplement summer programming for families in order to do enhancement and enrichment activities for the children that parents don’t need to pay for out of pocket since 80% of students are using childcare subsidy for lower-income families.”

For tickets, contact Kiddie City at 216-481-9044.

Euclid mayor recaps 2017 and looks ahead to 2018

Euclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail

On Feb. 22, Euclid Mayor Gail addressed members of the chamber, local businesses and the community over lunch at the Irish-American Club. The mayor introduced two tables of city employees in attendance then shared her commitment statement to provide Euclid residents and businesses with “the best services in a cost-effective and innovative manner.” She said there are three themes that consistently surface in her work with the city: investment, resilience and innovation.

She spoke mainly about investment, including the new Amazon fulfillment center, other new businesses, and business and school expansions. She mentioned the recently created master plan and its goals for residents, businesses and infrastructure: stay, prosper, play, connect, engage and preserve. Finally, the mayor acknowledged the investment in safety by the police and fire departments. The police department received many prestigious safety awards for its work in 2017 and responded to 43,471 calls, while the fire department answered 10,825 fire and EMS calls.

The mayor closed the luncheon by looking forward toward more investment, resilience and innovation in 2018.

Euclid city employees at chamber of commerce luncheon

Bitesize Business Workshop: Financial Workshop for Small Businesses I

Euclid Chamber of Commerce logo

 

Join the Euclid Chamber of Commerce at its offices at 20150 Lakeshore Blvd, Euclid, Ohio on Feb. 27 from 8:30-10 a.m. for an educational discussion. Are you thinking of starting a business? Or have been you in business for several years? If so, this workshop will cover:

  • Finances 101
  • Startup Expenses
  • Cash vs. Accrual Accounting
  • Separating personal and business expenses
  • Budgets and financial planning
  • Q&A session

There is no cost to attend.  Membership is not required.

Please register here.

Lowering your tax bill for business webinar

Euclid Chamber of Commerce logo

 

Join the Euclid Chamber of Commerce online on Feb. 27 either at 11-11:30 a.m. EST or 4-4:30 p.m. EST as it hosts Bruce Jones, president of B.A. Jones Insurance Agency, and David Crowley, principal advisor at Financial Gravity, as they help businesses to lower their taxes by 10-30 percent and increase their bottom line.

There is no cost to attend.  Membership is not required.

Please register here for the 11 a.m. session and here for the 4 p.m. session.

Annual state of the city luncheon

City of Euclid

 

Join The Euclid Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 22 at noon at The Irish-American Club, 22770 Lakeshore Blvd., Euclid, Ohio, for lunch as Mayor Gail presents her annual State of the City Address.  Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Doors open at 11:30 a.m.  Lunch will be served at 12 p.m.

Tickets:

$25 members / $30 guests

Members may purchase a reserved table of 6 for $140

Sponsorship Package $300: Includes reserved table of 6 with premier seating, special mention during announcements, opportunity to hand out promotional materials, and logo on event signage.

Please register here.

Bitesize Business Workshop: Accessibility for Employers

Euclid Chamber of Commerce logo

 

Join the Euclid Chamber of Commerce at Services for Independent Living at 26250 Euclid Avenue, Suite 801, Euclid, Ohio on Feb. 21 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. for an educational discussion that will revolve around building a more diverse and inclusive work culture through the hiring of persons with disabilities. They will address myths regarding hiring people with disabilities as well as what is required in terms of the ADA, potential low cost/no cost accommodations and basic disability etiquette.  Time will be made to troubleshoot specific issues.  No cost to attend.  Membership not required.

Please register here.

What type of employer is HGR? Q&A with the Call Center

HGR's call center team

(Courtesy of Guest Blogger Cynthia Vassaur, HGR’s call center manager)

What does your department do?

The HGR Call Center contacts manufacturing and distribution companies to determine if they are in possession of equipment available for sale. We leverage our client relationship management (CRM) software to access vendor contact information. Once a client has been contacted, CRM is updated with critical data stemming from the call. HGR’s Call Center averages 1,500 call actions per day that result in approximately 35 viable “buy leads” for the company.

The Call Center’s ability to meet its daily call volume and quality interaction goals is critical to HGR’s overall success. To do this, an extremely structured performance matrix has been designed, and agents must employ a disciplined approach to comply with minimum standards. Team-building exercises, morale-boosting contests, and departmental lunches are conducted on a regular basis to promote a positive work environment. However, at the end of the day, employees realize that team and individual success in the Call Center are driven by consistently completing a high volume of top quality client interactions. As a result, a typical “day in the life” of the HGR Call Center involves motivated and disciplined staff “doing their thing” over the phone in order to generate business.

How many people work in your department, and what are their roles?

The Call Center employs 13 full-time employees. Cynthia Vassaur, call center manager, oversees personnel and general operations functions. Dax Taruc is in charge of researching and responding to incoming calls from vendors interested in selling equipment and ensures the client database is regularly updated with the most current information. The department also contains Preferred Vendor Administrators Larry Edwards, Joe McAfee, Levit Hernandez and Kim Girnus tasked with reaching out to vendors from whom HGR has purchased, or attempted to purchase, equipment in the past. Their primary focus is maintaining and enhancing HGR’s relationship with this critical segment of clientele. Finally, there are seven marketing administrators — Cameron Luddington, Ludie Toles, Obed Montejano, Theresa Bailey, Jackie McDonald, Kaylie Foster and Quanton Williams – who are responsible for contacting potential vendors. In doing so, they attempt to market HGR, brand the HGR name, and promote HGR’s service.

What qualifications do you need to be successful in your department?

Each MA makes about 150 calls a day, never knowing the end result of each interaction. For an individual to meet the daily demands and goals inherent with the position, he or she must have excellent computer skills and be a self-starter who is capable of communicating with people of varying backgrounds.

What do you like most about your department?

We have a great team! The department is comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds, which results in an interesting array of perspectives, opinions, and solutions. At the same time, each member demonstrates a respectful and accepting attitude toward teammates. While there are numerous characteristics that I appreciate about the HGR Call Center work environment, the inviting and inclusive attitude of the staff stands out.

What challenges has your department faced and how have you overcome them?

The HGR Call Center’s greatest challenge has been attracting and retaining quality employees. Because Austin is such a wonderful place to live, many corporations have flocked to the area during the last couple of decades to set up shop. The resulting competition for pay, benefits, and perks has presented an obstacle to our hiring objectives. To combat that challenge, the department has worked closely with HGR’s Human Resources Department to create an employee profile aimed at attracting the right people for the position. This job profile refinement produced instantaneous results, with the department landing Cameron Luddington, Kim Girnus and several others shortly after its inception, and we are confident the department will continue reaping the benefits of those efforts.

What changes in the way your department does business have occurred in the past few years?

By far, the most impactful change during the last few years in the way the Call Center does business has been the agent pay structure modifications. In short, Call Center agents’ compensation is merit-based — hinging on call volume and a multitude of quality control call grading elements. The overall Call Center performance has dramatically improved as a result of this restructured approach to agent compensation. The harder an agent works, and the more attention to detail that agent exhibits, the more money that agent makes. Motivated agents eager to earn more money today than they did yesterday thrive in this environment.

What continuous improvement processes do you hope to implement in the future?

The major process improvement initiative we hope to initiate in the near future involves streamlining the process for adding new vendors to CRM. There are some strategies set for implementation that we hope will result in a higher number of vendors being routinely added to the database at a much higher rate than current levels.

What is HGR’s overall environment like?

HGR is “THE PLACE” to work! The grassroots culture of the business is positive and infectious; it spreads like wildfire to the new hires. HGR’s environment suits those with a strong work ethic, a desire to achieve team and individual goals, and who are genuinely vested in the HGR mission.

What is your perspective on manufacturing, surplus, investment recovery/product life cycle/equipment recycling?

Before I started working at HGR, I hadn’t really worked in or around the manufacturing industry. But in the last few years, I’ve come to recognize the value of HGR’s services and the affect it has on small and large businesses alike.

Lowering your tax bill for business webinar

Euclid Chamber of Commerce logo

 

Join the Euclid Chamber of Commerce online on Feb. 15 either at 11-11:30 a.m. EST or 4-4:30 p.m. EST as it hosts Bruce Jones, president of B.A. Jones Insurance Agency, and David Crowley, principal advisor at Financial Gravity, as they help businesses to lower their taxes by 10-30 percent and increase their bottom line.

There is no cost to attend.  Membership is not required.

Please register here for the 11 a.m. session and here for the 4 p.m. session.

Euclid Chamber of Commerce Coffee Connections: Services for Independent Living

coffee at Six Shooter Cafe

Join the Euclid Chamber of Commerce for coffee, pastry, networking and a tour of this local agency charged with helping and empowering individuals with disabilities to lead healthy, productive lives.

The event is free of charge and takes place on Feb. 13 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at 26250 Euclid Ave., Suite 801.

Act and audit

watercolor painting of still life

George Taninecz MPI Group(Courtesy of Guest Blogger George Taninecz, VP of research, The MPI Group)

Did you make any plans for change in 2018?

Even this early in the year , many such goals and resolutions have already been abandoned. Or, at least, they’re at severe risk of being discarded. These failures are often not due to lack of desire. Most people who make resolutions do so earnestly, trying in some way to improve their lives, careers, personalities, or communities.

And yet why is it so tough to stick with our resolutions?

One reason is that we often embark on unguided resolutions. We lack the mechanisms to measure and monitor our progress toward our end goal. We strive for a marathon without running a mile. Even  the most ambitious resolution has a fighting chance if accompanied by a system to break it down into incremental actions and outcomes.

To achieve a year-end result (usually some form of a lag measure tallied at the close of the year), we need intermediary metronomes to keep us pacing toward the sought-after ending (lead measures). If we’re looking to lose weight, our weekly frequency of exercise and daily intake of calories will likely predict the 12-month outcome long before the new year rolls around.

For example, I’ve dabbled in watercolors for decades and have a drawer of unfinished (and unappealing) paintings to prove it. When I told my friend Jack, a distinguished painter, about my inability to finish a work, he matter-of-factly said that I need to practice finishing. So, with a resolution to improve as a watercolorist, my plan is to finish a painting twice a month. With each finished painting, I should move closer to reaching my resolution.

Some improvements and some resolutions may only require a “just do it” approach — you don’t need a future-state map to put out a fire — but most require time and long-term effort. Here, we can take a cue from lean practitioners.

When pursuing strategic goals, lean organizations establish routine monitoring throughout their operations to understand lead performances on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis. With a regularly scheduled cascade of meetings up and down  the organization, teams share and review this information, take corrective actions if necessary, and escalate problems beyond their control up to the next tier of meetings. It is an endless whirl of many connected PDCA cycles (plan/do/check/adjust) that keep all aligned on the end goals. These companies may not always achieve their yearly targets, but they’re rarely surprised when they don’t. We, too, can regularly review progress, as well as engage others in helping us to achieve our goals.

We also can’t underestimate the need to actually do something: merely tracking our path toward progress won’t cut it. In order to accomplish a goal or in some way change our behaviors, we also have to act. This necessary cycle of actions, audits, and outcomes reminded me of a homily I heard decades ago: A parishioner prays weekly to God to win the lottery. After years of disappointment and winless, he lashes out and asks why God would refuse him. The voice comes: “You need to buy a lottery ticket.”

If we regularly buy a ticket — i.e., do the work to change — and have the means to periodically check the results, we at least have a chance to win with our resolutions.

Amazon brings 1,000 jobs to Northeast Ohio

Euclid Chamber of Commerce Amazon luncheon

Euclid Chamber of Commerce Amazon luncheon

On Jan. 31, a full house was gathered at Tizzano’s Party Center to hear the Euclid Chamber of Commerce’s presentation of “The Amazon Story” that included Amazon’s plan to tear down the former Euclid Square Mall and build a 655,000-square-foot, $175-million fulfillment center, which will add 1,000 new jobs to the region.

Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail at Euclid Chamber of Commerce Amazon luncheonEuclid Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail mentioned that the initial meeting in March 2017 at Cuyahoga Community College to discuss the project was the most memorable day during her time as mayor. After that initial meeting, there were ongoing efforts to rezone the property and to secure $1.2 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation toward roadway improvements.

The next speaker, Matt Deptola of JobsOhio, a nonprofit corporation that promotes job creation and economic development for Ohio, shared his organization’s enthusiasm about Deptola of JobsOhio at Euclid Chamber of Commerce Amazon luncheonthe reputation of Ohio as a great place to live, according to Forbes and other magazines. He also shared some interesting statistics about Amazon. It currently transfers items from its regional fulfillment centers to a nearby sortation facility to a shipping facility within seven hours. Currently, Amazon has a sortation facility in Twinsburg and a shipping facility in Euclid; so, the fulfillment center in Euclid makes perfect sense. Amazon currently employs 6,000 people in Ohio. Additionally, Amazon offers $12,000 of tuition reimbursement for training in high-demand fields after one year of employment, benefits on Day 1, and an average hourly rate of $13.

DiSalvo Euclid Chamber of Commerce Amazon luncheonPete DiSalvo with DiSalvo Development Advisors was the final speaker before the mayor returned to the mic to share that Amazon already has made a commitment to the community by giving $10,000 to the HELP Foundation, a Euclid business that empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, day support, vocational, and summer education programs.

Be there to hear the 2018 NEO Manufacturing Survey results

MAGNET logo

Join other manufacturers on Feb. 14, 2018, from 8-9:30 a.m. at Crown Plaza Cleveland South – Independence when MAGNET: Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network unveils its 2018 Northeast Ohio Manufacturing Survey Results.

More than 400 manufacturing companies submitted more than 450 responses, and the results are in. MAGNET and its partners – Bank of America, Skoda Minotti, WIRE-Net and Oswald Companies – will break down the results of the survey over breakfast.

We’ll be there! Will you? Register here.