Green business survey underway
August 19, 2010
The Heartland 411 partnership is seeking input from local businesses on green activities and the workforce needs of local employers. Participation in this survey will help identify high-demand occupations in the coming years and better align training programs to meet those demands. With more information on the type and number of green jobs in our region, regional leaders can be better prepared to track industry and employment growth in the green economy in the years ahead.- Producing Renewable Energy
- Increasing Energy Efficiency
- Agriculture and Natural Resource Conservation
- Pollution Prevention and Environmental Cleanup
- Clean Transportation and Fuels
As an integral part of the 4-states’ economy, input on this survey will help to develop a more informed foundation for future policy, workforce and economic decisions. Survey invitations are out on the street as of mid-August. A PDF copy of the survey is provided at the link below. Actual survey responses are being collected through an online survey form. If applicable, a jobs spreadsheet is available to provide additional detail.
Local green firms featured in national magazine
August 6, 2010
Eagle-Picher along with Able Manufacturing and Assembly LLC, both of Joplin, are featured as prime examples of firms seizing green business opportunities noted in the July/August 2010 issue of Trade and Development magazine. The article, titled It’s (Becoming) Easy to be Green, showcases green supply chain opportunities nationally.
The Joplin references start on page 22 of the print edition with the Eagle-Picher’s solutions that are emerging to solve the energy storage dilemma, which is seen as the largest gap that prevents alternative energy from reaching its potential. Able Manufacturing’s capability to produce intricate composite components now fills the need for several large-scale alternative energy projects.
The magazine has a printer-friendly digital format that preserves the page layout of the actual magazine. Visit the publication’s website to view the digital edition.
International Business Workshop Geared toward Economic Developers and Entrepreneurs
May 4, 2009
Pittsburg State University’s Kelce College of Business in collaboration with the Kansas Department of Commerce Divisions of Trade Development and Business Development are offering a workshop May 27th to provide international business acumen for economic development professionals and emerging small business leaders. Titled From Local to Global: Steering Your Clients and Community to Global Success, the workshop is slated from 9:00 to 3:00 at the Overman Student Center on the PSU campus. Locally, the event is co-sponsored by Empire District Electric and the Kansas Gas Service. Click here to download a one-page flyer for complete event details.
QSRT to be profiled in National Workforce Conference
January 14, 2009
Best practices on workforce-economic development integration will feature local successes in the spotlight at a national conference coming up in Washington DC in early March. The National Association of Workforce Boards conference session is titled, “Aligning Workforce and Economic Development: State and Local Success Stories.”
Factors such as globalization, severe economic downturn, limited resources, critical skills shortages, impending baby boomer retirements and stiff competition for company attraction and retention are contributing to the growing need for communities to build a world class workforce to meet the needs of business and to remain competitive. Given these realities, workforce and economic development cannot continue to operate in silos. Alignment of these two disciplines can increase efficiencies, improve services, leverage resources, enhance a region’s competitiveness, and in turn, develop increased opportunities for residents and businesses.
Attendees for this session can anticipate learning about the challenges, opportunities and success with aligning workforce and economic development to support business and grow the local economy, according to event moderator, Sharon Sewell, Vice President of Workforce Services for Wadley-Donovan GrowthTech LLC. Examples will how two state-level efforts efforts and two local WIBs are melding workforce and economic development activities to meet the needs of business and citizens with great success.
Entities and speakers profiled include the Bonnie Elsey from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Norma Noble from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Jasen Jones from the WIB of Southwest Missouri, and Barbara Kauffmann from the Montgomery County, MD WIB. The conference is slated for March 8th and 9th in DC. More information about the NAWB Forum event is available online.
