Talent Magnet

Michele Helfgott-Waters, Military Spouse and Program Manager for Work Ex at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Seth Mattos, former Marine, licensed geologist and partner at GeoResources, LLC join the program to discuss the details and benefits of the Work Ex program.   About the guests:   Michele Helfgott-Waters, Military Spouse and Program Manager for WorkEx at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, leading the team for PacMtn and the Thurston County Chamber. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG3_ukZ6XA0   Seth Mattos, former Marine, licensed geologist and partner at GeoResources, LLC, a small Geotechnical Engineering and Earth Science firm located in Tacoma, Washington.  They provide geotechnical engineering services to a wide range of clients and projects in the greater Puget Sound area.  https://www.georesources.rocks

Cheri Larkins, Director of Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems Global Talent Acquisition, and Melissa Thomas, Senior Proposal Analyst in the Operations Proposals and Planning Group join the program to discuss the Chapter Next program, which provides the opportunity to re-engage returning professionals who have been away from the workforce for two or more years to resume their previously successful careers. To learn more, visit:  https://www.lockheedmartinjobs.com/chapter-next https://www.linkedin.com/company/lockheed-martin/  

This episode features Christina Chesnut, Business Services Coordinator for WorkSource Thurston and Lewis Counties, as she discusses the importance of connecting youth to careers. Discover how Business2Youth Connect helps students find work integrated learning opportunities in the community that fit within their career interests. For more info, visit:  http://thurstonchamber.com/business-2-youth-connect/

Megan Fiess, Thurston County Chamber of Commerce Workforce Division Project Manager, joins the program to discuss the role that business can play in helping opportunity populations, rural communities and youth to get ahead in their careers, and the benefits that unlocking hidden talent can provide to employers. Megan shares her own story of becoming homeless at 15 years old, and how an employer gave her an opportunity that helped her become financially stable and further her education. 

This episode features an interview with Geoff Lawrence, Account Executive at Impact Washington, and Robert Bishop President, SATECH, Inc. as they discuss the importance of upskilling staff through training and share tips and takeaways from their experiences. Discover the Future of Work program and the impact that upskilling  staff can have on an organization.  To learn more, visit  https://impactwashington.org/ www.smartcellsusa.com

Trenton Fluetsch, Service Manager from Sunset Air, joins the program to discuss how his company uses pre-apprenticeship programs as an innovative recruitment strategy in a tight labor market.  To learn more about Sunset Air, visit https://www.sunsetair.com/       

Nick Curry, Senior Program Manager at Amazon Web Services, joins the program to discuss Amazon's military recruiting intiatives. Discover tips and takeaways for recruiting and retaining transitioning service members and their spouses.   To learn more, visit:  https://www.amazon.jobs/en/landing_pages/mil-apprentice

Rozanne Garman, President & CEO of RHD Enterprises, joins the program to discuss tips and insights for maintaining a strong company culture in a growing business.  To learn more about RHD Enterprises, visit www.rhdenterprises.com  

Reid Bates, Owner of Express Employment Professionals offices in Olympia, Centralia and Aberdeen, Washington, joins the program to discuss the Thurston County Chamber's 9th annual "Boss of The Year" Award. Reid, a co-founder of the award, shares how the initiative got started and why it has continued. He also reveals the role that a great leader plays in an organization and the impact they can have on recruitment and retention.  To learn more about Express Employment Professionals, visit: www.express-olympia.com  

Devin Craig from Craig Consulting Group joins the program to discuss how to build a fantastic workplace culture that supports recruitment and retention. The episode also features one of Devin's clients, Hunter Brooks, co-founder of the healthy salad chain Evergreens. Devin and Hunter discuss takeaways and lessons learned about creating and sustaining a positive workplace culture.   

This episode features an interview with Chad Pearson, Marketing, Outreach, and Communications Manager at Employment Security Department. Discover how labor exchanges work, and the benefits of labor exchanges for job seekers and employers. Chad also gives a rundown of some of the most updated features and benefits of WorksourceWA.com    To learn more, visit : www.WorkSourceWA.com www.linkedin.com/in/cmpearson

In this episode, you'll learn about Lakeside Industries and their involvement in career connected learning and recruitment. John Hurd, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Lakeside Industries, joins the program to discuss best practices, lessons learned, as well as their innovative afterschool program. 

Carolyn Newsome, Vanpool Manager at Intercity Transit, discusses the benefits of their vanpool service for employees and businesses.  About Intercity Transit: In addition to routed buses, Intercity Transit has 180 vanpools traveling up and down the I-5 corridor, the program removes over 1,200 cars from our congested roadways each day which helps keep traffic moving for everyone. https://www.intercitytransit.com

Shellie Willis, Director of Quality Assurance and Certification at WorkForce Central, joins the program to discuss the difference between companies being veteran friendly versus being veteran ready, and how to become veteran ready.    About Shellie Willis:    Shellie Willis is a U.S. Army Veteran who currently works for WorkForce Central, the workforce development board in the City of Tacoma and Pierce County.  She is the Director of Quality Assurance and Certification, and has oversight of all military initiatives to include certifying the new WorkSource site on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  Shellie serves on the Washington State Military Transition Council where she provides insight to how the system supports the military community and assist employers with strategic ways to hire and retain their military talent by being Military Ready.  

Melodie Pazolt, Recovery Support Services Supervisor for the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery at DSHS, joins the program to discuss the work that they do helping people with mental health and behavioral health find and maintain employment. She also discusses their anti-stigma campaign, and the benefits for employers of attracting and retaining individuals in recovery from mental health or substance abuse disorders. 

Shelley Ackroyd, outreach specialist at SharedWork Program and Virginia Gonzalez from Smith Gardens, Inc.  join the program to discuss the benefits of the shared work and layoff aversion program and the eligibility criteria for the program. 

Tim Lew, General Manager at Pepsi Northwest Beverages, LLC, discusses best practices in employee retention. Tim discusses a mentorship program that they created at Pepsi Northwest Beverages and the benefits that they have seen from the program. He also shares how they have used focus groups within the organization to create programs designed to increase employee retention.   

Darlene Wilczynski,Vice President and Regional Executive of the Seattle Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, joins the program to discuss how her experiences as a veteran and military spouse inform her current work. Darlene shares some of the unique challenges that veterans and military spouses experience when they transition into civilian employment, as well how to identify key strengths and skills that they can bring to any organization. She also reveals takeaways for hiring professionals about how they can recruit and retain veterans and military spouses.