VULCAN, INC.

Vulcan, Inc. Apprenticeship Pilot Program January 24th, 2020 marked the kick-off date for employees of

Vulcan Metal Stampings (one of five facilities under Vulcan, Inc.).

Employees will have the opportunity to pursue a registered

apprenticeship as Stamping Press Operator or Tool & Die Maker

and reach journeyman status. This was made possible through

partnership with the Gateway Initiative, and is just one way that

Vulcan, Inc. puts its employees first.

Vulcan, Inc. began as a small sign manufacturer in

Birmingham, Alabama, in 1935 and has continued growing for over

80 years. We built our first production facility in Foley, Alabama in

1968. Eight families moved down from Birmingham to start up

Plant 1 – Vulcan Aluminum. The children of some of those families

still work with us today. From an initial employment of 20

employees to today’s 290 hard-working men and women, we are

ONE VULCAN, unified by our commitment to GROW our

EMPLOYEES, CULTURE and PERFORMANCE.

At Vulcan, our motto is "Who Can? We Can. VULCAN!" Our

success is absolutely dependent upon everyone working together

as a team. Leadership, communication, accountability, pride in

workmanship, honesty and respect are all character traits that

Vulcan employees demonstrate daily. These values are the

foundation of who we are as an Employee-Owned Company. In

1975, Vulcan became the FIRST Alabama Corporation to

implement an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) giving

ownership of our company to our employees. Proudly, we say that

being Employee-Owned plays a major role in the way we operate

day-to-day.

Vulcan was honored to partner with the Gateway Initiative to

develop the Apprenticeship pilot program in Vulcan Metal

Stampings. This program will recognize five hard working,

dedicated Vulcan employees as journeyman in their technical

fields and will give other employees in the facility the opportunity

to work alongside these great individuals to learn a valuable trade

in either Stamping Press Operation or Tool & Die.

For nearly 12 months the Gateway Team worked with us to

determine exacting skill standards for these positions. “We began

with skill standards established by the Department of Labor then

altered them to fit exactly to the expectations of Vulcan”, stated

Ed Bushaw of the Gateway team.

“This is an exciting project for Vulcan and, especially, the

employees of the Metal Stamping division. Part of our Vulcan

VISION is to grow our employees and this project shows our

commitment to do just that” Jennifer Minto, SPHR - HR Manager,

Vulcan, Inc.

Foley High School is proud to join together with long time Foley manufacturing company Vulcan, Inc. to create the Vulcan Industrial Partnership (VIP) program. We are excited to offer select FHS graduates who complete this path the opportunity to gain employment with Vulcan, Inc. This path will pass through the Career Technical Education (CTE) department at Foley High School where students will be recruited to join the Vulcan, Inc. team upon their graduation. The VIP program will use specific classes in construction and metal fabrication within the CTE department to teach students those skills that would be desirable when working with Vulcan, Inc. These students will also be introduced to Vulcan and their team via tours and training sessions on the Vulcan, Inc. campus. Once students have completed the VIP process, they will participate in interviews with the Vulcan, Inc. team where the best candidates will be selected to begin their career in the Vulcan, Inc. family.

FOLEY HIGH SCHOOL PARTNERS WITH VULCAN, INC.

FOR WORKFORCE EDUCATION PROGRAM

To learn more about Vulcan, Inc. visit

www.vulcaninc.com/about-us.php

Photo credit: Vulcan, Inc. #mfgday2019

More and more business leaders are realizing there are ‘bright lights’ in the world that may not have had the resources to attend a four-year college. With the skyrocketing costs of college, that number is increasing. A paradigm shift is occurring in the minds of those who previously believed that a four-year degree is the necessary key to success. Although formal education certainly has its value, one must question — at what cost?

With this shift in thought, has come a shift in focus onto skills and attitude (EQ) more so than a degree. Combine this focus with the growing need for and shrinking existence of a skilled workforce, and you have the ingredients for alternative solutions; necessity breeds innovation. Although apprenticeship is hardly a new practice, it is expanding from electrician and plumbing fields into mechanics, avionics & aeronautics, even moving into ‘white-collar’ industries such as Hospitality & Tourism, and Marketing, Sales & Service. The effect the apprenticeship model has on a student’s

classroom experience is seen in the valuable, real-world connections through their on-the-job training; their skill application is inevitably taken to the next level. The Gateway Initiative has helped make the connection between existing State of Alabama standards within career technical education (CTE) and elective classes to skills needed in industry and required by the Department of Labor in order to achieve a registered apprenticeship. We have helped instructors understand what industry is asking for, and how that relates to class options, affecting the introduction and offering of classes, relevant to our area, that were not previously offered. The excitement is mounting with the new offering of lodging classes to Foley High School! By connecting relevant curriculum to career pathways that lead to a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship, the Gateway Initiative has helped give new energy to a class that had lost its purpose within the eyes of students. With a new name,

“Resort & Hotel Management” and a different focus, Foley High School students can now be on track to step into a high-wage/high-demand career within the Hospitality & Tourism industry, right here in our community! Stepping out of the CTE classes and into the electives, Terri Onderdonk (Director of Business-Education Partnership with the Gateway Team) met with Foley High School Marketing and Business students in grades 9th – 12th to share apprenticeship opportunities which use skillsets that carry into a wide range of careers. She shared alternatives to a four-year college track as well

as options to gain college credit alongside apprenticeship hours and possible company tuition assistance. Private school students are not immune from financial or motivational reasons to not be college bound. We visited South Baldwin Christian Academy with many students seeking options and seeing the value of acquiring knowledge, skills and business connections without the burden of student debt. The students and faculty alike were very receptive to the apprentice career-pathing and will attend Apprenticeship Signing Day on April 17th; some to sign on and others to learn more.

EDUCATION UPDATE

MOVING YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD

WITH THE GATEWAY TEAM

If you’re like most entrepre-

neurs, you’re moving a mile a minute. With so much to do to run a successful business and even more to learn, it can be challenging to find time to develop key strate-gies to move your business forward. Even if you did have time, we can all agree that we need help in moving our business forward. By listening to our client’s needs the Gateway Team has de-veloped programs that can accelerate your business growth. This article will out-line our business accelera-tion process and give exam-ples of how our program-ming can assist in your busi-ness development.

Business Assessment: A regular business valuation is beneficial to your success as an entrepreneur, knowing what makes your business valuable and desirable to potential customers can steer you in the right direc-tion and keep your business healthy throughout the years. The output of the assessment helps to identify the critical areas needed in a strategic plan. Taking the first step in this process will put you on a path to running your business more strategi-cally. A business assessment

”

“

will help you to:

• Discover weak points in your business strategy

• Provide a foundation for smart business decisions

• Discover insights into your business’ state of health

Business Plan Development: Tim Berry of Entrepreneur Maga-zine, March 13, 2006 explains how start-up and existing businesses can benefit from an annual busi-ness plan: Regardless of the name you use--strategic plan, annual plan or operational plan--the vast majori-ty of these plans include some or all of the following main elements:

• High-level strategy: Strategy is the focus and guides your growth by assigning priorities. Of the whole range of possible market segments, and the whole range of services and possible sales-and-marketing activities, which are your main priorities? Strategy is often a matter of understanding when and how to say "no" and select-ing opportunities.

• Specific responsibilities, activi-ties, deadlines, and budgets: We call these milestones. They're the bricks and mortar of busi-

ness planning and are critical to business success.

• Financial plan: One of the most important gains from an annual plan is the financial plan, which of course hinges on cash flow. A business needs to stress its priorities by making sure they get the right amount of money. Growth costs money.

Whether you are in the start-up phase or currently in business, the Gateway Team can assist with the elements considered above. We can also assist with concept devel-opment, market research, competi-tive analysis, workforce develop-ment and much more.

Employee Recruitment & Develop-ment: With unemployment at a record low, particularly in Baldwin County, finding suitable talent is more difficult than ever. The Gate-way Team is poised to help you determine a realistic look at your staffing needs and determine what skills are important to your busi-ness success. We find that, more often than not, it is important to revisit your company culture. Em-ployee retention is directly related to a strong company culture that un-derstands the needs and wants of employees. Are you able to keep workers? Do you understand the true cost of turnover? Are you investing in your employees? Do you know the pay rates of your prime competi-tors? The answers to these ques-tions help our team to develop strategies unique to your business that will help you retain qualified staff. The Gateway Team has found a great deal of success in helping businesses employ an apprentice-ship model as part of their work-force strategy. As a Department of Labor sponsor for apprenticeship, the Gateway Team can work with businesses on defining skill stand-ards for each staff position and develop a training and related edu-cation program to grow that em-ployee and build the bench strength for staff advance-ment. There are no silver bullets to solve a business’s workforce issues, but apprenticeship research shows promise, as 78% of employers re-ported improved productivity when employing the apprenticeship mod-el, with 65% recognizing the new ideas apprentices bring to their organization, and 83% of employers recommend apprentices to other

“Employing the services of

the gateway team has been

a crucial aspect in properly

managing my restaurants.

For the first time, I’m

running my business, my

business isn’t running me”

— Charlene Haber

Wolf Bay

businesses as reported in the B2W group Learners and Apprentices Survey (2018). This assistance with the appren-ticeship model begins well before the hire. Recruitment of apprentic-es that suit a particular business’s needs also falls well within the Gateway Team purview. This is demonstrated through campaign-ing for industry and the benefits, advancement pathways and men-tor training of individual business-es. The apprenticeship model aligns business needs with well-defined process advancement and skill acquisition. We go beyond connecting the workforce to job vacancies. We help establish and coordinate implementation of this apprentice model from recruit-ment to completion and assist with each step along the way. This involves campaigning, educating, coordinating hiring, recording, and reporting of apprentice hours and skill achievement. We understand that each industry has specific skill-set needs and each business has its own unique cultural and organi-zational dynamics. Through our recruitment process, we help edu-cate an underdeveloped work-force and stimulate renewed ex-citement and intrigue to industries that have had difficulty marketing career opportunities, or have been misrepresented regarding career paths. The Gateway Team welcomes the opportunity to sit with any South Baldwin Chamber or Coastal Alabama Business Chamber mem-ber to discuss investing in the Gateway Initiative. By joining the more than 75 businesses and or-ganizations already investing we are confident that your business will reap great benefits.

For the SECOND year in a row, the five Chambers of Commerce, forming the Baldwin County Chamber Coalition, convened in January of 2020 to review

your feedback and develop the 2020 Business Legislative

Agenda. As a response to calls from our respective and combined membership to speak to local, state and federal delegates with ONE VOICE, we’ve shared this year’s Legislative Agenda with legislators in Montgomery and Washington, DC.

You can find the 2020 Business Legislative Agenda on our site: southbaldwinchamber.com/advocacy

Baldwin County Chamber Coalition

Legislative Agenda 2020

BIG THANKS to THE WHARF, one of our Chairman’s Circle (top level) investors!

The Gateway Team now has an additional location to better serve investors and potential partners located in the office suites above Yo Ho Rum & Tacos. The team still works part-time in the Foley office, but uses

the Orange Beach space when meetings occur along the coast! Come drop in for a visit, and maybe meet us for happy hour!

APR 17 2020 APPRENTICESHIP SIGNING DAY !! LOCATION: Perdido Beach Resort

TIME: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (Noon)

UPCOMING EVENTS

REMINDER: Gateway Investors have exclusive access to Leadership Series speakers during a 30 Minute Q&A session

prior to the Leadership Series Luncheon events!

MAR 16

Great Opportunities Await — Find seasonal and

full-time employment at the Job Fair! Door

Prizes and Food Provided

LOCATION: Foley Civic Center

TIME: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm JOB FAIR 2020

Bradley Byrne, Congressman Representing the 1st District of Alabama

LOCATION: Foley Civic Center

TIME: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

APR 7

LEADERSHIP SERIES

Gulf Shores, AL

FEB 18 Bharani Rajakumar, CEO of Transfer VR Topic: VR Soft Skills Training

LOCATION: Foley Civic Center

TIME: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

LEADERSHIP SERIES

Chairman's Circle Investors

CEO Council Investors

Leaders Forum Investors