Quarterly Community Coordination Report

April - June 2001

 

Submitted by

Janis R. Trueblood

Manager of One-Stop Operations & Employer Services

Community Coordinator - Plumas

Employment & Training Center, 1905 E. Main St., Quincy, CA 95971

(530) 283-1606

 

Celebrate Small Business Week
Partnerships within the Workforce Development Team of the Employment & Training Center celebrated "Small Business Week" with the rest of America, May 7-10.  In honor of our business partners we offered a small business seminar that placed focus on "Start Up" and "Customer Rentention".  Attendees were given a general overview then given the option of two breakout sessions with focus in each topic area.

The evening started with greetings from local Plumas County Supervisor (and small business owner), Ken Nelson.  

This was followed by a briefing of the evening by Mary Wolleson, Executive Director of the Sierra College Small Business Development Center.  Mary also presented "Business Success" which hit on the following topics:  
  • Assess your business interest and readiness
  • Plan the start-up of your business venture
  • Learn the basics of building a successful business
  • How to use available resources to make your venture successful

The partnership between SBDC, Plumas Corporation, Feather River College, AFWD, and the Workforce Development Team has brought seminars and training to Plumas County on a regular basis over the last 5 years.
Gary Liddle, Program Manager with SBDC presented on "How to Get & Keep Your Customers" with focus on the following topic areas:
  • Examine the specific kinds of customers businesses contend with
  • Determine what customers really want.
  • Learn ways to care for your customers.
  • Examine the best resources for market research.
  • Build a basic marketing plan and establish a pricing principle.

Rapid Response

On Thursday, May 3rd, Laura Yeier with the Employment Development Department in Modoc County was notified by Bruce Main, President of Big Valley Lumber that they were laying off their entire workforce on Friday, May 4th.  

60 mill workers were permanently losing their jobs in the town of Bieber (pop. 1,200).  Eight staff from AFWD and EDD across the three counties of Lassen, Plumas & Modoc responded to the closure on May 4th, handing out packets of information to the affected mill workers as they picked up their final paychecks from the Big Valley Lumber office inviting them to come to a "Rapid Response Orientation" the following Monday.

Two orientations were held with approximately 30 attendees.  At the conclusion of the information session, staff completed WIA applications and gathered information to assist many in core services.

Lassen Career Network staff continued their outreach to Bieber through the months of May and June providing job search assistance, assessment, and enrollment into intensive and training services.

Two articles referring to the Rapid Response that was conducted were featured in the local newspapers.  As Acting Lassen Community Coordinator, I presented to the Lassen County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 8th regarding our Rapid Response efforts.

 

Presentations
  • The Plumas Workforce Employment Plan was presented to the Plumas County Board of Supervisors. An update on the  Rapid Response efforts to Sierra Pacific Industries Loyalton Mill and results from the Seasonal Job Fair were also presented.  The quarterly update was well-received by the county local elected officials.
  • Representing the Plumas Employment & Training Center and AFWD, NoRTEC (Northern Rural Training & Employment Consortium) invited a presentation to the WIB/Governing Board during this quarter.  
  • State Workforce Investment Board Executive Director, Andrew Baron, Deputy Director, Paul Gussman, and Manager of Local Coordination, Dave Mar visited the Plumas Employment and Training Center along with NoRTEC Executive Director, Charles Brown and NCCC (North Central Counties Consortium) Executive Director, Charles Peterson.  A special session of the Plumas Employment & Training Committee was called to meet our esteemed guests.  A tour of the facility was provided along with an overview of program services offered in the Center.  John Sheehan, Executive Director of Plumas Corporation (local economic development agency) provided an excellent presentation on the North State Economic Summit which addressed the top issues for Northern California in the areas of economic development, agriculture, and workforce development.  Mr. Baron presented his perspective for the future of California's Workforce Development efforts and answered questions of the committee members.
  • As a member of the Almanor Basin Community Corporation Board of Directors, I was asked to assist with a site visit by the Cowell Foundation to the Almanor Basin Community Resource Center.  Plumas County Board of Supervisor and WIB Governing Board Member, Bill Dennison facilitated the discussion with the Foundation representatives and members of the community were available to speak of their vision for the future of the Basin's Family Resource Center as well as brag on the successes of their development to date.  Cowell Foundation invited the ABC Corporation to submit an independent proposal to fund the family resource center serving the lake basin community.

Economic/Business Development Update
  • They will soon be breaking ground on the new Holiday Market to be located in the Delleker Shopping Center in Eastern Plumas County.  It is anticipated that 15 full-time and 30 part-time jobs will be generated through this project.  The Plumas Employment & Training Center will be assisting with all of their hiring needs and help in identifying target groups to allow the employer access to tax credits, OJT, and other subsidized options.
  • Gold Mountain in Eastern Plumas County houses one of the premier golf courses "The Dragon".  It also features the Nakoma Spa & Resort which features full service spa facilities.  For employment opportunities or to learn more about Gold Mountain, please click on www.dragongolf.com or www.dragongolf.com/employment.htm 
  • Speaking of golf, Quincy is working on getting it's own course.  Throughout Plumas County there are some of the top golf courses to play from Lake Almanor to Graeagle, but Quincy is not represented in this economic opportunity.  The feasibility study of a golf course located close to Feather River College is underway with strong interest from the local community to break ground next year.  We'll keep you posted!
  • Plumas Corporation Board of Directors and the Plumas County Board of Supervisors supported a review of the agency's mission and goals in the areas of economic development, tourism, and resource management.  A private consulting firm was hired to interview a cross-section of representatives throughout the County to help to evaluate and focus the Plumas Corporation Board to better direct staff in their economic development efforts.  As Community Coordinator, I had the opportunity to represent workforce development in the survey.

Snapshots of the Employment & Training Center

ROP Instructor Terry Bevins 

teaches evening computer courses 

in the computer lab.  Learning is fun!

There is a positive friendly atmosphere for every customer when they walk into the Center.  Tracie is always eager to assist and offers service with a smile and oftentimes a giggle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Business Resource Library offers a quiet private interviewing area as well as many resources to assist small business.

New Community Coordinator Comes to Lassen

It is a pleasure to welcome Traci Peterson to the AFWD Community Coordination Team.  Traci comes to us with a Master's Degree in Business Administration and work background in project management, customer relations, business consulting and possesses excellent technical skills as well.  Already, Traci has hit the ground running and handles her new responsibilities with excellence.  

 

Quarterly Meetings

The Plumas Employment and Training Committee in May. The Agenda and Minutes to this meeting is available by clicking below:

The Chico Community Employment Center was the meeting site of the NCEN Community Coordinators meeting on Thursday, June 28.  This allowed Community Coordinators to share best practices and ideas to better serve their individual communities.  Plans to meet on a bi-monthly basis will be implemented with "training topics" instituted.

On a  quarterly basis, the AFWD Community Coordination Team meets to share ideas and plan.  I would like to thank the members of the AFWD Team, Traci Peterson of Lassen, Kelley Poindexter of Modoc, and Laurie Wann-Marketing Specialist for their efforts and enthusiasm to promote the One-Stop Employment Centers and the AFWD Mission.