NAHAD and the other Alliance Partners of the Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP) program met recently in Denver, CO, to plan for the future and talk with students from the University of Colorado Denver Business School about careers in industrial distribution. Presenting to the students were:
• Terry Knight, retired, SKF USA Inc., PTDA Foundation
• Curtis Sprague, Branham Corporation-Mt. Empire Rubber Co., NAHAD—The Association for Hose & Accessories Distribution
• Bill Squires, SMC Electric, National Association of Electrical Distributors Education & Research Foundation
• Tribby Warfield, Kaman Industrial Technologies Corporation, PTDA Foundation
• Jay Wilson, Plumbing Distributors, Inc., American Supply Association.
Together, these five industry-leading executives talked about their careers and success in the distribution sector and encouraged about 30 students to seek careers in the field. Students asked provocative questions about energy efficiency, bottom line profit management, flexibility of movement within the industry and variety of job opportunities.
The presenters, along with other Alliance Partner representatives, were in Denver for the ICP Steering Committee meeting where they discussed ICP’s progress in meeting its goal of creating awareness of industrial distribution among 16–24 year olds. Millennial Advisory Council members and association executives from each of the Alliance Partners also participated in the meeting.
In addition to providing visibility about the incredibly rewarding entry-level careers in industrial distribution, ICP develops and delivers useful programs, services and tools to help industrial distributors recruit, on-board, hire, manage, train and retain Millennial employees. An example is the training program, Elements of Industrial Distribution, which is available at a discount for NAHAD member companies. ICP also publishes the ICP Talent Tipsheet, a quick-read that helps employers with retaining and managing Millennial employees.
For more information about ICP and how your company can benefit, visit the ICPwebsite.