Workforce Update

SEPTEMBER 2022

Dave Flatten (right), President of Inland Powder Coating in Ontario, credits WDB’s Business Services with helping get his company back on track during the pandemic.

‘It’s exciting to get our crew back’

The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on Inland Powder Coating, as it did many businesses. The Ontario manufacturing company’s labor pool dropped below 70 and revenues fell to half of what had been projected. Federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding helped, but what really made the difference was the support of WDB Business Services team.

Now back up to 100 employees, Inland Powder Coating has seen production, and revenues, return to pre-pandemic levels.

“The big thing was, how do we find people and how do we get them in here? (WDB’s Business Process Improvement program) allowed us to have a consultant come in and talk about what we were doing and where we wanted to be,” said Dave Flatten, President of Inland Powder Coating.

Working with WDB partner, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), Flatten and his team have focused on what makes the 39-year-old company a special place to work. “It’s because we’re a great team, we treat our people well, and the work we do is important. You can’t just say, ‘here’s your job.’ There has to be a meaning to it.”

Inland Powder Coating has used private consultants in the past, “and paid through the nose for them,” Flatten said. By contrast, the WDB program was free.

“We could have had sales reach our target in 2021, but we didn’t have enough people,” Flatten said. “This program was excellent. It helped us focus on what we needed to focus on. It’s exciting to get our crew back and get on a path where we were in 2019.”

WDB’s Business Services team helps companies, large and small, gain a competitive advantage and navigate a complex 21st century economy.

Services include:

Employer Resource toolkit

Labor Market Information

Customized training and On-the-Job Training funds

Layoff aversion counseling and on-site assessments

Free business workshops

For more information, click here

HOW DOES ‘BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT’ WORK?

WDB partners with leading business consultants to help companies and organizations improve their operations, create greater efficiencies and be more competitive. Among the top benefits of BPI:

Eliminating waste and identifying processes that don’t add value.
Improving quality and reducing mistakes.
Reducing costs through modernization and greater efficiencies.
Increasing compliance with rules and regulations.
Improving employee motivation and satisfaction.
Increasing customer satisfaction.

To connect with our Business Services team, click here.

Labor Market Intelligence

Year-over-year employment gains were reported in nearly every category as San Bernardino County’s unemployment rate fell slightly in July – to less than half the level of a year ago. Across the Inland Empire, the logistics sector led the way, posting a monthly gain of 2,300 jobs and an annual increase of 34,200. Meanwhile, San Bernardino County’s labor pool has exceeded 1 million for nine consecutive months.

For the latest Labor Market Intelligence report for the Inland Empire, click here

Message from the Chair

Celebrating the power of work

Phil Cothran

WDB Chair

September is National Workforce Development Month – an opportunity to showcase the important work being done to strengthen America's workforce.

As Chairman of the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, I'm privileged to be able to stand alongside a dedicated group of workforce professionals and volunteers who understand how important their work is to the present and future of this community.

San Bernardino County is one of the fastest growing population centers in California, with a young, vibrant labor pool that businesses covet. At WDB, we provide the resources and support to ensure that job seekers have the opportunity to pursue their career aspirations and, in turn, acquire the training and skillsets to meet the needs of businesses.

Visit our website – or better yet, drop by one of our three America's Job Centers of California – to learn more about the work we do. We are eager to hear from you.

My first job was making pizza skins at Shakey's Pizza Parlor in Palmdale. We would take the raw dough and roll it through the roller into large flats. Then, we'd use the various sized pizza “cookie cutters” to make the small, medium and large skins. If the dough had been sitting in the fridge a little too long, the skins would sometimes shrink after we cut them, which was never good. I also made the dough from scratch when necessary, mixing the ingredients, including yeast, and using a large kneading machine, which was like a giant cake mixer. The room where we made the skins was maybe 6x18 feet, and air conditioning was more of an idea than an actuality. I made $1.65 an hour plus occasional leftover pizza and fried chicken. In the years that have followed, I've overseen thousands of employees as a manager and executive. My first job at Shakey's helps me with perspective to this day.

Stat of the Month

Connecting Employers and Job Seekers

Local employers will participate in several hiring events at all three of the County’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs) in the coming weeks:

Thursday, September 15: West Valley AJCC, 9650 9th St., Suite B, Rancho Cucamonga. 9 a.m.-noon. Register here.

Thursday, September 22: High Desert AJCC, 17310 Bear Valley Road, Suite 109, Victorville. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Register here.

Thursday, October 6: East Valley AJCC, 500 Inland Center Driver, Space 508, San Bernardino. 9 a.m.-noon. Register here.

The Morongo Valley Career Resources & Expungement Services event on August 25 attracted 260 job seekers and 68 local employers. The fair was held at Copper Mountain College, which provided resource information for 10 of its programs. Fifty local residents visited the expungement clinic hosted by the Public Defender's Office.

Coming up

WDB hosts free virtual seminars throughout the week to help job seekers on topics such as interviewing skills, resume building and navigating the employment resources available during the pandemic. If you know of anyone who could use this valuable assistance, a calendar of upcoming sessions is available here.

In the meantime, here are some upcoming events and release dates:

Friday, September 16: California EDD releases its August jobs report.

Friday, October 7: Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its September U.S. jobs report.

Visit our YouTube channel to view archived videos of our Business Services webinars, such as this one on leave laws in California.

Stay up to date

Click here to catch up on past editions of Workforce Update, WDB’s monthly e-newsletter and labor market intelligence report.

If you know others who would like to receive this timely and important information, please invite them to join our mailing list at info.workforce@wdd.sbcounty.gov.

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