CareerEdge makes gains in workforce development – Florida Trend

In 2009, with unemployment in the Manatee-Sarasota region climbing toward 13%, Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation gave $1 million toward creating a privately funded workforce-development agency called CareerEdge.

The idea was to see if a privately funded agency, unencumbered by state or federal bureaucracies, could have an impact on both the supply and demand sides of the labor market.

Career Numbers

$1.54 million
CareerEdge spending on training during 2011 and the first quarter of 2012

2,568
workers trained in the Manatee-Sarasota region during that time

$8.59 million
total annual wage increases for CareerEdge-trained workers

Source: Urban Market Ventures

The two-pronged effort is starting to get results. On the supply side, the agency in 2011 helped 284 job seekers find jobs paying an average of $9.63 an hour. Of the 284, 139 had been unemployed for up to two years. Maria Alvarado of Bradenton credits CareerEdge with giving her and her children “a whole new life.” After a divorce, she lost her lawn service business and struggled to find work to support her five sons. She enrolled in a job-training program funded by CareerEdge and, after finishing the six-month course, landed a full-time job as a line operator at Berry Plastics in Sarasota.

On the demand side, the non-profit — funded by local businesses, foundation grants and charitable support — is playing an economic development role. When it appeared, for example, that Sarasota County’s offer of $400,000 in incentives might not be enough to keep a Health Management Associates central business office in Venice, CareerEdge sweetened the pot with an offer of $100,000 worth of job training for Health Management employees. The package ultimately helped preserve 148 jobs in the county with the company promising to add 217 more over the next two years.

CareerEdge also funds training programs for companies looking to grow. It helped Blake Medical Center in Bradenton retrain existing workers when the hospital expanded its trauma center last year. It also helped Tervis Tumbler in Venice develop a career ladder development program for existing employees and create a job-readiness program for new ones.

“Workforce is our focus,” says Mireya Eavey, CareerEdge’s executive director, “but it’s economic development that drives the jobs.”

Analysis shows CareerEdge works

An independent analysis of the CareerEdge Funders Collaborative found the nonprofit workforce-development program is producing millions of dollars in new wages and economic impact for the Manatee-Sarasota region.

Conducted by Urban Market Ventures, with data review by Capital Analytics, the analysis found that $1.54 million in investments by CareerEdge in 2011 and so far in 2012 will result in nearly $3 million in annual earnings increases for employees at local businesses and more than $5.6 million in annual wages for people placed in new jobs.

The investments also pump nearly $4.3 million in new, “value added” income into the local economy.

On an individual basis, the analysis showed that 883 employees who participated in CareerEdge training programs will increase their household income by $3,376 a year.

“Each year’s investment requires about four years to bear full fruit, in terms of the pay raises and promotions that workers will earn by completing CareerEdge programs,” said Mireya Eavey, executive director of CareerEdge. “So we will see an even larger share of the impact in years two, three and four for each worker.”

Wilde Honda gets President’s Award

Wilde Honda, of Sarasota, received the Honda President’s Award given to top-ranking U.S. dealerships, based on customer service and satisfaction, sales, training and facility operation.

This is the 10th year Wilde received the honor, the company said.

Of the more than 1,000 Honda dealerships in the United States, “Wilde Honda is one of only 145 to earn this distinction for 2011,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of automobile sales for Honda.

Island Real Estate work recognized

Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island Inc. received the Award of Excellence from TripAdvisor and FlipKey, according to the company.

The award is based on reviews from past guests and recognizes rental managers “with outstanding perperties who provide excellent service,” the company said.

First Watch opens 2nd in Wisconsin

First Watch, the Lakewood Ranch-based breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant chain, opened its second restaurant in Wisconsin.

The franchisee there, VMB Sunrise Hospitality Inc., already had one First Watch and plans a total of five in the next three to five years, the company said in a statement.

Manufacturers have chance to order up ideal employees

In August, Carl Langdon will celebrate 50 years working for the same business. He has a high school diploma, trade education in tool and die work, professional training in engineering design and was largely self-taught in much of the technology at KHS Bartelt USA.

Langdon was hired in 1962 as an electrician, wiring packaging machines for a company that ultimately became KHS Bartelt. Over the decades, he has also worked as draftsman, electrical engineer, design engineer, electrical- engineering manager, control-systems manager and mechanical engineer.

Today, Langdon is lead mechanical engineer and has helped create much of the technological innovation in packaging machinery KHS sells worldwide.

The company designs and builds high-tech packaging machines at its plant on U.S. 301 in Sarasota. Using KHS Bartelt machines, companies package thousands of consumer products, including most of the beef jerky made in the United States. The average pouch-packaging machine KHS Bartelt makes has a $600,000 price tag.

“Carl represents the type of employee that American manufacturing needs to be globally competitive,” said Mary Mercurio, human resources director for KHS USA, which is part of the German-owned, 4,500-employee KHS GmbH. “Carl walked in the door with technical aptitude and some skills, but he was dedicated to learning more, demonstrated initiative and drive, and applied his talents to innovating technology that gives our business a competitive advantage.

“American manufacturing needs all the Carl Langdons we can find. I have to import a lot of the skills we need. The qualified, technically experienced employees we need are difficult to find locally.”

KHS, with 125 employees in Sarasota, is not alone. Manufacturers across the region have said for years that there is a gap between their need for technical workers and the skill sets of local job candidates.

In defense of local training and educational institutions, employers have not always been effective in communicating their needs or in uniting to create a critical mass of demand that allows institutions to invest in curriculum or equipment.

Over the years, the Sarasota Manatee Area Manufacturers Association and Suncoast Workforce — the regional arm of the state’s employment, recruiting and training agency — have worked more closely with economic-development organizations and employers to identify needs and opportunities. Local institutions such as State College of Florida, the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Sarasota County Technical Institute and Manatee Technical Institute are at the table to help design solutions.

And now, manufacturers have an ideal opportunity to express their specific needs through a survey sponsored by CareerEdge, the regional funders collaborative developing the workforce of the future.

Through survey responses from manufacturers in Sarasota and Manatee counties, CareerEdge will identify whether appropriate training exists and, if not, how training partners can help manufacturers develop the skilled workers they need for their companies to grow. The survey will close out soon, so manufacturers that want to be heard on this vital topic should visit CareerEdgeFunders.org to participate.

Why should the community care? Parents want their children to have local career opportunities that pay well. Positions in manufacturing fit that bill, with the annual wage averaging $43,202, according to government figures. That’s 15 percent higher than the Sarasota County average of $37,562. The year-round payroll of manufacturers provides a substantial boost to the local economy, supporting the local tax base, retailers, the arts, charities and education.

In the Sarasota-Manatee area, packaging-related businesses alone account for hundreds of jobs and millions in annual payroll. KHS Bartelt is credited with giving birth to the region’s packaging industry when it arrived from Illinois in 1977. Since then, the business has spawned new local firms as experienced employees launched their own entrepreneurial ventures.

In addition, manufacturers tend to sell their products outside the local market, bringing new wealth into the community. They make substantial capital investments in equipment and facilities that also contribute to the tax base.

As a region, we should work together to develop more Carl Langdons. It’s good for the economy and our community.

Rise of manufacturing bodes well for Manatee County

Friday’s unemployment report underscores the rising star of Manatee County’s economic development – manufacturing. With a 3.1 percent growth rate in that sector of the job market, Manatee topped the overall statewide number.

That growth should continue with the ongoing success of the Manatee Economic Development Corp., which so far this year helped five manufacturers either locate or expand in the county. Over the past three years, more than half of the 52 EDC-assisted relocations and expansions featured manufacturing-related jobs.

While Manatee’s jobless figure plunged to 8 percent in April from 8.7 percent in March, the news is tempered by the number of people who dropped out of the workforce — almost 2,000 here. While economists can only speculate about the reasons, one study indicates that a majority are retiring baby boomers.

Manatee bested both Sarasota (8.6 percent) and Florida (8.7 percent) in the unemployment report.

While the tourism industry enjoys an outstanding surge, with Manatee shattering visitation records last year and on pace for another big year, the expansion of manufacturing will diversify the local economy.

And provide higher-paying jobs. The average wage locally stands at $50,319 annually, significantly higher than the county’s overall average pay of $34,556. The EDC’s focus on manufacturing is readily apparent.

The recession took a heavy toll on Southwest Florida’s manufacturing sector, but the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton metro area is rebounding twice as fast as the national average. High-tech production is the primary driver here.

One of the biggest stars on the manufacturing stage is Sun Hydraulics, undertaking a $16 million expansion with a new 78,000-square-foot plant expected to open next summer and yield 361 new jobs over the next five years.

This follows improvements to existing facilities last year, and continues the company’s phenomenal growth rate over the past four decades — averaging 20 percent annually.

Sharon Hillstrom, EDC president and chief executive, outlined a curious challenge for the region’s manufacturers — the shortage of skilled employees.

In her Herald column on Monday, she pointed out that CareerEdge is a key workforce development resource that is leading a collaborative effort to solve this dilemma.

CareerEdge boosts current employees up the wage scale by paying for training and certification. This year, the nonprofit organization is focusing on manufacturing to help companies close the technical skills gap.

Other career options abound, and the EDC is trying to recruit students to pursue manufacturing. Training programs at Manatee Technical Institute and State College of Florida will provide the skills necessary for a good job in the industry.

With the economy still struggling and unemployment still too high, it’s a wonder that more people are not taking advantage of these golden opportunities. With continued growth in this dynamic sector of the economy, the opportunities will only expand.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/05/23/4048897/rise-of-manufacturing-bodes-well.html#storylink=cpy

CareerEdge Generates Millions in New Wages

An independent analysis of the CareerEdge Funders Collaborative finds that the nonprofit workforce-development program is producing millions of dollars in new wages and economic impact for the Manatee-Sarasota region.  The April 2012 analysis also documents why the organization’s innovative approach could serve as a high-impact, cost-effective workforce-training model for the rest of Florida.

Conducted by Urban Market Ventures, with data review by Capital Analytics, the analysis finds that $1.54 million in investments by CareerEdge in 2011 and so far in 2012 will result in nearly $3 million in annual earnings increases for incumbent workers at local employers, and more than $5.6 million in new annual wages for jobseekers placed in new positions.  The regional impact of those investments includes nearly $4.3 million in new, “value added” income that is being pumped into the local economy.

By the Numbers: CareerEdge Impact on Workers’ Lives and Regional Economy
•    $1.54 million – CareerEdge investments in training in 2011 and 2012
•    2,568 – workers trained in the Manatee-Sarasota region
•    $8.59 million – total annual wage increases for 2011 and ’12 CareerEdge-trained workers
•    $4.28 million – total of above that is new income for local economy
•    $2.99 million – new annual income to other businesses through “multiplier effect” spending
•    $7.28 million – total increase in Gross Regional Product from CareerEdge
•    $7,700 – annual wage increase for CareerEdge workers previously classified as “low low-income”

Health Firm Moves To Sarasota From Venice

The parent company of Venice Regional Medical center will move its offices from Venice to Sarasota as part of an expansion for the company.

Health Management Associates Inc.’s move is expected to help keep 148 jobs and add 217 positions during the next two years, according to Mark Huey, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County.

The regional central business office in Sarasota will serve Health Management’s operations in Florida and elsewhere with back office functions such as billing, collections and other shared services, said lan Levine, Health Management senior vice president and president of the company’s Florida Group.

The office, which has been located in 10,000 square feet in Venice, will move to 28,500 square feet at 101 Arthur Andersen Parkway in Sarasota. Job candidates should consult the company’s website at  www.hma.com/careers.

The company had considered other locations in the Southeast U.S. before the EDC, CareerEdge and Sarasota County Government negotiated for the office to expand in Sarasota County, the Economic Development Corp. announced in a press release Tuesday afternoon.

“The EDC is proud to be an integral part of coordinating the effort to keep Health Management’s central business office in Sarasota County,” Huey said. “Through close collaboration, the EDC, Sarasota County Government, and CareerEdge in partnership with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation substantially affected the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of employees in a positive way.”

Sarasota County Government approved up to $400,000 in performance-based incentives if the company adds 217 full-time employees with annual wages exceeding the county average.

“Health Management is committed to being a good corporate citizen, and we have truly loved being associated with our friends in Sarasota County,” Levine said in a press release. “As our company has added hospitals and other health care services, we evaluated several alternatives for the expansion of our central business office functions.  We are pleased to be able to stay, and even expand, in Sarasota, and we thank the Sarasota County Commission and the EDC. Their efforts, combined with the business climate being championed by Governor Scott, helped to convince us that Sarasota County is the right location for our growth.”

In addition, the CareerEdge workforce funders’ collaborative has offered the company $100,000 in employee training assistance.

“Through our partnership with Gulf Coast Community Foundation, CareerEdge is happy to support the expansion and creation of new jobs through a $100,000 grant as part of a $300,000 training plan to support the economic development of Sarasota County, get our residents back to work and provide internal technical training to help support these new employees in their new roles,” said Mireya Eavey, CareerEdge executive director.

Health Management is the largest hospital system based in Florida. The Naples-based company has more than 45,000 employees, 10,000 affiliated physicians and 71 hospitals located in 15 states, Levine said.

In Florida, Health Management has more than 15,000 employees, with 1,000 located at Venice Regional Hospital and another 148 employees located at the central business office.

The company’s network of physician practices, Gulf Coast Medical Group, has 320 employees at 12 locations throughout Sarasota County.

“Creating and preserving jobs is a top economic priority for Sarasota County,” County Commission Chairwoman Christine Robinson said. “The county is using proven performance-based incentives to help keep companies like Health Management Associates that supply higher wage jobs for local residents in Sarasota County.”

Big hospital chain to employ up to 300 in Sarasota billing center

SARASOTA COUNTY – The corporate owner of Venice Regional Medical Center and other regional hospitals is establishing a centralized billing and collection center in Southwest Florida that could employ as many as 300 in coming years.

Officials managing the center — to be housed in the former Arthur Andersen complex off Fruitville Road — hope to start with a work force of 150 when they move in in July.

Health Management Associates has leased 28,500 square feet at the Sarasota Commerce Center. The operation will support 18 Florida hospitals, most of the 23 the company owns in Florida, from Crystal River to Key West.

“HMA is a great company that has grown in recent years and hopes to grow more in upcoming years,” said Mark Huey, executive director of the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County. “This part of their operation supports that growth, and so we are thrilled that it has a home in our community, and we looking forward to that continued growth.”

HMA’s decision to expand in Southwest Florida brings to 1,300 the number of new jobs announced since the beginning of 2012 by a half-dozen employers:

Ringling Bros. circus operator Feld Entertainment plans to shift its worldwide production headquarters to Ellenton, adding 235 jobs to its payroll of 148 during the next five years.

Powered wheelchair maker Hoveround, as part of a headquarters move to Sarasota County from Manatee, plans to add 120 jobs.

Call center operator Protocol Global Solutions of Sarasota, which employs 400 here, said in February that it would double its staff to 800.

Enzymedica, a manufacturer moving to Venice, said in February that it would add 73 workers over the next four years, bringing its total employment to 120.

Cheney Brothers Inc. announced plans that same month to hire 380 workers for a new Charlotte County distribution center. The $30 million, 250,000-square-foot center will be completed in 2013.

Naples-based HMA already has 86 employees that work on billing and collections for its Florida hospitals at the Venice Regional Medical Center, part of the HMA chain since early 2005.

Huey said he became involved in November, when the agency discovered HMA was contemplating moving its billing and collections operation out of the area, or even out of state.

As part of its local commitment, HMA will receive $400,000 in pay-for-performance money over a four-year period, assuming the company hires and retains all 217 workers planned in Project Man, the code name the HMA center was dubbed by EDC officials.

Another $100,000 will be spent by Bradenton’s CareerEdge and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to to help train the new workers, Huey said.

In addition to billing and collections jobs, HMA official Dona Hofmeister said, the center will include management, clerical and other support positions.

“We are holding job fairs almost on a monthly basis,” Hofmeister said. “There is a lot of opportunity.”

Suncoast Workforce, a non-profit job agency that receives federal funding, is helping HMA line up recruits.

Joshua Matlock, Suncoast’s director of business services, said his group is using federal money to help pay for on-the-job training for some of the new employees.

“The salary range we are helping them with is $13 to $25,” Matlock said, referring to the per-hour pay at the new HMA unit. “Most recently, we have placed 12 people with them, and then they have immediate need for another 10. As they open up the facility, they are going to be hiring a lot more.”

With Suncoast, federal funding pays half an employee’s salary during a training period that can last up to six months.

“That allows them to hire someone that they would otherwise not take on, someone who needs some training,” Matlock said.

With its collection of hospitals, HMA has become a major player in the region. The Venice hospital has 1,150 employees, plus another 300 at the Gulf Coast Physicians Group. In Charlotte County, HMA owns Peace River Regional Medical Center and Charlotte Regional Medical Center, as well as dozens of other clinics and physician groups in the region.

HMA’s new Sarasota lease will take up roughly half of the third floor of a former Florida Power & Light office building that was occupied by Andersen beginning in 1997.

Andersen built a larger, but similar looking, building adjacent to the existing structure. After building up its Sarasota staff to about 800, Andersen folded in the spring of 2002, when its accounting arm was indicted on charges of conspiring to destroy records for failed energy giant Enron Corp.

The two former Andersen buildings are now separately owned.

The building where HMA is setting up shop, Sarasota Commerce Center II, is owned by Piedmont Office Realty Trust.

Kimberly Rogers, a CBRE real estate agent who handles leasing for the Piedmont building, said about 23,000 square feet remain available.

Business buzz: Local briefs about local businesses

CareerEdge and foundation make progress

CareerEdge Funders, a southwest Florida workforce organization that helps local businesses find and train skilled employees, used $550,000 in grants from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation on more jobs, more training and more employee promotions than expected during 2011.

“Even in an economic downturn, we have proven that when funders and businesses collaborate and work together, we can accomplish amazing things,” said Mireya Eavey, executive director of CareerEdge.

Year-end results show that CareerEdge and employer-funded programs collaborated to train 1,100 workers and 357 job seekers, helped individuals earn more than 3,300 educational or industry credentials, assisted 342 previously unemployed workers find employment and saved 177 area jobs.

New College value again rated highly

New College of Florida is No. 3 on the “Best Value Public College in America” list for 2012 by Princeton Review and USA Today.

As part of the media coverage of this year’s rankings, New College was featured on NBC’s “Today Show” and in USA Today’s print edition Tuesday morning.

“It is a wonderful school, a small school,” the Princeton Review’s Robert Franek said on the “Today show.” “It’s the official honors college of the state of Florida. It’s an enormous academic value and a great financial aid value as well.”

It is the fourth time New College has been among the top three best value public schools. The college was No. 2 in 2011 and No. 3 in 2010 and 2009. The only other Florida state university on the 2012 list is the University of Florida, ranked No. 7.

Running store wins regional recognition

In Competitor magazine’s annual reader survey, published in its January issue, On A Shoestring, of Bradenton, was chosen the “Best of” Running Store in the Southeastern United States, and Suncoast Striders Walking & Running Club, also of Bradenton, won “Best of” Running Club in the Southeastern United States.

More than 5,000 readers took part in the survey.

Waste Pro rewards its safest drivers

Waste Pro presented $10,000 each to four garbage truck drivers who have had flawless safety records over the past three years.

The ceremony was held at Waste Pro’s regional facility in Bradenton. The drivers were Jose Martinez-Mendoza, Monnie Braxton, Mark Hammonds and Lewis Brown.

Since 2004, Waste Pro drivers have received $470,000 in Safety Awards.

Auto clinic gets Angie’s List award

Gulf Auto Clinic, in Bradenton, received the 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on only about 5 percent of all the businesses rated by the service.

Winners have met strict eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum number of reports and an exemplary rating from their clients and abiding by Angie’s List guidelines.

Koontz opens own law firm

Attorney and certified public accountant Jo Ann Koontz has formed Koontz & Associates PL, a law firm focusing on residential and commercial real estate transactions, federal and state tax law and business law.

An Ohio native, Koontz received a bachelor’s in business administration and her law degree from Ohio Northern University. She worked locally with the law firms of Icard Merrill, then Yesner & Boss.

Koontz & Associates will occupy the former Yesner & Boss office at 1819 Main Street, Suite 215, Sarasota. The entire Sarasota staff will become employees of Koontz & Associates.

“Nothing has changed except the name on the sign,” Koontz said.

Also staying with the office is Jacqueline “Jackie” Meeker, who will focus on foreclosure defense and civil litigation, as well as real estate, tax and corporate law. A Florida native, Meeker received her undergraduate degree in legal studies from the University of Central Florida and her law degree from Stetson University School of Law.

BUSINESS BUZZ: Local briefs about local businesses

CareerEdge Funders, a southwest Florida workforce organization that helps local businesses find and train skilled employees, used $550,000 in grants from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation on more jobs, more training and more employee promotions than expected during 2011.

“Even in an economic downturn, we have proven that when funders and businesses collaborate and work together, we can accomplish amazing things,” said Mireya Eavey, executive director of CareerEdge.

Year-end results show that CareerEdge and employer-funded programs collaborated to train 1,100 workers and 357 job seekers, helped individuals earn more than 3,300 educational or industry credentials, assisted 342 previously unemployed workers find employment and saved 177 area jobs.

New College value again rated highly

New College of Florida is No. 3 on the “Best Value Public College in America” list for 2012 by Princeton Review and USA Today.

As part of the media coverage of this year’s rankings, New College was featured on NBC’s “Today Show” and in USA Today’s print edition Tuesday morning.

“It is a wonderful school, a small school,” the Princeton Review’s Robert Franek said on the “Today show.” “It’s the official honors college of the state of Florida. It’s an enormous academic value and a great financial aid value as well.”

It is the fourth time New College has been among the top three best value public schools. The college was No. 2 in 2011 and No. 3 in 2010 and 2009. The only other Florida state university on the 2012 list is the University of Florida, ranked No. 7.

Running store wins regional recognition

In Competitor magazine’s annual reader survey, published in its January issue, On A Shoestring, of Bradenton, was chosen the “Best of” Running Store in the Southeastern United States, and Suncoast Striders Walking & Running Club, also of Bradenton, won “Best of” Running Club in the Southeastern United States.

More than 5,000 readers took part in the survey.

Waste Pro rewards its safest drivers

Waste Pro presented $10,000 each to four garbage truck drivers who have had flawless safety records over the past three years.

The ceremony was held at Waste Pro’s regional facility in Bradenton. The drivers were Jose Martinez-Mendoza, Monnie Braxton, Mark Hammonds and Lewis Brown.

Since 2004, Waste Pro drivers have received $470,000 in Safety Awards.

Auto clinic gets Angie’s List award

Gulf Auto Clinic, in Bradenton, received the 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on only about 5 percent of all the businesses rated by the service.

Winners have met strict eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum number of reports and an exemplary rating from their clients and abiding by Angie’s List guidelines.

Koontz opens own law firm

Attorney and certified public accountant Jo Ann Koontz has formed Koontz & Associates PL, a law firm focusing on residential and commercial real estate transactions, federal and state tax law and business law.

An Ohio native, Koontz received a bachelor’s in business administration and her law degree from Ohio Northern University. She worked locally with the law firms of Icard Merrill, then Yesner & Boss.

Koontz & Associates will occupy the former Yesner & Boss office at 1819 Main Street, Suite 215, Sarasota. The entire Sarasota staff will become employees of Koontz & Associates.

“Nothing has changed except the name on the sign,” Koontz said.

Also staying with the office is Jacqueline “Jackie” Meeker, who will focus on foreclosure defense and civil litigation, as well as real estate, tax and corporate law. A Florida native, Meeker received her undergraduate degree in legal studies from the University of Central Florida and her law degree from Stetson University School of Law.

Sarasota chamber kick off breakfast

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce will launch “The Year of the Member” Friday at its annual Kick-Off Breakfast.

Seven respected business and community leaders and chamber members, including Congressman Vern Buchanan, will share strategies for success and suggest strategies our community can use to strengthen its economy.

Organization gives employers and workers an edge

BRADENTON – When Mireya Eavey was with Sarasota County’s Economic Development Corp. a few years ago, employers looking to move here would typically ask if the region had enough of the skilled workers they would need.

Facts

CAREEREDGE

Created: early 2010

Executive director: Mireya Eavey

Funding: John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, National Fund for Workplace Solutions, and others.

Local employer partners: Sarasota Memorial and Manatee Memorial hospitals, Blake Medical Center, Pines of Sarasota, among and others.

2011/2012 budget: $1.3 million

Nine out of 10 times, Eavey says, the answer was no.

Now, though, thanks to new-age work force collaborative called CareerEdge, Eavey is at the forefront of a push to enhance workers’ skills with training and to meet employers’ labor needs.

“We’re helping employers find skilled employees, often from their own ranks, so they can run more efficiently and make more money,” said Eavey, the group’s executive director.

“And we’re employee-focused as well, we’re working on career laddering and wage increases,” Eavey said. “The difference is we’re looking at both supply and demand.”

CareerEdge’s mission is galvanizing amid unusually high regional unemployment that has failed to wane since the end of the Great Recession in 2009 or show signs of dramatic improvement on the horizon.

When the group began gelling in late 2009, for example, unemployment in Sarasota and Manatee counties stood at a depressing 12.5 percent.

In August, the most recent month for which figures are available, the same area’s jobless rate was an average 11.1 percent.

Even more pernicious, state economists predict Florida’s unemployment rate on a seasonally adjusted basis will remain stagnant at current levels, around 10.6 percent, through the end of 2012.

Added to that, many economists believe Florida’s jobless rate will not return to “normal” levels — between 5 percent and 6 percent unemployment — until 2019, and some forecast the state will not reach that level again until 2022.

To counter the malaise and make inroads into unemployment and so-called “underemployment,” in which workers take part-time jobs or work beneath their skill set to bring in some income, CareerEdge has amassed an impressive list of partners and contributors.

For its part, the organization provides multi-year grants to employers to train workers or enhance skills.

Public-sector partners in the effort include Sarasota County, the City of Bradenton and the Central Community Redevelopment Agency.

Private funders include Bank of America and Microsoft Corp., to name just two.

Just as significant is the involvement of civic groups and charities such as the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, the United Way, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Sarasota-Manatee and the Suncoast Workforce Board.

The National Fund for Workforce Solutions, a private, $30 million initiative, designated CareerEdge as one of only 31 groups nationwide to receive its funding and support.

CareerEdge has differentiated itself, too, by focusing on a handful of sectors that traditionally offer higher-wage jobs and have had solid growth.

For now, the group intends to limit its efforts to health care, manufacturing, transportation and technology.

In the health care arena, a sector where pending chronic nursing shortages are likely to dovetail with an ever-aging population, CareerEdge is working with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Blake Medical Center, Manatee Memorial Hospital, the Pines of Sarasota and others.

At Sarasota Memorial, CareerEdge is coordinating English language and GED preparation classes to help about 30 lower-wage hospitality employees move up.

“We love the idea of taking good performing employees and guiding them to longer-term goals,” said Susan Evans, the hospital’s hospitality services supervisor.

But CareerEdge, Evans said, pledged to help the hospital with about $53,000 a year only if a long-range, comprehensive plan were developed.

“CareerEdge told us they wanted a big plan to bring about real change in people’s lives,” Evans said. “They didn’t want people just to make $1 or $2 more an hour.”

What has differentiated CareerEdge, as well, is that it requires employers to contribute substantial money, in addition to time and effort, into the programs developed. Moreover, CareerEdge’s funding works on a sliding scale, in which employers agree to kick in more and more money as time goes on.

“Employers have to have some skin the game,” Eavey said. “They have to answer questions on a continual basis about their programs and show us quantifiable results and how our funding will impact them.”

The idea, Eavey says, is entry-level workers will receive new skills and move up, creating jobs for new entry-level workers. Employers, in turn, will retain skilled labor and build loyalty.

Eavey acknowledges the idea for CareerEdge received some pushback when the group was officially launched in early 2010, after receiving a $1 million grant from the Knight Foundation.

“People said, ‘Why do we need another workforce group?'” said Eavey, who joined in May 2010. “But we’re not about numbers — we’re more about fixing a system and making solutions sustainable.”

To fix flaws in the system, CareerEdge has raised about $3.9 million to date, much of it from matching grants and donations. The group’s budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year is $1.3 million, Eavey said.

In its second year, Eavey said CareerEdge will focus more on manufacturing — it is already working with companies like window maker PGT Inc. and drinkware maker Tervis Tumbler — by providing computer training and “digital literacy” classes, as more and more factory jobs require technical skills.

To that end, CareerEdge has linked with the Sarasota County Technical Institute to train additional welders and machinists with high-tech knowledge, Eavey said.

It also plans to establish or cement relationships with Barry’s Plastics, Gold Coast Distribution, METI, Sun Hydraulics, Aso, Octex Corp., and other companies operating here.

That push comes as Sarasota County’s Economic Development Agency predicts a need for 2,500 new manufacturing jobs in the county by 2016.

Eavey hopes to inject CareerEdge into public policy, too, to better understand how public money is spent, and why, as it relates to work-force matters.

To handle it all, CareerEdge itself plans to hire a new coordinator. That position will bring CareerEdge’s full-time staff to three.

Within five years, Eavey hopes to rid area employers — or companies considering moving here — of the perception that Sarasota and Manatee counties do not have enough skilled workers.