Sunday, July 15, 2012

It's Always about the Jobs, Period!

It’s Always about the Jobs, Period!
Why we do what we do

I’m often asked why, when I launched Brand Acceleration, I decided to focus on the economic development and construction (AEC) industries. It’s quite simple, I guess.

In response, I tell the story of my Dad, a self-employed electrician who wired countless homes during a building boom in my home town. At the age of about twelve, I often worked weekends for him, pulling wire, installing outlets and switches and doing finish work around job sites. I loved the atmosphere and the people. Dad’s employees were salt-of-the-earth individuals who treated me with great respect. They were more like family than Dad’s employees. They taught me a lot, especially the meaning of hard work. That’s one of the many reasons I have such an affinity for the construction industry.

Once the home wiring work dried up, my Dad took a job as an electrician in a local factory where ice chests and other products were made. For several years, his work was fairly steady, allowing him to put food on the table for our family of eight. It was a tough lifestyle that further exposed me to the blue collar ideals that hard work and male bravado was what it took to get ahead.

His was a union job, which meant that every three years the workers would go on strike, seeking pay raises and improved benefits. We didn’t concern ourselves with strikes. They were so common that, to us, they seemed more like a vacation for Dad. After a few days, the strike would end and everyone would go back to work.

One time however, things were different. After a prolonged strike, which included threats by management to close the plant, Dad came home and announced that they had closed the plant and fired all of the workers. Management had followed through on their threats.

That’s when things got really rough. Nearly three hundred people in a town of fewer than 12,000 were out of work. Small businesses saw a noticeable decline in sales and families were hurting. Many of the kids at school were noticeably struggling to mask the pain and fear that agonized families throughout the area.

At home, things were especially tough. I watched in horror as a strange main came to our home and drove off with Dad’s truck. The bank, it seemed, could no longer wait for another payment. As a child, I couldn’t understand such things and the pain on my Dad’s face was obvious.

Too proud to go on welfare, Dad hunted, fished, trapped and gardened to feed the family. His pride was hurt and tensions were very high. Our family was in distress.

In his late fifties, Dad decided to retire. With a local economy that offered him little hope, he saw no other option but to live off a greatly reduced public pension. Since this was a time when many women didn’t work outside the home, my stepmother was a stay-at-home parent with no job history and even fewer work prospects. Times were very tough.

Years later, when I decided to start Brand Acceleration, a marketing communications and public relations firm, I wanted to follow a focused business model, opting to specialize and grow a company that would become the go-to experts in a very short list of industries. Thinking back to my youth, I remembered my fondness for construction sites and the turbulent times surrounding my Dad’s job loss.

That’s when it hit me! I wanted to be in a business that would find, help create and grow jobs. I wanted to be on the other side of the economic picture – the side where jobs came to town and families were helped. I wanted to do my part, no matter how small, in helping communities grow and thrive.

So, for me, it’s all about the jobs. I’ve come to believe that if Brand Acceleration thrives and grows, creating jobs and prosperity for our team and their families, it’s because we’re helping others find jobs, prosperity and family support.

Recently, my wife and I were visiting her mother who lives in a very small town. One evening, as we sat on her front porch, we saw a group of young children playing on the next street over. It was such a wonderful sight. As they ran, laughed and played, I couldn’t help but think, “That’s what childhood should be like.”

I’d love to hear from you, too. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences below.

Have a great week,

Jim Walton
CEO
Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Branding // Marketing Communications // Public Relations
Indianapolis: 317.536.6255
Charlotte: 704:230:0394
Fax: 317.222.1425
Cell: 317.523.7380

Brand Acceleration is a full-service marketing communications, brand management and public relations firm with a focus on economic development, architecture, engineering and construction.


Good Economic News - July 15, 2012

Good Economic News

Here are just a few of the recent jobs announcements that have crossed my desk in recent weeks.
In Sandy Springs, Georgia, CBS Corporation, a media and entertainment company, will open an IT and software services center and create 101 new jobs. 
Taica North America Corporation will open a three-dimensional printing and manufacturing facility in Winchester, Kentucky and create 30 new jobs.
AVX, a manufacturer and supplier of electronic and interconnect components, will increase its manufacturing and research operations in Greenville County, South Carolina to include 279 new jobs.
In Boone County, Kentucky, Elovations Services Group LLC will open a new e-commerce center, hiring 696 new employees.
International data security provider Data Locker Inc. is adding 29 new jobs at its Overland Park, Kansas location.
Medical manufacturing company STERIS Corporation is expanding its Montgomery, Alabama plant and creating 80 new jobs.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus will open its first factory on American soil in Mobile, Alabama and create 1000 jobs.
Tobul Accumulator will expand its Columbia, South Carolina operation and generate 50 new jobs. 
For the third time since 2005, automotive parts manufacturer Hanil USA will expand its Tallassee, Alabama facility.  This expansion will add 60 new jobs.
Genesis Energy L.P. plans to expand its Port of Natchez terminal in Natchez, Mississippi and create 20 new jobs.
ServiceLink, a mortgage loan processing company, will expand operations to Overland Park, Kansas and generate 130 jobs.
In Monroe, Louisiana, telecommunications company CenturyLink, will expand its corporate campus and hire 600-800 new employees.
Energy giant GE is expanding its Schenectady, New York advanced manufacturing battery factory and creating 100 jobs.
Illinois-based restaurant supply company Martin-Brower will expand its distribution center in St. Johns, Michigan and generate 150 jobs.
Radiant Power Corporation, a producer of aircraft power distribution products, plans to expand its Manatee, County, Florida plant and add 26 jobs.
In Jeffersonville, Georgia, Academy Sports + Outdoor will expand its distribution center and add 250 jobs.
DrillingWorld, a drilling and trenching parts manufacturer, will expand its Shelbyville, Indiana operation and hire up to 30 new employees.
Health care company Baxter International, Inc. has selected Stanton Springs Business Park near Atlanta, Georgia, as the home of its new biopharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution center and plasma centers, which will create 1500 new jobs.
German-based seat manufacturer Kiel NA plans to build its first US facility in Elkhart, Indiana and hire 62 employees.
In Pompano Beach, Florida, discount grocery retailer Save-A-Lot will open a food distribution center which will initially employ 30 employees.
Mortgage Contracting Service will open a business process outsourcing center in Ruston, Louisiana and create 90 new jobs.
Advanced hybrid rocket developer Rocket Crafters is bringing its headquarters and 1300 new jobs to Titusville, Florida.
Neiman Marcus Group will establish a distribution and fulfillment center in Pittson, Pennsylvania and generate 150 jobs.
XCOR Aerospace will create 100 new jobs when it brings its Commercial Space Research and Development Center to Midland International Airport in Texas.
In Stillwater, Oklahoma, aerospace manufacturer Asco Incorporated is opening a production facility and hiring 250 employees.
Hydroponic grower Village Farms International will move its headquarters to Lake Mary, Florida and hire 21 new employees.
UnitedHealthcare is expanding its Chico, California operation and adding 115 new jobs.
Food manufacturer Valley Fine Foods is establishing its East Coast facility and creating 300 jobs.
A new Bass Pro Shops anchor store on Long Island Sound in Connecticut will create hundreds of new jobs.
Total Jobs Announcements: 7,749 + “Hundreds”

Jim Walton
CEO
Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Branding // Marketing Communications // Public Relations
Indianapolis, Indiana: 317.536.6255
Fax: 317.222.1425
Charlotte, North Carolina: 704.230.0394
Cell: 317.523.7380

Brand Acceleration is a full-service marketing communications, brand management and public relations firm with a focus on economic development, architecture, engineering and construction.