Biz Talk - Business Blog Roanoke and Beyond

Join the Talent Revolution 

Jobzcafe.com turns the recruitment process upside down as it revolutionizes the career search.  This new recruitment model doesn’t start with posting a job; it focuses on showcasing a company and the region as an attractive work environment to attract career minded job seekers. The local region includes Roanoke, Salem, New River Valley, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Danville and Smith Mountain Lake businesses.

Ira Kaufman, Developer and Marketing Strategist says,

“We designed jobzcafe to revolutionize the recruitment process and dispel the myth that there are no inspiring jobs in the region.  Jobzcafe attracts a richer talent pool of job seekers and fosters regional economic growth.”

Online it offers companies the ability to showcase their work environment as a career destination using videos, employee testimonials and social media.  Job seekers can showcase their talent by posting resumes and applying online.  Offline, jobzcafe provides regional events for job seekers to interact with seeker resources to improve their skills as well as networking events with area employers. Companies benefit from various recruitment marketing strategies utilizing Jobzcafe and their partners.

David Ferraro, Senior Recruiter, Virginia Tech University comments,

“Jobzcafe is a talented group of thoughtful, knowledgeable professionals who are truly dedicated to improving your overall recruiting function through innovative and masterful strategy. They excel at expertly demonstrating their knowledge of social media and advanced recruiting techniques, utilizing a customer service and dedicated-partner approach which exceeded our expectations.”

Virginia Tech, City of Roanoke, HSMM, Express Employment Professionals, Delta Dental and CCS-Inc are among companies being showcased on the site.  The talent pool contains over 2600 resumes, including many young professionals wanting to stay or re-locate to the Roanoke and New River Valleys.

Kathy Tisinger, Career Center Manager, Roanoke Higher Education Center says,

“I think jobzcafe.com is an innovative, progressive concept for the Roanoke Valley.  To my knowledge, nothing like this has been tried before.  It gives job seekers a comprehensive platform to search for careers, while at the same time obtaining information on job searching skills and education available that can help them meet their career goals.”

Jobzcafe builds awareness of career opportunities and assists job seekers to improve their skill sets. The result - jobzcafe generates a consistent pool of qualified active and passive candidates. 

Stuart Mease has been working as Special Projects Coordinator for the City of Roanoke.  His main goal is to attract and retain young professionals to the region.  He comments,

“The jobzcafe model will completely alter how local companies position themselves to attract talent, and how resources are made available to job seekers.  Jobzcafe has the potential to be very successful and integral to the economic growth in the region.”

Jobzcafe uses an Integrated Marketing Strategy combining advertising on television, radio, and billboards with social media including their blog, Jobz Talk and a presence on Facebook and MySpace.  Check out our Facebook page.

For more information and to find out how your company can be showcased as a career destination contact Adrienne Barnett, HR Strategist, at 540-563-2249 or visit them on the web at www.jobzcafe.com.

Has the current job market and slumping economy caused you to think about starting your own business?  Fortune Small Business on CNNMoney.com canvassed the country to find towns with the best mix of business advantages and lifestyle appeal. They put together a list of their 100 top picks for the perfect place to launch a new business and build your dream.

The list included 4 Virginia area's that are great locations to for a startup company.  Southwest Virginia was included on the list as Blacksburg was noted as the # 43 best city.  Blacksburg, home of Virginia Tech and the Corporate Research Center and was listed as one of the 6 Technology Launching Pads.   CRC is a 120-acre research park and incubator, with 130 private companies in occupancy, ranging from corporations to tiny startups and covers technologies from computer hardware to pharmaceuticals.

Southwest Virginia can now boast about adding to their list of BEST's. Not only are we among the best areas to launch your business but we are also one of the Best Places to Retire.

We live in changing world. Businesses are constantly facing change at an accelerating rate. I was browsing slideshare.com and found that one of the most viewed shows was Shift Happens.  About a year ago I watched the video on YouTube.  If you haven't watched it, take a look.  It will make you think about the impact on businesses and how technology has changed us all. The video is full of facts regarding the current state of global competitiveness and emphasizes how we can continue to expect Shift in the future.  How will this impact your business?  How will it change your marketing strategies for the future? 

ROANOKE COUNTY & HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS VML PRESIDENT’S AWARD

Roanoke County and Hollins University took home the Virginia Municipal League (VML)  President’s Award this year for their work with an annual summer camp for youth offered in cooperation with area businesses. 

The program known as Technology Education for Kids or TEK Camp is focused on workforce development which is a significant concern for businesses in the Roanoke Valley and beyond.  Members of Roanoke County’s Economic Development Department, Director of Social Services and a representative from Hollins University traveled to Williamsburg last month to accept the award at VML’s Annual Conference.  And on Tuesday of this week, the program was highlighted during the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors meeting.

TEK Camp is a project that identifies students with technical potential at an early age for the purpose of enhancing their skills training in the secondary school system. The camp spans five days and is free of charge for the children, who are provided meals, transportation, and supplies.  Camp is held on the campus of Hollins University with fieldtrips to the business community throughout the week to meet local executives, human resource managers and employees.  The classes and interactive programs challenge young people to discover how technology impacts their lives and the many career and educational opportunities that are available to them.  Hollins University and Roanoke County could not make the camp the success it is without the help of the local business community and Roanoke County schools.  Some of the businesses that have opened their doors to the children include First Team Auto Mall, WDBJ Television, Q-99 and the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.

One judge described the program as, “…a successful, innovative and collaborative effort of local government, educators and business leaders, resulting in the continuous development of a well-trained technical workforce for the Roanoke Valley Region.”

TEK Camp began in 2004, with 12 students enrolled in a pilot program. In 2006, Roanoke County received 57 applications and enrolled 38 participants.  Corporate sponsors and partners fund the program.

The President’s Award is the most prestigious award granted by the VML Achievement Awards program.  The award was established in 1996 for Virginia governments to submit projects which exemplify the jurisdiction’s efforts to improve the delivery of services to its citizens in an innovative and entrepreneurial manner.

Today, October 15, is Blog Action Day, where bloggers around the web have united to put a single important issue on everyone's mind.  That issue is the environment.  

To help increase awareness through the Roanoke business community I have chosen to write about how businesses can help the environment in three easy steps.  If every local company would commit to these three simple steps we can conserve energy, preserve our natural resources and help fight the issues of global warming.

1. Replace 2 regular light bulbs with an energy saving model. If every business in Roanoke replaced one regular light bulb with an energy-saving model, we could reduce global warming pollution by more than 90 billion pounds over the life of the bulbs; the same as taking 6.3 million cars off the road. So, replace your incandescent bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescents, which now come in all shapes and sizes.
2. Pull the plug on electronic devices when not in use. To make sure you aren’t wasting energy put all of your electronics and chargers on a power strip (or a smart power strip). This way you can simply flip the power strip off when your electronics are not in use.
3. Set computers to energy-saving settings.  For most businesses our computers are the central tool for work. Optimizing the energy settings for computers and other devices can be more than a modest energy saver.  Printers and scanners that are only used occasionally can be unplugged until they’re needed.
4. Charge your mobile devices through your computer's USB port.  Cell phones and PDA's can charge using your computer’s USB port.  You never have to worry about leaving your AC adapter plugged in.
5. Buy recycled paper for copiers and fax machines.  The benefits of recycled paper include fewer trees cut down, less water and energy consumption and less pollution generated. Using recycled paper reduces waste and preserves natural resources.
6. Encourage employees to recycle by adding recycle bins.  Add bins near copier machines for paper and in lunch rooms for cans and bottles.
7. Have lunch delivered to your office once a week.  Plan a day in advance so employees can order lunch together and dine together.  It saves gas and cuts down on pollution. It also makes a great way to reward your team. Also remember to ask for paper instead of styrofoam containers.
8. Turn climate control systems off when they aren't needed.  Adjusting the thermostat a few degrees warmer or cooler can also benefit. You may be surprised by how much energy and dollars this saves.

Check out TreeHugger.com for more information on ways to green your workplace

This is a followup to my post on the Downtown Roanoke Wi-Fi project.   I was recently invited to attend a meeting with Roanoke City regarding the Downtown WIFI Hotzone.  Clearly Roanoke has been identified nationally as a technology leader and as a model for cities considering a downtown Wi-Fi hotspot.  Seattle, WA modeled their system after Roanoke. 

It was clearly recognized by those attending the meeting that the level and consistency of the service has deteriorated over the years and more attention needs to be placed on making the Wi-Fi service readily available in the designated areas.  It was also agreed that there was very little marketing done to promote the downtown Wi-Fi service.

Suggestions included:

1. Help Downtown Roanoke to understand the importance of Wi-Fi as a marketing tool.
2. Getting local downtown businesses involved in promoting the free Wi-Fi hotzone.
3. Work with the technical service provider (Cox) to offer local downtown businesses a hotspot using less expensive hardware to amplify the signal to their business.

These points were aimed to locally heighten the interest in the Downtown Wi-Fi project.  There have also been two recent articles in the Roanoke Times by Duncan Adams.  Roanoke Wi-Fi lingers on fritz and Downtown wireless may finally be fixed.

Based on this second article that the service MAY be fixed, I was delighted and scheduled a business meeting at the Roanoke City Market Building's International Food Court.  I started using the Wi-Fi connection but within 10 minutes it had slowed to a crawl and then it quit.  I was totally embarrassed without my technical tool.

If I were a business person or impressionable young professional visiting the area this would have definitely tarnished my image of Roanoke as a digital or technology leader.

What's the City of Roanoke's next step to monitor and maintain the Wi-Fi consistency?  Brian Brown, from Roanoke City's Office of Economic Development, told me that the City does have a plan.  He said within the next 3-6 months they will be doing a series of improvements, including upgrading the Wi-Fi technology at the City Market Building.  They intend to improve the consistency of the W-Fi connection.  Local users and vistors will greet this improvement with welcome arms! 

Let us know if you have any additions we can add to our Wi-Fi list at www.RoanokeBiz2Biz.com.

Most people don't understand the power of social media.  They don't understand how blogging and other forms of social media can impact the business environment.  Viral Marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily.  Let me show you direct proof of how an ongoing internet conversation can effect a topic or situation.  Imagine if this were your business and why you have to be cognizant of the affects, good or bad, it can have on your business.

I found this article in the Washington Post regarding the rage over the new drivers fee's invoked by the Virginia Legislators.  Marc Fisher reported…

Since when do ordinary people take up the cause of offenders such as the 5 percent of drivers who are eligible for abuser fees because of their bad records? Since when do Virginia's supposedly hard-core anti-tax voters slam their lawmakers for avoiding a general tax increase by slipping in fees aimed at some small group?
Well, since the Internet changed the speed and power flow in politics, says Del. David Albo, the Fairfax Republican who finds himself the target of much of the popular rage.

Fisher added..

In the wild world of Virginia political blogs, that made Albo Public Enemy No. 1 — accused of concocting a dishonest way to raise money for transportation projects, making it extra unfair by exempting out-of-state drivers from the fees and topping it off by working in a field in which he stood to profit from an increase in court battles over these fees.

Social Media is changing the landscape of our politics as well as how we do business.  This is what we call viral marketing.  Several months back Roanoke Biz2Biz hosted a social media workshop where I explained about the Power Of Blogs. (see my white paper Blogs - Your Power Marketing Tool) 

You can accept it or not, but this is a part of your future.  Five years ago, few took a serious look at a Google search as a marketing tool.  Look at them now!  If you don't have a top ranking in Google you can bet your competitor does!  

Blogging has grown into a powerful venue for businesses to gain valuable exposure.  Companies now use various forms of social media marketing to introduce new products and services, announce events and generate leads for their business.

It's YOUR choice, you can be pro-active and an innovator in incorporating social media into your marketing strategies or you can lag behind as your competitors evolve.

When I learn of a restaurant or business in Roanoke that has WiFi, I get really excited.    I look to meet clients at a central location in Roanoke that has free wireless internet or a WiFi hotspot for business meetings.  If I am on the south side of town there are several nice restaurants and coffee shops I can use.  When I am downtown there are a few places I can go.  Trying to access the City of Roanoke's WiFi Hotzone can be rather frustrating.  You never know if it will work and for how long.  I don't have a dependable connection to conduct a business meeting! 

Roanoke City (recognized as the "Top Digital City" last year) installed the WiFi in 2003/2004.  What has been done since then?  What are the future plans for upgrades?  Who really cares if it works or not? 

There are lots of people that care and would use the service.  Roanoke is struggling to keep and attract young professionals (see article on Stuart Mease recently published in the Roanoke Times.

In fact this article brought an email on this subject to Stuart from Greg Hudgins, a former Roanoker, now a professional living in Northern Va.  Greg shared with Stuart…

"I find Roanoke to be a pretty hip small city and would think it is doing a better job of retaining younger folks than when I left.  One suggestion I have for Stuart as a visitor from a larger metropolitan area, DC, and as a measurement I use to gauge a cities "hip-ness" is its WIFI availability. As an OD consultant who travels a lot for my business, it is a plus for me when I visit a city and can find easy web and internet access. It is far more appealing when I find a city that supports their community by making WIFI free and easily accessible.

Roanoke promotes its free WIFI downtown in the market area but it doesn’t work. I think Roanoke is missing out on an opportunity in this regard and could use it to attract a younger demographic. When I ask Roanoker’s on the market for advice about it, they say it hasn’t worked well for years."

Obviously, it is important and people do care. So what plans does the city have to revamp it's WiFi hotzone? 

Roanoke Biz2Biz has always had an interest in WiFi hotspots in the Roanoke and New River Valleys.  We have compiled a list of WIFI Hotspots across Roanoke, Salem, New River Valley and Lynchburg.  We update the list as new locations are added.  If you can add to our list please comment here or email wifi@roanokebiz2biz.com.    

As a Roanoke Businessperson, I am always looking for new venues to promote Downtown Roanoke business. RoanokeBiz2Biz.com will be establishing a new target area on our website that will focus on Downtown Businesses.

I recently attended three great meetings with the City of Roanoke Department of Economic Development.  Brian Brown, Economic Development Administrator, shared working outlines for implementing the districting of the downtown that was outlined in the “97 Outlook Plan. This looked very exciting but we learned it was never implemented. 

I was introduced to Jack Barber, Developer of 110 Campbell – Commonwealth Park, the old Leggett building. Here are some of Jack’s comments on development of the new proposed district encompassing his new office complex.

“As a property owner in Downtown I have a fiduciary duty to account for all the monies that my partnership spends which includes the amounts that we pay to the city for the special tax district which we are members.  DRI referred me to this districting plan that was never implemented which basically enables me to have a say in how my money is to be spent; first on a district level and then in conjunction with the needs of our neighbors in the other districts.  I have been successful in working with Brian Brown of the City EDA to basically define and outline as a pilot project what is known as the Rail District.  The Rail District is a Economic Development unit that is bounded by Jefferson on the east side, the railroad tracks on the north side, Fifth Street on the west side, and snakes down between the middle of Campbell and Kirk on the south side.“  

“Although this is a fairly large area, myself and others see the district informally breaking down into several neighborhoods that have their own concerns; but the overall direction of the district can be governed by initiatives that arise out of the desire of the citizens to take control of their future.  This organization can be replicated in all the other districts as they organize.  Further, the model also should be the governing principle for the City.  In this way, the stakeholders (the property owners, business owners, residents etc.) can communicate their needs in a concerted effort to City Hall.  In addition, City Hall, by having this model in place, has the ability to communicate in a methodical way back to its citizens. City Hall can now address their challenges and opportunities in a way that is more conducive to an orderly and representative society.  Bottom line, it’s good for the business of the citizens as well as the city.”

This plan seems to be a great venue for developing and promoting the identity of different districts. I want to lend my support. I welcome your comments. What are the next steps needed to make it operational? 

Ira Kaufman

President RoanokeBiz2Biz

In last weeks Biz Links post I included an article about two Roanoke businesses featured in Business Week.  Congratulations are in order for these two local businesses.  The article, Hands-Free HR, When does outsourcing make sense? interviewed Chris Nininger, owner Bug Man Exterminating with his experience using a PEO (professional employer organization) to outsource his HR and payroll services.  Payroll Solutions Plus is owned by local businessman, Len DeShano. 

"Nininger uses Payroll Solutions Plus in Roanoke, Va., to oversee the human resources duties - from payroll and insurance administration to writing employee handbooks." 

Check out both company websites to learn more about these businesses.  Again, congratulations to Chris Nininger, Bug Man Exterminating and Len DeShano, Payroll Solutions Plus.