2015 recruitment / career resource special section

| Sunday, October 4, 2015 1

RN Mal Taylor explains the new room features during an open house tour of Ocala Regional Medical Center’s new

Intensive Care unit in Ocala, Florida on August 24, 2015. The $30 Million project

adds 34 new intensive care beds to the facility. (ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/OCALA

STAR-BANNER)2015

MARION COUNTY

CAREER RESOURCE

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Know who’s hiring?We do. Ask us.Find companies hiring right now.careersourceclm.com | 800.434.JOBS

2 Sunday, October 4, 2015 |

By Fred Hiers Staff writer

When someone is look-ing for work, they need not do it alone.

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion is a state and federally funded and professionally staffed, non-profit organization which offers its clients a variety of services and help walking them through the job-hunting process.

The organization, with offices in the three coun-ties, works with clients to ensure they have the skills they need to find work or helps them decide whether they need more education or training in the employ-ment sector they want to join. The organization also works closely with area businesses, creating part-nerships whereby they find the kind of skilled workers they need.

CareerSource employ-ment specialists meet with clients helping them build resumes or tweaking them to target specific jobs, help them hone inter-view skills and encourage employers to hire clients by sometimes paying for the bulk of the employ-ees’ salaries for a time or funding on-the-job train-ing programs.

It can especially help clients who are trying to re-enter the workforce.

“A lot of people who have been working for a long time are not used to the job (search) arena,” said CareerSource CEO Rusty Skinner. “There’s s o m u c h e l e c t r o n i c s (involved now). You rarely go to a place to apply for

a job.”CareerSource routinely

hosts job search work-shops and fairs where employers and job seekers can meet, talk and match skills and compatible jobs. CareerSource also works with third-party human resource offices that can help introduce employers to the workers they need.

C a r e e r S o u r c e a l s o posts local and state jobs because about 25 percent of Florida workers travel to other counties for their jobs.

T h e q u a l i t i e s t h a t employers are looking for has also changed during the past five years, Skin-ner said.

“A lot of (employers) are looking for skill sets (held by prospective employees) rather than wanting to know where you worked for the past 15 years,” Skinner said.

Knowing that allows job seekers to focus on devel-oping the skills employers want or bringing that out in a resume if the job seeker already has that skill, he said.

CareerSource Website allows clients to set reg-ister and arrange to meet with the organization’s staff to work on find a job or follow the pro-gram online on their own. CareerSource’s website to help people find jobs is at: http://new.clmwork-force.com/1238.aspx.

CareerSource‘s location in Marion County is 2703 NE 14th St. The organiza-tion has a staff of about 60 people in all three coun-ties. The locations have office space and resources clients may use in their

search for a job.In 2010-2011, Career

S o u r c e h a d 1 1 9 , 0 0 0 visitors to its offices. As the recession eased, that number dropped to between 90,000-95,000 in 2014-2015. The visits do not include the number of people who utilized CareerSource via its inter-net site.

But Skinner warns that CareerSource is not a job placement center, but

HERE TO HELP

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion assists in job searchesProviding specifi c help for clients

CareerSource Job Readiness Coach Laura Isaacs, left, helps client Leroy Council Jr. find a job on the self service area of the computer stations Thursday afternoon, Sept. 10 at the CareerSource office in Ocala. (DOUG ENGLE/OCALA

STAR-BANNER)2015.

CareerSource Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist Henry Ayala, left, helps disabled veteran Cable Brenay, right, find jobs he can apply for Thursday afternoon, Sept. 10 at the Career-Source office in Ocala. (DOUG ENGLE/OCALA STAR-BANNER)2015.

SEE CAREERSOURCE, B10

Staff reportThe labor market is always in

flux. But in this region, as the accompanying charts show, there are a few dependable trends:

• Health care is king: Of the companies that place online employment ads, seven of the Top 10 in this region (Marion, Citrus and Levy counties) are related to health care. In Marion County alone, Healthcare Prac-titioners/Technical is the fourth largest occupational field, with 6,960 employees. Healthcare support is No. 10. The top job advertised online: registered nurse.

• The need for skilled trades workers is acute: The top two listings for occupational demands in the three-county are are carpenters and painters/construction/maintenance.

• Manufacturing is continuing its notable rebound. In August in Marion County, the number of people employed in that sector was up 5.5 percent year over year.That growth rate was third highest in the state behind Sebastian-Vero Beach (9.5 per-cent) and Naples (5.9 percent) although those areas only added half as many manufacturing jobs as Marion.

THE BIG PICTURE

Taking a look at Marion County employmentHealth care, truck driving still in highest demand


REGIONAL DEMAND OCCUPATION LIST* Occupation group Annual openings Mean hourly wageCarpenters 2,838 $17.63Painters, construction and maintenance 1,528 $16.14Paralegals and legal assistants 1,103 $23.41Firefi ghters 952 $25.11Loan offi cers 947 $36.46Software developers/applications 836 $39.48Computer systems analysts 828 $41.92Sales reps: wholesale manufacturing/tech and science products 805 $37.46Graphics designers 731 $21.57Claim adjusters/examiners/investigators 713 $28.02

*Covers Marion, Citrus and Levy countiesSource: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

Marion County Top 10 occupation fi elds and number of employees

Offi ce and Administrative Support: 16,090

Sales and Related: 13,140

Food Prep and Serving-Related: 9,880

Healthcare Practitioners and Technical: 6,960

*Product Occupations: 5,660

Transportation and Material Moving:5,640

Construction and Extraction: 4,020

Installation, Maintenance and Repair: 4,000

Healthcare Support: 3,620

Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance: 3,370

*Includes jobs such as butchers, bakers, machinists, metal

workers

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data as of May 2014,

which is latest available

Online job adsHere are the Top 10 occupations listed in online job ads in Marion, Citrus and Levy counties combined. Occupation Aug. 2015 ads Aug. 2014 adsRegistered nurse 586 276Heavy/tractor-trailer truck driver 354 287Retail sales 156 157First-line supervisor, retail 107 126Maintenance/repair 97 77Landscaping/groundskeeping 91 91Nursing assistant 88 42Customer service rep 84 113First-line supervisor, admin/support 81 57Medical/health service manager 80 61

Source: The Conference Board, Help Wanted Online; prepared by Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Bureau of Labor Market

Statistics

Top 10 Direct Employers by Online Ads, August 2015*Employer Number of adsCommunity Health Systems 435HCA 254Citrus Memorial Hospital 87Ocala Regional Medical Center 71Wells Fargo 50The Centers 42Levy County School Board 39Emerson 36West Marion Community Hospital 34Brookdale Senior Living 32

Source: The Conference Board, Help Wanted Online; prepared by Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Bureau of Labor Market

Statistics

*Covers Marion, Citrus and Levy counties

Job category No. employed No. employed % change July 2015 July 2014Transportation, warehousing 3,500 3,200 9.4utilitiesManufacturing 7,700 7,300 5.5Leisure and hospitality 11,600 11,100 4.6Professional and business 9,800 9,400 4.3services

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

Matt Mowery, left, and Jason Phelps, right, of Dave Mowery Construction in Ocala fasten framing for a wall together at the new Comfort Suites that is under construction on Brooks Street in Dunnellon, Fla. on Thursday, July 23, 2015. Hotel Development Group, which has been busy lately, is building the new hotel in Dunnellon and is acquiring another inn in DeLand. (STAR-BANNER PHOTO/BRUCE

ACKERMAN) 2015.


By Jim RossManaging editor

For students seek-ing internships, it's time to think about summer. No, not the one that just passed. The one in 2016.

Summer internships often are secured during the preceding fall. That makes this prime inter-viewing season.

It’s no surprise that internships can ben-efit both students and employers. That has always been true. Stu-dents learn more about their chosen field, make c o n t a c t s , a n d g a i n valuable real-world expe-rience. Employers get a

helping hand at the office and scout new talent.

So, what’s new on the internship scene?

F o r o n e t h i n g , traditional internships seem to be generally more available than they had been during the economic downturn, when many companies cut back on their intern programs.

T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f F l o r i d a h e l d i t s f a l l career showcase in late S e p t e m b e r a n d w a s e x p e c t i n g a l m o s t 1 0 percent more recruiters than the year before. Also, about 60 more spaces for follow-up interviews were requested.

UF’s career showcases

(there is one in the spring, as well) did well even during the lean years, said Ja’Net Glover, senior associate director for career services. Still, “we truly have seen an upward swing,” she said.

Another trend: fewer u n p a i d i n t e r n s h i p s . Wary of getting into legal trouble, companies are finding ways to pay interns or ensure they get college credit. There have been some high-profile companies (the maker of the movie “Black Swan,” for example) that have landed in hot water over this issue in recent years.

T h e U . S . L a b o r Department has issued

rules (see information box accompanying this story) to guide for-profit and nonprofits --- and interns themselves. UF’s Glover said her office raises this point with recruiters.

This attention to the intern experience might b e h a v i n g a t r i c k l e -down effect. Companies seem intent on making internships a positive time for students.

More than 75 percent of 2015 college graduates were very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their internship or co-op experiences, according to survey results from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Of the 6 percent who registered dissatisfaction, the most commonly cited reasons were lack of focus on their personal development and dearth o f m e a n i n g f u l w o r k

duties.The new Robert DeNiro

movie “The Intern” is a comedy about a 70-year-old man who interns at an online fashion site. But the real internship trend might be going the other way on the age spectrum.

J o d y H a g a m a n a n d Jenni Stahlmann host a r a d i o s h o w , w r i t e newspaper columns and speak about parenting. They encourage high school and even junior high school students t o g e t i n t e r n s h i p s , a p p r e n t i c e s h i p s a n d mentorships.

For one thing, the expe-riences help students sort out what they do and do not want to pursue as a career. Also, as Hagaman put it, colleges “smile fondly” on applicants who have taken this initiative.

“College is a very expen-sive and time-consuming

way to find yourself,” Stahlmann said.

Once those students make their way into col-lege they keep going on the intern trail. UF’s Glover said more fresh-men and sophomores are seeking internship oppor-tunities, and students are graduating with multiple internships under their belts. And many of them are getting full-time work with a company that had employed them for a summer or for a semester.

The general idea for companies: Recruit once, hire twice.

According to UF’s grad-uation surveys, students with internship experi-ence are 50 percent more likely to get a job and have average starting salaries that are $7,000 higher than their internship-less counterparts, Glover said.

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CAN YOU IMAGINE A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Marion County Public Schools, An Equal Opportunity School District


By Richard AnguianoBusiness editor

Now that Marion Coun-ty’s construction industry is reviving after years of dormancy, it appears to be facing a new issue: having enough workers in the building trades to meet demand.

A key indicator fore-shadowing increased building activity came on Sept. 21, when the Ocala/Marion County Associa-tion of Realtors reported 5.8 months’ supply of existing homes on the Marion County market in August. Realtors con-sider 5.5 months’ supply of inventory both an indica-tor of a balanced market favoring neither buyer nor seller and a precursor

to construction of new homes.

Anecdotally, those in or dealing with the construc-tion industry say things have been moving in the right direction for some time.

“There’s no doubt about that,” said Ken Ausley, CEO of Ausley Construc-tion of Ocala. “The market is beginning to pick up again and act more like normal. The problem is, I’m a little concerned about our labor market.”

Brian Ballard, manager for Express Employment P r o f e s s i o n a l s ’ O c a l a office, said the local build-ing industry has many jobs to fill.

“If I had people with the skill sets, I could put 30 of them to work tomorrow,”

Ballard said on Sept. 18. “But I just can’t find them.”

The industry needs workers of varying skills, Ballard said.

“It can be as basic as the ability to read a tape measure and use basic hand and power tools up to experienced concrete finishers, carpenters, e l e c t r i c i a n s , p l u m b -ers, any of those skilled trades,” he said.

Hugh Dailey, presi-dent of Community Bank & Trust of Florida, said many of his customers who are contractors or subcontractors are tell-ing him they are having trouble finding workers in trades including electrical,

'I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR LABOR MARKET'

Jobs go begging in Marion's construction industry

Dakota Wayne works with a circular saw in the Marion Technical Institute building construction science lab on on Feb. 19 as Tony Vazquez, his teacher, looks on left. ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAR-BANNER FILESEE CONSTRUCTION, B12

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By Rick AllenStaff writer

Time was, retirement meant sleeping in, fish-ing, spoiling the grandkids – and then doing it all over again the next day and the day after. But at some point, this picture of post-career tranquility morphed into something different.

Nowadays, we’re likely to be still putting in nine-to-fives regularly at 65, 68, 70 or even older. According to a report issued earlier this year by AARP, some 35 percent of the U.S. labor force will be Americans age 50 or older by 2022 – just seven years from now. It was only 25 percent in 2002.

The Center for Retire-ment Research at Boston College cited earlier this year a number of rea-sons for this, including an upward change in the age for full Social Secu-rity retirement benefits, a shift from pensions to

individual 401(k) plans and improving health and longevity.

But are older work-ers holding onto jobs, or getting new ones, years beyond the traditional retirement age stealing, in a sense, jobs from their children and grandchil-dren who are looking to enter the work force?

The AARP report says no, as do many experts on the elderly and employ-ers. “This horse has been beaten to death,” con-cluded Alicia H. Munnell and April Yanyuan Wu in another study for the Center for Retirement Research.

“In fact, the evidence suggests that greater employment of older persons leads to better outcomes for the young – reduced unemployment, increased employment, and a higher wage,” they added.

T h e A A R P s t u d y added other advantages of 50-plus workers are

"experience, profession-alistm, work ethic, lower turnover and knowledge." Moreover, it found older workers don't cost "sig-nificantly more than younger workers."

It would seem there’s a new dynamic at work here.

“I’m 68 and I’m still working,” said Rusty Skinner, CEO of Career-Source Citrus Levy Marion – a workforce develop-ment board that provides training and assistance with job procurement for its clients of all ages in the three county area.

“A lot of people who would normally retire are not,” he said. “They still find value in working.” Many also find they have to keep working; the Great Recession of 2008 sliced into their 401(k) nest egg and they need to supple-ment what they thought

they would have.And many just want to

keep working, Skinner continued. “They find socialization in the work place,” he said.

And finally, “some employers are still inter-ested in keeping their experience,” Skinner added. “They have expe-rience and skill sets that younger people don’t have when they come out of high school or college.”

J o h n W a t z k e , f o r instance; the owner of the Ocala Drive-In said he wanted to help out kids just entering the work force. But he found t h a t i n g e n e r a l “ t h e kids don’t want to take responsibility.

“They want to walk around all night with their noses in their cellphones, texting, playing games.” So he said he hired a couple of older workers

– one, Nancy Bigi, who worked at the drive-in in 1979 – who “do twice the work. And I don’t have to keep looking over their shoulders.”

He said he let go four of the kids after he hired Bigi, 59, and Rebecca Darling, 43. “They’re saving me money,” he said.

Bigi, paid $3 per hour 36 years ago, said she came back “to reminisce, feel young again. I saw he was hiring so I applied. My husband retired, we moved back from Georgia. This is like starting over.

“We know what to do, and we do it.”

Darling said she still has 7 of her 11 children at home. She’s always been self-employed – not employable as far as most bosses are concerned. “I treat this as my own business,” she said. “It’s how I am.”

The concept at work in

this tug of war is known as the “lump of labor,” an idea that dates back to the 1850s that holds thereis only so much work to be done; existing workersmust leave or have their hours cut before anyone new can get in.

Like most economists and employment experts,Munnell and Wu reject “lump of labor.” “Advo-cates ignore the fact that, over the long run, tech-nological improvements create new products and services, raise national income and increase demand for labor through-out the economy.

“Indeed, the evidence suggests that greater labor force participation of older persons is associated with greater youth employment and reduced youth unem-ployment,” they added.

THEY’RE SAVING ME MONEY

Advantages seen in older workers

U.S. labor force is aging

Nancy Bigi, left, talks with a customer Judy Harrison at the box office at the Ocala Drive-In Concession stand in Ocala on Saturday Sept. 19. ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Nancy Bigi, left, talks with a customer Judy Harrison at the box office at the Ocala Drive-In Concession stand in Ocala on Satur-day Sept. 19. ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

SEE SENIORS, B13

By Richard AnguianoBusiness editor

A program at College of Central Florida that aims to prepare students in rural areas for high-tech careers has placed dozens in jobs as it nears its second anniversary.

The XCEL-IT program at CF has launched the careers of 42 students so far, said Todd Reiland, placement specialist with the program.

A $10.2 million federal grant, set to run through September 2017, funds the program. CF gets $3.2 million for local use and as the leader of a consortium, administers the remaining $7 million, which goes to seven other colleges in the state.

According to its web-site, XCEL-IT offers college credit certificates in: business administra-tion/entrepreneurship; engineering technology/simulation and auto-mation; mobile device technology; and help desk support (technician). A high school diploma is a prerequisite.

S t u d e n t s m a y a l s o obtain advanced techni-cal certificates in: logistics and supply chain man-agement; and network security. An associate degree is a prerequisite.

Reiland said most of the 42 students placed so far are coming out of the

information technology/help desk support techni-cian program.

“That’s where we’re seeing a lot of the higher wages,” he said. “Our average wage of all of our students getting jobs is $16.83 an hour, which is a nice entry-level wage f o r s o m e o n e c o m i n g out of school with a two-year-degree.”

'THEY HAVE A LOT OF GREAT CREDENTIALS'

XCEL-IT at CF gives students opportunities in tech careers


Cheney Brothers HR interviewer Traci Ball talks with applicant Sarah Beasley during the College of Central Florida’s XCEL-IT job fair with Cheney Brothers in the Enterprise Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Aug. 31. (ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/OCALA

STAR-BANNER)2015

Chaz White fills out his application during the College of Central Florida’s XCEL-IT job fair with Cheney Brothers in the Enterprise Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Aug. 31. (ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/OCALA STAR-BANNER)2015

SEE XCEL, B14


Whether you need a job or have your eye on the corner office, we canassist you in your search for your next opportunity. That might be a newjob with another business or a new position with your current employer.

So how do you find your next opportunity?

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion is part of a powerful, statewide networkof workforce professionals who help job seekers prepare, search, identify,train for and seize career opportunities in our region and across the state.

We can help you:

• identify top employers hiring right now• develop a resume and search openings• prepare for job interviews• candidate skills and interest assessments• apply for training scholarships

The benefit of working with us is our statewide reach. You can look foryour next opportunity right in your own backyard or throughout Florida.

connect with us

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion

is part of Florida’s 24-area

workforce development system.

This powerful network, known

as CareerSource Florida, focuses

on one mission: connecting

employers with qualified, skilled

talent and Floridians with

employment and career

development opporturnities.

All at no charge to you.

careersourceclm.com | 800.434.JOBS

We help JOB SEEKERS find employment and career development opportunities


rather a service that helps “prepare people” to find work.

“We’re empowering them so they can do it on their own,” he said.

A l o n g w i t h t h e resources CareerSource offers, Skinner empha-sizes the importance of traditional networking.

Skinner said his staff encourages clients to utilize friends, family, organizations and church relationships also as a resource in finding work.

“The most productive was to find a job is to net-work,” he said.

Ellen Kelliher left Phoe-nix with her daughter and a U-Haul truck hauling her possessions coming to Ocala.

She had been head of sales and administration for a counter top manu-facturing company in Arizona.

W h e n s h e a r r i v e d s h e n e t w o r k e d w i t h l o c a l e m p l o y e r s a n d immediately headed to CareerSource for help.

A CareerSource staffer met with Kelliher and dis-cussed her work history, her employment goals and worked to modify her resume to reflect those goals.

“ B u t C a r e e r S o u r c e really wants to know you as a person,” she said.

Kelliher wanted work involving sales and a job where she could meet with people face-to-face. About Three weeks after her first trip to Ocala, Kelliher learned through CareerSource of a job at the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership.

A few interviews later, she had a job as its director

of partner relations.“You’re not just a piece

of paper (at Career-Source),” she said.

“But you have to get out. It’s all about face-to-face networking,” Kelliher said. “CareerSource con-nects people, but it’s up to you to get the job. They are the catalyst.”

“Without CareerSource I never would have gotten this job,” she said.

Laurie Schloss is the director of employee rela-tions for On Top of the World Communities.

The company regularly works with CareerSource to help find employees.

“I have found that CareerSource is very good and open-minded to employer ideas,” Schloss

said.The problem for On Top

of the World isn’t find-ing applicants, Schloss said. Instead, advertising a position will typically get too many applicants wanting the job. And that means each appli-cant’s application has to be individually reviewed, she said.

CareerSource can rec-ommended a handful of applicants for an open-ing “who fit our skill set requirements,” Schloss said.

That saves her time and whittles down the appli-cant pool to a workable number, she said.

“(CareerSource) understands our organi-zation, our work ethic,

our company culture,” Schloss said.

In many cases busi-nesses such as On Top of the World also offer on-the-job training programs because there are not enough people with the specific skills employers are looking for, she said.

But even if On Top of the World offers on-the-job training, the applicant still needs to display skills, Schloss said.

“They need to show us they have the commu-nication skills necessary right up front,” she said. “That they are looking for a future and are willing to work for it.”

Reach Fred Hiers at [email protected] and 352-867-4157.

CAREERSOURCEFrom Page B2

CareerSource Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist Henry Ayala, left, helps disabled veteran Cable Brenay, right, find jobs he can apply for Thursday afternoon, Sept. 10 at the Career-Source office in Ocala. (DOUG ENGLE/OCALA STAR-BANNER)2015.

CareerSource Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist Henry Ayala, right, helps disabled veteran Cable Brenay, left, find job in the security or armed guard field Thursday afternoon, Sept. 10 at the Career-Source office in Ocala. (DOUG ENGLE/OCALA

STAR-BANNER)2015.

CareerSource client like Tiffany Gaines, looks for a job in social work or case management Thursday afternoon, Sept. 10 at the CareerSource office in Ocala. “I just moved here (to Ocala). I applied for nine jobs today,” Gaines said. (DOUG ENGLE/OCALA

STAR-BANNER)2015.

Disabled veteran Cable Brenay, looks for a job in the secu-rity or armed guard field Thursday afternoon, Sept. 10 at the CareerSource office in Ocala. (DOUG ENGLE/OCALA

STAR-BANNER)2015.


By Kristine CraneStaff writer

According to the Florida Department of Economic Development, job cre-ation in Marion County increased 2.6 percent between 2014 and 2015. But Marion County is one of the 10 large counties in the U.S. with the lowest weekly wages, accord-ing to the Bureau of Labor

Statistics. T h e c o u n -ty’s average w a g e s a r e $644, com-pared to the U.S. average of $949.

We asked t h e c a n -didates running for

County Commission in 2016 how they would create jobs --- and, spe-cifically, better paying jobs --- in the county. Here’s what they said:

District 1☞ David Moore, Repub-

lican, incumbent, seeking re-election: “The way to create jobs is by removing the road blocks to doing business such as exces-sive regulations. Marion County’s Comprehensive Plan has been streamlined to facilitate job growth. Also, I feel we should provide incentives like tax abatement for a period of time and Qualified Target Industry grants to help make our county competi-tive and attract companies in the global market.”

M o o r e n o t e d t h a t although a lot of focus has been on the construction industry, both before and after the recession, “we must make sure that we encourage diversifica-tion of our industries so that we do not keep all of our eggs in one basket. Through diversifying our economy, we will create better-paying jobs along with more stability. While

we help construction recover (from the reces-sion,) we can encourage industries such as eco-t o u r i s m , h i s t o r i c a l tourism, manufactur-ing, medical technology, the equine industry, and logistics among others.”

+ Daniel Owen, Repub-lican: “The biggest thing I see is that our location is a tremendous resource for businesses,” Owen said.

“We see a lot of compa-nies get a lot more excited about this place than those of us who live here.”

Owen said both the manufacturing sector and think tank-type organiza-tions such as the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) could find good homes in the county. “It’s a matter of attracting them and sus-taining the momentum to

get them here and thrive,” Owen said. “We need to create a bigger sense of urgency. In the real world, urgency is every day.”

+ John Townsend, no party affiliation: “I would like to get with everyone who matters in the county for job creation and do an in-house promotional film that could be sent to

HOW CAN GOVERNMENT HELP?

Commission candidates talk job creationLooking for areas of opportunity

FedEx construction workers work on the roof of a building along I-75 at the new FedEx Ground hub on a 150-acre site in Ocala Tuesday morning, July 28, 2015. The hub is expected to need 350 employees and will create more than $170 million in capital investment in the community along NW 35th Avenue in Ocala, FL. The property sits at the northeast corner of NW 35th Avenue and NW 35th Street. (DOUG ENGLE/OCALA STAR-BANNER)2015.

SEE JOB CREATION, B15

“We need to create a

bigger sense of urgency. In

the real world, urgency is

every day.”Daniel Owen


plumbing,drywall, fram-ing, and tile-setting, among others.

“The general contrac-tors are telling us they get a plumbing subcontractor or an electrical subcon-tractor and they’re a little afraid to take on additional work because they’re too backed up,” Dailey said. “Even worse than that, in some cases, they might say they can take on some additional work and then they either are late get-ting it done or late getting it started, which is lead-ing to some construction delays.”

A u s l e y , w h o s e f i r m s p e c i a l i z e s i n c o n s t r u c t i o n m a n a g e m e n t w i t h a focus on commercial p r o j e c t s , s a i d m u c h

of his information is anecdotal and comes from talking contractors and subcontractors. He said he hasn’t observed the labor shortage leading to delays yet.

“It makes for more stressful relationships between contractor and subcontractor,” Ausley said, laughing. “But we haven’t seen it directly impact our schedules, per se. There are ways you can end up working, like weekends or other things, w h e n t h e m a n p o w e r becomes available. But it is my fear it could affect us in the long term.”

Among the reasons for the shortage, industry watchers say, is demand in other areas, including larger Florida metros.

“If a guy was making $12 an hour here and some-one offered him $24 to go to Miami, he’s already

in Miami,” Dailey said. “Some of the guys I grew up with in Ocala actu-ally moved to places like Houston or New Orleans or anywhere they think there’s a lot of work.

“I don’t think we’re going to attract them by paying twice as much as they pay in Tampa or Miami to come to Ocala,” Dailey added. “Ulti-mately, I don’t think the housing price is going to allow the contractors to do that.”

Ballard said he believes “a substantial part of our work force simply moved elsewhere during the Great Recession.”

Dailey said he thinks another problem is the workers Marion County does have in the building trades are “aging out” of the work force with not enough young people ready to take their place.

“There’s just not a lot of people that want to be a tile-setter or want to be an air conditioning tech-nician,” Dailey said. “I think the good ones are probably going to do very well financially.”

One program to train y o u n g p e o p l e i n t h e building trades has seen a moderate uptick in interest lately. Marion Technical Institute is one of three public schools in Marion County with a Building Sciences Acad-emy, the others being Dunnellon and Lake Weir high schools. Students take courses in carpen-try, electrical work and masonry and can get industry certifications in some skills. More infor-mation on the academy is available at http://www.marion.k12.fl.us/schools/MTI/construc-tion.cfm

James Wohrley, MTI principal, said the acad-emy at his school has 21 students this year, “up from the teens” in recent years.

“This is the first year we’ve gotten into the twenties,” Wohrley said.

The principal said he doesn’t think awareness of market conditions is driving the increased enrollment.

“Students are oblivious to that concept of jobs out there,” he said.

W o h r l e y s a i d s t a f f exposes Building Ser-vices Academy students to job opportunities by taking them on field trips or bringing contractors in to talk about the skills they need.

“A lot of times the students come back and they let (instructor Tony) Vazquez know they’ve been looking for a job after

they’ve been out for a year or two years,” he said.

In the meantime, Ausley said he thinks Marion County’s building indus-try will weather the labor shortage.

“At the end of the day, I’m not complaining,” he said. “I’m glad there’s more work in the market-place. I’d rather be dealing with a concern of a labor shortage than a concern if there’s work to be done.

“I think as always, we’ll be resilient, we’ll find a way to get proj-ects done and get them done on time and get the labor force we need,” Ausley added. “There’s just going to be a transi-tion period here. As our market heats up in Florida, I think we’ll get labor that comes from other markets down here because there’s opportunity.”

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“The lump of labor theory needs to be put to rest. The theory may sound plau-sible, but the data do not

support it.”Furthermore, young

people who have not collected worktime expe-rience and skills typically are unprepared to step into the vacuums cre-ated by the departure of

an older worker with the company for many years.

But younger work-ers can improve their chances, Skinner said, through internships where they “can gain experience and build a work history.”

Additionally, they need to “make sure when coming out of their education that they have the skills to be a top-level candidate.”

What that means is, checking out a potential employers to see how the

workers dress, what types of certifications they hold. “Do the research,” he said.

Finally, most compa-nies use computerized h i r i n g s y s t e m s n o w . General resumes typi-cally are ignored by the

digital systems while applications containing the specific certifications, training and education desired are passed along to hiring officials.

“Tailor yourself to what they want,” Skinner said.

SENIORSFrom Page B6

Nancy Bigi talks with a customer at the box office at the Ocala Drive-In Concession stand in Ocala on Saturday Sept. 19. ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Rebecca Darling, left, serves customers Brandon Land and Allie Rogers at the Ocala Drive-In Conces-sion stand in Ocala on Saturday Sept. 19. ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Reiland said the pro-g r a m a i m s t o t r a i n “nontraditional” stu-dents, either unemployed or underemployed.

“Generally, that means someone over the age of 24 who is not the typi-cal college student and is really looking to get into a career,” he said. “In the XCEL-IT Program, we’re giving these students real-world experience, real-world applications and industry-recognized certifications and degrees that will get them pre-pared for the work force.”

An advantage of XCEL-IT studies is they allow the student to earn indus-try certifications while also pursuing a degree. For example, students p u r s u i n g a n a s s o c i -ate of science degree in computer information technology and passing

their exams will also attain several Comput-ing Technology Industry Association – known in the industry as “Comp-TIA” – certifications.

“In my opinion, that’s what’s really making these students viable candidates for positions -- that they have a lot of great credentials,” Reiland said.

Programs tend to take 12 to 18 months to com-plete, depending on the course load, according to Reiland. Two-year

students who are Florida residents pay $107.10 percredit hour, said Staci Biondini, CF’s market-ing and public relations manager.

Though the federal grant that established the XCEL-IT program is set to expire at CF in late 2017, the studies will not do the same, Reiland said.

“This is a capacity-building grant and we’re going to be creating sus-tainability measures to ensure the things we’re doing in the XCEL-IT program can continue,” he said. “We’re goingto make sure we keep as many things going as we can after the end of the grant."

Applicants fill out their application and paper work during the College of Central Florida’s XCEL-IT job fair with Cheney Brothers in the Enterprise Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala on Aug. 31. (ALAN YOUNGBLOOD/OCALA STAR-BANNER)2015

INTERESTED?Anyone wanting to know more about XCEL-IT at College of Central Florida may call Todd Reiland at 352-873-5855, extension 1633, or visit the program’s website at http://www.cf.edu/xcelit

XCELFrom B7

“In the XCEL-IT Program, we’re giving these students real-world experience, real-world applications and industry-recognized certifi cations and degrees that will get them prepared for the work force.”Todd Reiland


companies interested in coming here,” Townsend said. He would work with the Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP), as well as the hotel industry to make the video.

“With today’s tech-nology, we can research companies that are look-ing to grow elsewhere,” he said. “We’re a nice, pretty little hub here, and we need to focus on that.” He sees potentially big com-panies, such as Costco, coming to the county.

Townsend also suggests ramping up the educa-tional opportunities for skilled laborers such as welders, and increasing their wages. “We have two schools that teach weld-ing and people come out thinking they are going to make $16 an hour” and are disappointed when they make much less, he continued.

Townsend also suggests building a small venue for a convention center, as well as an entertain-ment center to increase the county’s employment opportunities and eco-nomic vitality.

+ T h o m a s W i l d e r , Republican: A first prior-ity in attracting businesses to the county is resolv-ing internal differences and strengthening rela-tionships among elected officials, Townsend said. “What our leaders don’t seem to realize is con-stant posturing is noticed by businesses that may be looking to relocate.”

Wilder added that the county could be attrac-tive to many types of businesses, but the right incentives need to be put in place, especially to attract employers with

higher-paying jobs. “I would also work with the Chamber and Economic Partnership to ensure that the county is doing every-thing within reason to attract those businesses.

“One opportunity on the horizon that may seem a bit far-fetched is the expansion of the Panama Canal,” Wilder said. “I believe Marion County may have a unique opportunity to attract dis-tribution centers along the I 75 corridor once the expansion is com-plete. Bigger ships will be coming into the Port of Tampa with increased container cargo laden with consumer goods destined for the East Coast. The Port of Tampa has been preparing over several years to accommodate these larger ships along with the Port of Manatee. Marion County needs to be prepared to capitalize on this unique opportu-nity when it arises. We can’t afford to lose good paying jobs to neighbor-ing counties.”

District 3+ D a n i e l l e D a m a t o

D o t y , R e p u b l i c a n : “The CEP has a for-ward-thinking agenda for business retention, attraction and creation that has been developed by local business leaders and an aggressive staff. Their analysis of Marion County's assets has led to a focus on the key sec-tors of logistics, advanced manufacturing (food and aerospace/aviation), back office operations (finance and logistics) and equine business. I support these targeted areas for job cre-ation because they utilize our unique strengths, such as the growing logistics hub with FedEx and the CSX Select Site at the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park, along

with a world-famous equine industry.”

As county government’s business and communi-cations liaison, Doty has been directly involved with the county’s eco-n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t efforts and says that the county has made progress in creating better-paying jobs as part of the CEP’s five-year goal. “Local government must con-tinue to assist in that progress by maintain-ing strong partnerships and not being an obsta-cle to business growth,” she said. “Many moving pieces must come together at once and may include the county, cities and state of Florida providing incentives and executing agreements.”

+ A n t h o n y J a m e s , Republican: “After we get the vision of where we want to go, we will need to partner with the College of Central Florida and other resources to give train-ing to those who desire to strive further,” James said. “Management posi-tions pay more, so I would like to give citizens who want the opportunity a chance to train for man-agement positions for when they come available. The goal is, when compa-nies make their home here in Marion County, to not have to relocate execu-tive and management positions here. They can find a great job pool here. That's what we need to strive for.”

James mentioned that he would promote job opportunities, specifically in the medical research field and aerospace. He also promotes creating a long-term vision for the county. “We really have to have a vision of what we want,” he said. “Even though we are a secret, hidden, beautiful gem,

Marion County is grow-ing with young people who want to do things. My daughter goes to col-lege in a couple years. Is it feasible for her to come back afterwards? Are we going to have something for her?”

+ Evelio Luis Silvera, Republican: “We are located in what I like to call the 'commerce crossroads' of Florida," Silvera says. To capital-ize on that, “First, we must create a consistent and predictable business environment when it comes to regulations and taxes. Eliminating bur-densome regulations and keeping taxes low allows all business, small and large to create jobs, grow and succeed. Second, we must invest in our infra-structure and roads. In order to capitalize on our location our county must allow businesses to easily connect and transport their products, goods and services. Connectivity to surrounding markets is a key factor in attracting the type of higher-wage jobs we desire in our community.

"Third, we must have a safe environment where capital investments and workers are protected, so prioritizing our public safety, which includes our law enforcement, fire rescue and emergency response, is critical in influencing the decision of a company to expand into an area like ours,” he said.

Silvera added that deal-ing with local government should become more streamlined and less cum-bersome for businesses. “The processes, software and requirements cur-rently in place must be examined and possibly altered, so that we can truly say Marion County is ‘open for business,’”

Silvera said.District 5 candidates+ Earl Arnett, Republi-

can, incumbent, seeking re-election: “Distribu-tion/transportation-type industries are really the ones that are going to bring Marion County out of economic slump that it’s been in,” Arnett said. “We’re pursuing devel-oping roads and utilities to make Marion County more attractive to busi-nesses that might want to settle here.”

A r n e t t m e n t i o n e d FedEx is an example of the types of companies that the county is hoping to attract. The average salary, he noted, is roughly $42,000-$43,000, about $10,000 higher than the average salary in Marion County.

Arnett also says that developing the county’s tourism potential will bring more businesses w i t h b e t t e r - p a y i n g jobs. “I have a vision of having a small confer-ence/convention center” specifically for small and medium-sized companies for which holding confer-ences in Orlando is too expensive. “When people come and see the quality of life we have here, we’ll end up attracting busi-nesses to the area.”

+ Ken Davidson, Dem-ocrat: “I believe that in order to create jobs here in Marion County we must first identify our areas of opportunity,” Davidson said, adding that he would focus on continuing “an incentive-rich environ-ment for businesses in the key areas of healthcare, equine, hi-tech manufac-turing and tourism.”

He would also expand the relationship with the CEP, partner with organizations providing micro-loans and funding for small businesses such

as the Community Devel-opment Corporation, anddevelop adult learning center satellites through-out the county for skills training. “I would pro-pose to allocate funds for a convention center, whichI feel word be another catalyst for job creation because of the related services for its operation.”

+ Richard Hancock, Republican: The longtime horse breeder and busi-nessman would focus on job creation in the horse industry. “We’re creat-ing jobs when we grow the horse population,” said Hancock, who also serves on the Florida Agri-culture Center and Horse Park Authority board of directors.

“We’re already off to a good start,” Hancock said. “We have 162 stalls. By building the arena, we could put on more shows,and events generate jobs.”

“We want to stay local,” Hancock added. That means relying on the local supply chain for things such as feed, shavings and hay, and hiring local steelmakers and electri-cians. “One of the biggestindustries in horses is trail riding.”

+ M i c h e l l e S t o n e , Republican: “I think all jobs are important,” Stone said, adding that job creation could hinge on “working with our public and private part-nerships.” She would also “proactively call on industries that are look-ing to expand. I’m open to possible incentive pro-grams as necessary.”

Stone added, “Based onwhere we are, centrally located in the state, we’regoing to attract busi-nesses. Therefore we must proactively determine where we want growth, go after it and get it.”

JOB CREATIONFrom Page B11


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