IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – Next week, the Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance – “The Alliance” – will host a small business human resource panel aimed at providing local entrepreneurs with valuable insights into hiring practices. The event, set to take place Wednesday (September 18th) at Bay College in Iron Mountain, will feature human resource leaders from prominent local employers like CCI Systems, MJ Electric, Champion Inc., Marshfield Medical Center-Dickinson, and the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center. The initiative is spearheaded by The Alliance’s ‘Small Business Growth Taskforce’, and is slotted for lunchtime on Wednesday at 12-1 CST.
The panel is designed to support small businesses that may not have a dedicated HR department by offering advice from seasoned professionals. Mindy Meyers, Executive Director of the Alliance, emphasized the significance of the event, stating, “What we’re looking for with the panelists that will be at the small business HR panel is that they’ve worked for years in the businesses, and they represent larger companies in the area. So they have a more extensive HR background and not just with HR – not just the human resource side of things – but really with hiring and dealing with the folks that are coming into those businesses for work.”
The event will cover a wide range of topics, from effective hiring practices to navigating the complexities of serving different age groups in today’s competitive job market. According to Meyers, “We sent out a survey ahead of time to the small business community, and we took that survey and looked at what some of the businesses are struggling with and came up with some questions for our panelists. So there are a wide range of topics that will be covered from some feedback from the community.”
Meyers also noted that the panel offers more than just HR advice. “The benefits that the small businesses would receive from attending an event like this is you get to know what other people are working with as well. So you get that networking aspect of talking to your colleagues that are maybe having some of the same challenges as you, and that’s always a great thing when you can collaborate and work together on those things, but then also you’re getting the resource of these folks that worked in the larger companies and have ideas and maybe some resources that they can share with you. So it is meant to be an event for the small business community so they can gain some insight to handle their hiring practices.” she said.
The event is part of the Alliance’s broader efforts to support the small business community. In addition to the panel discussion, attendees will have access to representatives from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), MichiganWorks!, and other local resources.
The Alliance hopes that small business owners will walk away from the panel with tangible tools to apply in their day-to-day operations. Lunch and refreshments will be provided, and registration is available on the Alliance’s website.
“The Alliance is happy to host an event like this,” Meyers added, “because the small business community is integral to our region, and we want to support them in whatever ways we can. One of those ways is offering a tangible resource like the small business HR panel, where they can walk away with some tools they can use in their own business practice.”
Small businesses interested in registering for the upcoming HR panel can visit:www.daeda.org/about/events
