Create excitement about a prospective employee’s new city. Train them for promotions. Invest in a mentoring program. This is a recipe for success for companies seeking to attract and retain talent. The City of Blue Ash understands this and is taking strong strides to draw and keep lucrative life science industries to the growing city North of Cincinnati.
Already a leader in the emerging life science field, Blue Ash provides a home to powerhouse employers such as Procter & Gamble, Ethicon Endo-Surgery and Mercy Health Systems among the city’s thriving corporate community.
Blue Ash recently held its first ever Life Sciences Collaborative work session in November of this year. The event involved networking, and sharing ideas about keeping and retaining young, talented professionals in this growing sector of the economy. But these ideas weren’t limited to helping employers just in the life sciences arena. Many easily could translate to a number of professional sectors looking to attract - and more importantly keep - new talent.
"We believe people left the event with several ideas they can easily implement in their efforts to attract and retain life science talent. The attendees also had the opportunity to hear examples of successful collaborations between education and business," explained Blue Ash Economic and Community Development Director Judy Clark. "We know people were energized by the diverse group of business, education and government professional assembled because it provided for great networking opportunities."
The session was an outgrowth of the Blue Ash Life Science Collaborative, a new regional organization that promotes idea sharing among the life sciences community. The collaborative includes stakeholders from the governmental, corporate and educational worlds. It includes representatives from the areas of biotechnology, medical and pharmaceutical companies as well as research and development institutions and regional universities.
Blue Ash’s effort also fits with the state’s new economic development strategic plan. Among the state’s goals is to grow Ohioan’s incomes, create and retain jobs and expand productivity through innovation.
The healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, and life sciences innovation is driving that.
"It’s an exciting time to be in the healthcare industry," said panelist John Lewis, vice president of BioOhio. "All we see is this trending up in the bio science area."
"We are not trying to emerge into anything, we are a global player in the bio sciences market. We have better than 1,000 companies (related to the field)," Lewis added.
Another panelist, Dr. Karen King, chair of the Biology Department at Raymond Walters College, agreed that this field is growing fast. She said colleges must step up to meet the workforce education needs of the region.
But how do you keep students in Greater Cincinnati once they graduate? There are several so-called "soft factors" that contribute to that, King said.
"Students are interested in the location of the business. Does it have good schools, does it have day cares close by? Do they have flexible hours, is a low percentage of travel required? What type of training and mentoring is available in the company?" she said.
Chris O’Malley, Senior Talent Assessment Consultant for Ethicon Endo-Surgery, said employers competing for skilled and talented workers have to sell themselves. He said the first 15 seconds of impression can make or break a perspective employee’s view of a company, and of the city where it’s located.
"It’s sales, no doubt about it. What kind of hospitality is available really can make a difference," he said, adding, "In the first literal impression, we have a real chance to engage them."
Employers should also present a "big picture" career path for a new employee. They’re more likely to stay if they know they can be trained and promoted within the company, O’Malley added.
"They want to know if they have a home four years down the road," he said.
In recruitment, Meridian Bioscience uses a combination of new and tried techniques, said Marviette Dale, Senior Director of Human Resources there. It’s important to use new technologies and social networking Web sites, such as LinkedIn to engage with potential employees.
"Our candidates have mentioned this is one way to link with professionals," Dale said.
But the old fashioned things are still working
"Employee referrals are huge," she said. "We offer a financial incentive for that."
Meridian also periodically analyzes what techniques garner the most and best recruits. This assures they’re getting the biggest bang for the recruiting buck.
And finally, pay attention to the details, and make employees feel like part of a company family, Dale said. Meridian has events like an annual Thanksgiving meal and others to keep employees engaged. Employees also have an opportunity to shine on major projects, she added.
"We let them know we want to invest in them, and that we will invest in them," she said, adding. "Every employee gets a bonus every year, and shares in our success."
Successful economic development and growth can’t happen without an investment in the workforce, Lewis said. And increasingly Ohio and the federal government are tying the two together, concentrating their efforts on educating the workforce and keeping workers with government amenities.
"Economic development is the No. 1 issue. The state and federal government takes it very seriously, and the workforce piece is part of the overall economic development piece," Lewis said.
Event sponsors were BioOhio, City of Blue Ash, highbridge associates, metaphor, HYPE (Harnessing Young Professional Energy) and the University of Cincinnati. It also included a presentation by Mary Benedict, Regional Workforce Director of the state Department of Development, a best practice discussion.
Photography by Scott Beseler
Welcome to Blue Ash
P&G headquarters
Stock image by Corbis
Ethicon Endo-Surgery web image
Mercy Health System web image
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