FCMA Launches Customized Training Service to Members

Atlantic Marine Partners with FCMA to Conduct Leadership Training

Atlantic Marine leadership identified an opportunity to improve productivity, reduce adverse HR actions and affect regrettable turnover through conducting customized leadership training for the front line and mid level leaders. Larry Hickey, Director of Human Resources and Matt Waesche, Human Resource Generalist (pictured right), are working with Joanna Scarboro, FCMA Training Coordinator to implement this best practice program.

“Companies such as Atlantic Marine recognize their most important asset is their people. The competition can buy the same equipment and implement many of the same processes, but developing their leaders to truly lead the organization at the front line level creates a competitive advantage,” said Joanna Scarboro.

“Atlantic Marine has had supervisory related training in the past, but the gap has always been in making the training relevant to the actual work environment of a shipyard. Working with FCMA to customize this training has not only been an employee engagement exercise, but has made the training fit and target the real-world challenges our supervisors experience on the deck-plates,” said Larry Hickey, Director of Human Resources.

According to Matt Waesche, “We expect the value of this training to be realized from the helper to the president. It will have a positive impact on the climate of the Atlantic Marine work environment.”

The FCMA Customized Training Program is focused on learning that drives improvement. Joanna Scarboro has worked with many area manufacturers and knows they need real-world training, which delivers results, in the shortest amount of time possible.

Part of the Atlantic Marine success story is the training project is being funded in large part by a WorkSource grant. “The FCMA Customized Training Program is a service to the members. We will seek out the necessary resources, including grant dollars, to ensure members have the highest quality training at the lowest cost,” adds Lad Daniels, FCMA President.

For more information on how the FCMA Customized Training Program can help your company succeed, please call (904) 296-9664 or email Joanna.

Use Capital Investment to Redefine Florida’s Post-Recession Economy

Lad Daniels

Too often people look at issues through the wrong end of the telescope. The typical observer of Florida manufacturers makes this common mistake. Knowledgeable economic observers look only at direct jobs in evaluating various parts o the economy. They make the assumption that if direct job employment is going up, then the sector is doing well; and if jobs are declining, then the entire sector is on the decline. In manufacturing, we need to turn the telescope around and look at some of the more important facts. There is a direct correlation between what is happening in manufacturing and what has happened over the past several decades in agriculture. Less than 2% of American workers are employed in agriculture, but because of huge productivity increases, American farmers are able to feed a large portion of the world. In manufacturing, there has been a decline in direct employment, but a corresponding explosion in capital investment that has resulted in extraordinary gains in productivity. This has allowed U.S. and Florida companies to remain globally competitive. Manufacturing is like agriculture in that it remains the major producer in the world. U.S. manufacturing output has remained consistent at over 20% of total world production since the 1950’s. The U.S. is 50% larger than its closest competitor, which in 1970 was Russia, and today is China.

Consider the following facts as relates to Northeast Florida which has approximately 6% of its workforce directly employed in manufacturing:

  1. Tangible Personal Property Tax: 25% of the TPP in Duval County is paid by manufacturers. This is four times what you would expect based on direct employment.

  2. Capital Investment: JEDC has tracked 162 projects since 1997 and 17% are manufacturing projects: 25 of these projects were valued at more than $20 million of which one-fourth were manufacturers. Interestingly enough, 3 manufacturers are investing more than $100 million in capital in this region.

  3. Job Growth: Direct employment is declining in manufacturing, but total employment—both direct and indirect related to manufacturing—is growing. This is simply because manufacturers are outsourcing more of their service and maintenance operations as well as some of their traditional “front office” operations. Significantly, these indirect jobs pay comparable wages to manufacturing because of the skill level necessary to support the manufacturing operations.

  4. International Trade: Post-recession Florida will be driven by an increase in international trade. This will be fueled by a growth in export goods. Florida’s $55 billion of exports is 93% manufactured goods.

  5. Research and Development: 49% of all R&D activities come from manufacturers. We have to be innovative to be competitive and we put our money where our mouth is.

FCMA will be focusing on educating our political and business leadership on the significance of manufacturing to Northeast Florida, as well as to the rest of the state. Whenever you hear comments about manufacturing being in decline, cite some of the facts listed above. Florida manufacturers are alive and well and are poised to become an even more significant part of Florida’s future.

Welcome to…

Curlin, Inc.
Contact: Jeff Angevine, Account Representative
Phone: (904) 396-4545 ext.444
6001 E. Columbus Drive, Tampa, FL 33619

Curlin is an experienced player in the material handling industry. They offer the knowledge and commitment required to fulfill your systems needs.

Sponsor: FCMA

Heritage Capital Group, Inc.
Contact: Bill Sorenson, Analyst
Phone: (904) 354-96004
4811 Beach Blvd. Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32207

Heritage Capital Group is a middle market investment banking firm that assists clients by maximizing the market value of their companies.

Sponsor: FCMA

E-Verifying Workshop

Come to this workshop to learn more about how employers must comply with online verification regulations. Employers only need to E-Verify newly hired and existing employees hired after November 6, 1986, assigned to a qualified covered federal contract/subcontract that contains the E-Verify clause. The workshop is on Wednesday, February 24, from 7:30-9:30AM at Golder Associates (9428 Baymeadows Road, 5th Floor). To RSVP, e-mail Sherri Mitchell.

2010 Excellence in Manufacturing Awards

FCMA’s annual outstanding company awards luncheon will be held on Thursday, February 25, from 11:30AM-1:00PM at the UNF University Center, located 12000 Alumni Drive. Click here for information on the nominating process. Click here for information on sponsorship opportunities. If your company would like to sponsor the event or for more information, e-mail Maria in the FCMA office.

A Special Thank You to Our Sponsors

Annual Golf Outing

Tee-Off For Tuition on Friday, April 30 at St. Johns Golf & Country Club in St. Augustine. Proceeds benefit FCMA’s UNF Engineering Scholarship Fund. Click here for more information about how you can get involved.

2009 Wage & Benefit Survey

The 2009 Wage & Benefit Survey has been released Member companies can receive a copy of the survey for only $75. To order your copy or for more information call the FCMA office or e-mail Sherri Mitchell.

Many thanks to our survey sponsors!

FREE LUNCH from the EHS Committee

Attention Associate Members of the EHS Committee! You will receive your lunch for free and your Manufacturing member guest’s lunch, when you bring an FCMA Manufacturer who has not previously attended an EHS Committee meeting or has not attended within the past year. In addition, your name will go into a drawing for a door prize for all Associates helping to increase manufacturing’s participation. For a schedule of EHS Committee Meetings, click here.

Exporting for Manufacturers Teleconference

Please join the Manufacturers Association of Florida (MAF) for the February 11 teleconference on exporting for manufacturers. Click here for details.

Brazil - Jacksonville Alliance of Northeast Florida

If you have not given much thought about Brazil for business development purposes, here are some opportunities for you to begin: gain knowledge by participating on the Training and gain experience by participating on the Mission.
Please, see attached the flyers for both, training and mission.
For more information, visit BrazilJacksonville.com. Click here for details on the Mission. Click here for details on the Training.

FEBRUARY 22th at LyondellBasell

Our next General Meeting will be held on February 22 from 4:00 to 6:00PM at LyondellBasell, located at 601 Crestwood Street in Jacksonville. LyondellBasell is the world’s largest producer of aroma and flavor chemicals from turpentine. These products are sold to manufacturers and users of fragrances and flavors. For a map to the location, Click here

Florida State College at Jacksonville welcomed FCMA on January 25th! There were nearly 125 in attendance, including multiple visitors. The 2010 Board of Directors and Committee Chairs were introduced to the membership. Each Committee presented their top two goals for the year.

A special thank you to Corporate Traffic for providing refreshments (pictured below right).

Following are pictures from the event (click the images for larger versions):

January Government Relations guest Jackie Smith, District Director for Congressman Ander Crenshaw provided a congressional update including health care reform and channel deepening funding; and Mayport Naval Station status, which included dredging and deepening of the basin for nuclear subs.

FCMA has been interviewing and contributing money to endorsed candidates in local and state elections. This has led to FCMA’s endorsement becoming coveted by these candidates. This year FCMA’s Government Relations Committee will continue this practice, but faces a busy election year. The current economic situation has meant cutbacks on contributions from members, but if everyone joins the CCE we will meet our goals. Click here for more information. Click here to get involved.

Lindsay Dennis with Holland & Knight presented a workshop on Social Networking do’s and don’t’s in the workplace. The ever popular Facebook was covered in depth. Attendees also shared personal experiences on what has been helpful on the pre-employment side of things, many of which also have drawbacks. The workshop was very interesting, and most attendees said they would be interested in a follow-up workshop. If you missed this one and are interested in attending a follow up please advise Sherri.

Environmental Health and Safety Committee

Andreas Wagner, Principal and Senior Consultant, Environmental Compliance Group with Golder Associates Inc., provided an overview of OSHA’s Globally Harmonized HazCom System and who it affects. To see his presentation, click here.

Maintenance & Reliability Special Interest Group (M&R SIG)

Participants in the M&R SIG took a plant tour following working lunch discussions regarding power factors and energy conservation at this month’s meeting at Swisher. If you would like to get your facility’s maintenance and reliability leaders involved, please contact Sherri Mitchell. Next month’s topic will be on PM Programs. Members will be sharing best practices on their preventive maintenance programs.

Applied Technology & Management… has a new president. W. Samuel Phlegar, P.E. is a 20-year veteran of the firm, and brings considerable management and technical experience to his new role. Phlegar has most recently focused on marine related projects across the globe and now welcomes the opportunity to lead the firm.

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast… Commander Mitch Conover was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in support of the 18th Combat Engineer Brigade in Iraq.
Also, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus toured FRCSE recently. He visited to gain a deeper understanding of the F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter’s life extension program. In this line, artisans routinely replace aircraft center barrels, the critical structure for attaching the wings and the landing gear to the airframe.

Florida State College at Jacksonville… will receive $2.2 million in federal stimulus funding to train people for growing “green” industries. The grant is aimed at helping the unemployed, high school dropouts, and people with criminal records. Of the 390 people who will be trained, about 280 are expected to find jobs in related green industries. Click here for more information.

Holland & Knight… hired Milford Hatcher Jr. as a partner in the firm’s private wealth services practice.

Industrial Water Services… has been acquired by Liquid Environmental Solutions. IWS is a strategic addition to Liquid Environmental Solutions’ non-hazardous wastewater collection and disposal business. The acquisition will extend Liquid Environmental Solutions’ presence in the industrial wastewater business from coast to coast. Click here for more information.

Lewis, Longman & Walker… celebrated their fifteen-year anniversary on July 1, 2009. Since its inception in 1994, the firm has been providing solutions to the problems facing Florida’s individuals, businesses and governments, especially issues associated with the myriad of current local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

McGuireWoods… elected partner Barbara Christie Johnston to the firms’ eight-member executive committee and promoted Scott S. Cairns to managing partner of the Jacksonville office.

Miller Electric… president Ron Autrey made a six-figure donation to Jacksonville University, making the construction of a new Olympic-sized track possible. The track will be named in his honor — the Ron Autrey Track at D.B. Milne Field. Click here to read more.

Smith, Gambrell & Russell… hired Andrew J. Fawbush as a partner in its executive compensation and employee benefits practice.

Solantic… and Baptist Health are joining forces in a new co-branded urgent care network in Northeast Florida. The joint venture will mean that all Solantic centers in Jacksonville will be rebranded as Solantic Baptist Urgent Care. Click here for more information.

University of North Florida… new College of Education and Human Services building has been certified LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold by the U. S. Green Building Council. It is the first building on the UNF campus to achieve this recognition. Click here for more information.

Jacksonville Business Journal’s Logistics Quarterly… featured several FCMA members who have “stepped up to the plate in a big way this year.” FCMA members featured are: Advanced Supply Chain Solutions, Corporate Traffic, The Grimes Companies, and PenserSC. Click here to read the article.

  • The Trade Seesaw - “The faltering economy has provided the United States with at least one silver lining: a narrowing trade gap.”
  • What’s Up at the WTO - “World Trade Organization continues to mediate U.S.-China disputes of importance to the manufacturing community.”

Jacksonville is the 13th best place to start a business

Jacksonville is the 13th best place to launch a new business in 2010, according to a new Portfolio.com/bizjournals study.

Jacksonville placed 25th last year. Rankings were calculated through a formula that took account of population, employment and small-business growth. Austin, Texas, topped the list, followed by Baton Rouge, La.; Raleigh, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; and Portland, Maine.

The most promising region is the South, which is home to 12 of the 20 best metros for small businesses. Orlando ranked 17th; Tampa-St. Petersburg 51st; Daytona Beach 17th; and Lakeland 86th.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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