Good employees are not born, they are made. And employers are waking up to the fact that they are to have an integral role in an employee’s development.
So says Don Alexander, outgoing president of Southeast Kansas, Inc., a regional economic development organization that had its annual meeting at Miller’s on Madison in Iola Tuesday night.
Alexander, 51, is a third-generation owner of Alexander Manufacturing, Parsons. Begun in 1927, the company’s main product is an assortment of steel firewood racks.
“We ship all over the world,” Alexander said.
But his focus is on southeast Kansas. And specifically, its manufacturing climate.
“The number-one challenge for SEK employers is finding qualified employees,” he said. “Manufacturers are begging for applicants,” he said.
As a region, southeast Kansas has an unemployment rate of about 5 percent, higher than other parts of the state.
But it’s not for a lack of jobs.
In Alexander’s opinion, the mismatch comes from a workforce that lacks “soft skills,” including not understanding the importance of consistently showing up for work, not being able to communicate effectively, and, unfortunately, a high rate of substance abuse.
And while it may not be a goal of SEK, Inc., to fight the “vicious” cycle of poverty, Alexander said it’s one the organization cannot ignore if it wants to grow the region’s manufacturing base.
“No one is going to come in from the outside and say they are going to fix our problems,” he said. “It’s got to start with us and the attitude that we — educators, employers, the courts, families — are going to do all we can do.”
Breaking the stigma of factory work is a first step, he said.
“Young kids hear that working in a plant is a dead-end job,” he said. “We need to show they can make a decent living in manufacturing, it has potential for growth, and includes great benefits.”
Alexander said it’s also incumbent on manufacturers to pay well and not demand excessive overtime.
“I don’t like the idea that people have to work 60 hours a week to make ends meet,” he said. “That’s hard on families.”
Alexander said his friends kid him about wanting to change the world. He accepts the challenge.
“If we could help just 5 percent of our population get steady, good-paying jobs, think of the ripple effect that could have for the region,” he said. “It’s on our shoulders to show these people that there is potential for a better life at our places of work. But we have to be willing to show them how it’s done; to take them there.”
BEING associated with SEK, Inc., has helped Alexander as an employer, he said.
“We have meetings every other month that address issues such as how to comply with federal and state safety regulations, problems in human resources, and the myriad other challenges a company faces,” he said.
“The networking aspect has been very helpful. It’s nice to know you’re not the other one with problems. Turns out we’re facing the same sort of issues, sometimes it’s just a matter of scale.”
Alexander Manufacturing, for example, employs 14.
More concrete measures include helping businesses acquire financing and being a voice for the region during the legislative session.
An SEK Day on the Hill is scheduled for Jan. 26. Eleven legislators have so confirmed they will meet with SEK, Inc., representatives for a 7:30 a.m. breakfast to hear their concerns.
For Alexander, the region’s roads are also a concern.
“We’re always at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to KDOT funds,” he said, referring to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
“Topeka will say they don’t need to focus on our roads because we’re losing population. But maybe we’re losing population because our roads our deteriorating and that’s a problem for manufacturers.”
