Keeping It Real: To the guy who posted some derogatory things about the state of Alabama – This one’s for you…
Posted On May 30, 2019
To the Facebook poster who posted condescending and derogatory things about my state, hope this message finds its way to you somehow.
Categories: Keeping It RealWorkplace Culture – Too Important to be Left to Chance
Posted On May 28, 2019
Prior to selling his business, David Friedman’s company was awarded seven Best Places to Work awards. Company culture, he says, is too important to be left up to chance or to be side-swiped by a strong personality who may not be the one you want in an influential role. David works with companies to create predictable behaviors through a process of defining what the company does to be successful and inculcates it across the organization. The companies that need his help the most are the ones in rapid growth mode where attention to the details and the levels of service… Read More
Categories: LibsynKeeping It Real – Friday May 24 – Surprising and worrying decline in mental health in next gen workforce
Posted On May 28, 2019
On this week’s Keeping It Real – my research for a client reveals a trend that is worrying to say the least.
Categories: Uncategorized
Fearing Social Security insolvency? iGen could be coming to the rescue
Posted On May 24, 2019
We all know about the danger that the sheer size of the retiring Baby Boomer generation poses to many social programs set up to ease their golden years. Forecasting the date of the ultimate demise of Social Security and Medicare is almost a cottage industry. But there may be good news on the horizon. And its name is iGen. According to a recent report from Morgan Stanley Research, the ushering of iGen, or Generation Z as some call it, into the workforce bodes for a brighter economic outlook in the coming decades than previously thought. The iGen generation, born roughly… Read More
Categories: Blog, iGen
The wisdom of investing in a future workforce
Posted On May 23, 2019
What can small businesses learn from large corporations about attracting and training employees? Surely, the hiring process at a major international company like Airbus has nothing in common with that of, say, a Mom-and-Pop pizzeria. But is there anything they can learn from each other? Our guests in the latest episode of “What’s Working With Cam Marston” are intimately involved in Airbus’ hiring and workforce development efforts in Mobile. Michelle Hurdle is Director of Economic and Community Development at Airbus Americas, and Kristi Tucker is its Director of Communications. Airbus opened the final assembly line for its A320 line of… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam Marston, WorkplaceYeti Coolers as Caskets and Lessons Learned From a Dinner that Maybe Went Too Late
Posted On May 21, 2019
On this episode of Keeping It Real, I tell the story of a dinner that went too late and its wonderful outcome, and why scheduling these things never works out the way you hope they will.
Categories: Keeping It RealA Niche Business Importing Exotic Timber for Specialized Uses – the Overseas Hardwoods Company
Posted On May 20, 2019
Luckett Robinson’s grandfather owned a timber mill on the Mobile River. His father began importing exotic timber fifty years ago. The business is deep in his blood and today he and three of his siblings run the company. They’ve completed some recent acquisitions that will propel growth westward from Texas and opened some retail stores for customers come to see, smell, and touch the beautiful products they find and import from all corners of the world. The job requires lots of travel and lots of relationship building with land-owners and timber companies from a wide variety of cultures. Check out… Read More
Categories: LibsynAirbus is Creating their Workforce of the Future and Honoring their Commitments
Posted On May 14, 2019
Airbus has been a fixture in the city of Mobile for fourteen years. During that time the partnership with the city, the community, and the workforce has grown and evolved into something all parties are proud of. Airbus’ recent announcement of their new workforce development plan called FlightPath9 takes talented high school kids and gets them hands-on experience in the field of airplane assembly. Upon completion, the students are then immediately enrolled into Airbus’ Fast Track training program and, upon completion of Fast Track, they’re full fledged Airbus employees. Airbus struggled to find the workforce they needed so they’ve created… Read More
Categories: Libsyn
How ink-and-paper printing can survive in a digital world
Posted On May 10, 2019
When your industry is disrupted by technological advances, how do you survive? You adapt, or else. Our guest in the latest episode of “What’s Working With Cam Marston” is a valuable case study in this theorem. While digital communications tools threaten to make many printed publications obsolete, Gwin’s Printing continues to thrive after being in business for more than 100 years. Mike Payne, whose family has owned and run the Mobile-based printing company since 1989, says he’s seen a lot of competitors fall by the wayside in that time, and his business has benefitted as a result. How did Gwin’s… Read More
Categories: What's Working with Cam Marston
Back in the groove: Why vinyl records are making a comeback
Posted On May 6, 2019
Did you know that vinyl albums are still being produced today? It’s not just reissues, but new releases by current artists. And people are buying them. The introduction of the compact disc three decades ago ended the mass production of vinyl albums as a primary medium for musical recordings. And after record stores traded their bins of vinyl for racks of CDs, the advent of the internet and music sharing platforms such as Spotify and Pandora sent most of them out of business. But albums didn’t go away completely. Now, there’s a growing demand for vinyl, both by collectors and… Read More
Categories: Podcast, What's Working with Cam Marston