October 2024 Chair's Column

What’s up? 

We have officially entered Q4 and this year has once again flown by before my eyes. That’s a good thing though, right? It means that we were busy with established and new businesses, we were traveling, meeting new people and we had plenty of good times along the way. 

A focus of 2024 in our region (and one that will carry into 2025) has been workforce. How can we build a workforce that is keeping up with the demands of our growing industries? I’m sure it’s a question that many of you are asking and definitely one that people around the world are attempting to crack the code on. 

We head to Bowling Green, Kentucky, next week to spend some dedicated time with a community that’s really acing this challenge. They’ve managed to align their entire community—from third-graders to high school educators, HR recruiters, and everyone in between. They've created a seamless talent funnel, ensuring that young people develop the skills employers need while fostering a desire to stay or return to their hometown.

We are bringing along different stakeholders from our region because that’s what it takes—buy-in from everyone. From city leadership to teachers in our schools, and yes, parents too. We need people at every level to understand the barriers that exist and how we can overcome them together as a community.

Whether workforce development is top of mind for you or not, the idea of buy-in can apply to any part of your work. If you keep revisiting the same issues over and over, maybe it’s time to bring in new voices. Invite someone to the table who hasn’t had a seat before. Fresh perspectives bring new solutions, and it’s a lot easier to move forward when everyone’s rowing in the same direction.

See you soon, 
Trip Tollison