by Sonnhalter | May 16, 2017 | Events/Trade Shows
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
It may seem like Manufacturing Day (first Friday of October) is still far off on the horizon, but the time to plan is now. With schools getting ready to take their summer breaks, you should contact them now in order to make sure your company is ready to highlight the great careers available in modern manufacturing and the trades.
And while the official Manufacturing Day site has great tools to help you plan and promote your event, a panicked phone call I got on Friday gave me another idea to share.
Image via RCB Flickr
Fortunately the panicked call wasn’t from a client, and wasn’t an actual “emergency.” Nope, it was my introduction to the latest craze sweeping schools across the country: Fidget Spinners (more…)
by Sonnhalter | May 10, 2017 | Marketing Tips
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
Brand/Content Marketing and all the other buzzwords are irrelevant.
I just finished reading a great article from the Virgin website.
But first an apology on behalf of the entire marketing industry…
We’re sorry for all the buzzwords. Really.
For years you’ve heard “content marketing” and “be your brand” and many other latest fads bandied about in meetings. In fact, at one previous employer, we had bingo sheets we’d take into the conference room to see how quickly we could achieve “product/end user integration,” “ROI” or anything else “at the end of the day.”
But really, all those words boil down to what the article highlights: Be a Storyteller (more…)
by Sonnhalter | May 3, 2017 | Marketing Tips
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
Pepsi recently had a severe digital flogging for a tone-deaf ad featuring Kendall Jenner and the evidently crisis-averting powers of their soda. From late night hosts and live shows in New York to TV pundits and seemingly everyone with a social media account, the multi-national corporation has been the punchline of many a joke.
Obviously there are a lot of lessons to be learned and cautionary tales aplenty. But for me, the main lesson in all of this comes down to:
Don’t try to be your brand. Have your brand be who you are.
What’s that mean? (more…)
by Sonnhalter | Apr 19, 2017 | Tradesmen Insights
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
One of the things that always struck me about manufacturers is they generally don’t realize how cool their jobs really are. And I get why. You’ve been doing this your whole life, it pays the bills and it has its disappointments, headaches and setbacks.
But manufacturing made the modern world we live in possible. And the stuff you see as routine, through anyone else’s eyes is really, really cool.
Don’t believe me? Ask a bunch of middle school kids in Pennsylvania. (more…)
by Sonnhalter | Apr 5, 2017 | Tradesmen Insights
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
Wait, Did You Feel That?
The needle began to move on the skilled trades gap.
Don’t look now, but the problem you’ve known about for a generation, the lack of people coming into the skilled trades, is finally going mainstream.
It’s subtle, but change is beginning to show.
Source: This Old House
First there are the local advocates, who have been talking about the problem for years. You know them, they’re in your local Union Hall, Welding School, or in the rapidly dwindling number of High School Vo-Tech programs. Or they’re part of the increasingly aging workforce itself, all too aware that there are more of them retiring than entering the workforce, and hanging around looking for someone to step up.
And there are now countless local efforts. Here in Northeast Ohio, the Cuyahoga Community College launched a mobile workforce training center. Tri-C customizes it with virtual welders, CNC machines or other demos as the employer or school needs. Also in the Cleveland area, Lincoln Electric, whose Carl Peters is an advocate for training program development, recently capped off the framing of their new, $30 million welding technology center project.
Nationally the news is just as encouraging. Mike Rowe, who has capitalized on his TV fame to promote the trades through his foundation, is getting ready to take applications for 2017 scholarships. He’s also a great social media follow, and recently testified before congress.
Even more promising, This Old House, the venerable PBS show, launched Generation Next a partnership with MikeRoweWORKS designed to highlight the jobs available in the skilled trades and destigmatize these jobs for today’s youth.
NPR’s excellent Marketplace program recently had several in-depth features on training skilled workers, produced by senior education correspondent Amy Scott.
Plus, there are the national groups dedicated to the trades, Skills USA, Manufacturing Day and more.
So what are you doing? What plan does your company have, and how effectively is it implemented? A few places to get started/re-energized:
- Find national and local training programs with Sonnhalter’s list
- Approach local schools and investigate opportunities to show off the work you do by participating in Manufacturing Day
- Don’t let everyone leave early at your next trade show’s student day. Instead, find out what schools are coming and be proactive
- Work with your Trade Organization or Union, volunteer to be a part of their training efforts
There have never been more resources and creative thinking addressing this looming crisis. Is it enough? Probably not, but the needle has moved, and it’s in your company’s best interest to do what you can to help build momentum.
