We live like the mountain is out
HAVE YOU SEEN IT? Chalk stencils on sidewalks, light-filled boxes around the county, stickers, billboards, photos on social media, images wrapped around your morning Americano…“Live like the mountain is out.”
Launched as a guerrilla marketing campaign that prompted speculation, anticipation and a little trepidation (“Is that graffiti on the sidewalk?!”), more details about the South Sound Proud campaign were recently unveiled.
South Sound Together, 24 partner organizations from the private, nonprofit and public sectors, including the EDB, funded the development of the South Sound Proud brand badge and brand efforts. But South Sound Proud belongs to everyone. Companies, organizations and individuals across the region are encouraged to use and share the soon-to-be iconic badge to promote their products and services, and show their South Sound pride.
“We’re in, and you should be, too,” said EDB President and CEO Bruce Kendall. “Our region and our pride are bigger than any one city, town or county. We can accomplish more by showing off our region together.”
For more information, visit
SouthSoundProud.org, where you can also browse a cool selection of South Sound swag.
It’s just the beginning. Keep your eyes peeled for more reveals.
South Sound companies on the grow
THINGS ARE HUMMING IN TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY. The economy is good, new companies are setting up shop, and established companies are expanding their footprint.
Here are two examples of local companies on the grow:
TOOL GAUGE. To accommodate additional business on the horizon, the Tacoma-based aerospace supplier plans to nearly double its current manufacturing site at Adams Street near South Tacoma Way. The manufacturer of complex, high-value plastic and metal assemblies is a long-certified Boeing supplier that ships parts across the U.S. and the world. The planned expansion, up to 94,000 square feet, will make room for additional equipment, expanded secondary operations and larger plastics machining manufacturing capabilities, and ready the company to employ new technologies. It also means the addition of 50 to 100 jobs to the current staff of 127, and the potential to add more in the future. Groundbreaking is expected to happen by the end of this year. The new facility is slated for completion in 2019.
“This is a great location and a good spot to be economically,” said Tool Gauge sales and marketing manager Jim Lee. “We look forward to working with our supportive community partners as we go forward with this expansion.”
OLDCASTLE. The national concrete manufacturer is putting the finishing touches on a new facility in Frederickson. The 57,000-square-foot manufacturing plant and office on 28 acres is slated to open this summer and will employ 75 people when fully staffed. Oldcastle is the North American arm of Ireland-based CRH plc and produces concrete masonry, paving, lawn and garden products.
“Frederickson is a great place for industrial manufacturing,” said site manager Phil Southworth. “They are welcoming to our industry and committed to developing great infrastructure to support the industrial area.”
Is your company growing? There are resources to make it easier
This is the first in a series about programs and resources in Tacoma-Pierce County to help businesses grow and expand.
When business booms, companies want to ensure they are adequately staffed, and have the right people in the right jobs. For some businesses, especially small and medium-sized operations that have a limited or nonexistent human resources department, the process of advertising positions, sifting through resumes, scheduling and conducting interviews, and screening candidates is daunting. And it diverts focus from what’s most important…running a successful business.
WorkForce Central has a solution.
“At WorkForce Central, we believe in pursing greater economic vitality for everyone, and that includes businesses,” said WorkForce Central CEO Linda Nguyen. “When we’re efficient at connecting the right workers with the right opportunities, our economy functions best. That’s why we invest in ResCare Business Solutions to help businesses help themselves.”
ResCare Business Solutions is like an outsourced human resources department, offering a full range of services from recruitment through training. Not every business needs the same type of help. That’s why the ResCare team takes a high-touch, one-on-one approach to right-size their services to just about any need. And most services are free.
Here are two examples of how ResCare Business Solutions lends a hand:
- Triple Lantern, a Spokane-based personal investigation service, was looking to expand to Pierce County and needed to hire security officers. Hiring manager John Catterson wasn’t sure where to begin. ResCare Business Solutions posted the position on various job boards, prescreened applicants and scheduled interviews. When bad weather prevented Catterson from making the trip to the west side, ResCare associates conducted the interviews.
- When State Farm needed to hire people for their downtown Tacoma location, ResCare teamed with recruiter Cliff Brown to plan a hiring event. In addition to organizing and promoting the event, ResCare associates invited State Farm to present at an Employment Services Collaborative (ESC) meeting. The forum provided State Farm the opportunity speak with community partners and organizations about the company and open jobs, and plug the upcoming hiring event. On the day of the event, 35 qualified, prospective employees turned out.
ResCare Business Solutions is just one way WorkForce Central is working to prepare and grow Pierce County’s workforce to align with employer needs. To learn more, visit workforce-central.org.
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