Michael Taylor, Mentor Apprenticeship Program and ML Trainer, Buhler Inc.

This session will discuss how apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally recognized credential.” Apprenticeships have long been known to address skills gaps by providing an earn-while-you-learn model that pushes doors to opportunities wide open and allows people to earn a salary while learning the practical skills required to do a job. I will review the benefits of apprenticeship programs and how ROI can be measured.

Ryan Zimmerman, Director of Human Resources

POLYWOOD was deemed an essential manufacturer and expanded operations in Roxboro NC during the peak of COVID. We continued to work with PCC during this process to deliver training to our employees through virtual methods. We would like to share our success in partnering with PCC and how we have weathered and expanded during COVID.

Attendees will learn about:

• Expanding business during COVID and Impacts of COVID on current business.
• How to quickly recruit top talent in a HOT labor market.
• Leveraging Career Growth in your organization to retain employees.
• Creating a robust Leader Development program in a high-growth organization.

Parker Offshore builds premium offshore and inshore fishing boats in Beaufort, NC. As a subsidiary of Correct Craft, Parker delivers a lifetime of enjoyment and rugged fish-ability focusing on strength, simplicity, and seaworthiness. The company has built a reputation for excellence in workforce development through its founding culture pyramid – People, Performance, and Philanthropy. The pyramid reflects all that is important to the company and is the basis for their philosophy of “Making Life Better.” The company strives to achieve their mission to make life better for all they come in contact with – customers, employees and their families, dealers, vendors, strategic partners and people around the world they may only meet once. Parker does this by investing in their employees by providing a positive work culture to produce great products where performance and philanthropy are a part of everyday life. In turn, the employees have embraced the culture by wanting to be a part of a higher mission. The company prioritizes cultivating internal workforce development opportunities coupled with those offered by the local community college’s customized training program to build a strong team of dedicated, talented employees.

From this presentation attendees will hear about:

• The opportunities afforded to Parker employees by Correct Craft’s internal training program coupled with customized training classes offered by Carteret Community College.
• Parker’s philosophy of investing in their employees and how that mission has been instrumental in securing them a position as a top performer in the world of sportfishing boat manufacturers.
• The culture of philanthropy which has resulted in a positive work environment with dedicated employees and success in making the local community and the world a better place.

The rise in employer sponsored health plan premiums and deductibles have significantly outpaced middle income Americans’ wage growth over the past 15 years. Primarily because the financial incentives built into our healthcare financing system is working as designed, which benefits large insurance carriers and hospital systems, but rarely employers or patients. When you create a health plan where incentives are aligned with employers and patients, employees access care through high value health care providers, outcomes improve, and costs are reduced. To create the proper alignment of incentives requires working with independent, transparent partners, which further reduces waste, bureaucracy, and cost.

So much of the healthcare industry is shrouded in secrecy with opaque systems. Has your insurance broker ever said, “the carrier proposed a 17% renewal, but we negotiated it down to 9%?” We have got to stop thinking that a less-bad renewal is acceptable. It’s time to take back control of your health care spending.

Attendees will learn:

• Learn how health plan incentives are misaligned in favor of insurance carriers and large hospital systems
• Learn how properly aligned incentives can reduce cost and improve health outcomes
• Explore pharmacy supply chain management techniques that reduce waste, bureaucracy, and cost
• Learn the Best Practices of a high-performance health plan – one that reduces employer and employee cost when high value care is delivered

Lynn Crump, President-Cross Automation, Cross Company