Veterans Employment Committee

July 16, 2014: 10:00 AM
TBA for information contact Auta Main auta.m.main@maine.gov

Meeting Minutes from SWIB Veterans Employment Committee Maine State Chamber of Commerce 16 July 2014 2014, 10am ? 12:30pm

Member Attendees: Steve Wallace, SWIB VEC Chair & Executive Director, Fred Webber, SWIB Chair (by phone), Dave Keaton, Director Region Two School of Applied Technology (by phone), Dennis Wellman, ESGR Director (by phone), Bob Traill, Bonney Staffing, SFC Nathaniel Grace, Community Liaison, MMCN, Debbie Kelly, Maine Director, VETS, David Stearns, President, Dale Carnegie Maine;, Leroy Fournier, Asset VP, Alliance Science & Technology, Jessica Noonan, Director of Talent Acquisition, Jackson Labs, John Wagner, Veterans Rep/LVER, MDOL BES, Larry Duquette and Ray Michaud, Employment and Training Coordinators, Veterans Inc.

Guests & Interested Party Attendees: COL Andrew Gibson, Director of Employment Cycle Services, ME ARNG, Bobbie Piveronas, Program Manager, Dale Carnegie Maine,
Carolyn Lockwood, MDOL BRS Director, Garret Oswald, Director, State Workforce Investment Board

Staff: Auta Main, MDOL BES Veterans Program Manager

Agenda and Discussion Topics:

Chair ? Steve Wallace: Welcome and Opening Remarks • Auta opened the meeting with round the room introductions.

Chair ? Steve Wallace: Approval of Meeting Notes from March 19, 2014. • No outstanding discussion simply a motion (seconded) to accept and pass as written • Voted and passed as written

Chair ? Steve Wallace: Veterans Outreach Campaign/Next Steps • Review of Nancy Marshall Communications Proposal for Marshall Plan for SWIB Veterans Employment Committee

Proposal Outline and Next Steps - $10,000 Contract Goals and Scope of Work Nancy Marshall Communications will develop a strategic plan for the State Workforce Investment Board?s Veterans Employment Committee, for a cohesive campaign to educate service members, veterans and their families about the services and resources available.

Overall Objectives ? Develop public relations tactics to reach target audiences ? Identify the key messages delivered throughout the campaign ? Create a PSA strategy ? Generate opinion pieces to be used statewide ? Suggest social media strategies to share resources available and reach target audiences ? Identify ways to deliver messages through existing organizations involved in Veterans? Employment Committee ? Develop a brand platform including brand manifesto, message map, sound bite, and tagline recommendations

Deliverables: ? One, two-hour discovery meeting at a location of Veterans? Employment Committee?s choosing. ? A customized Marshall Plan?

This collaborative, detailed, strategic public relations and marketing game plan, specifically designed for outreach efforts of the Veterans? Employment Committee, will be developed based on budget needs, a one-year action plan, and flexibility in implementation. The key components of the plan will include the following:

o Marketing goal and supporting objectives: NMC works with you to define a specific, measureable and attainable goal that must be achieved in order for the marketing initiative to be deemed a success. The objectives represent benchmarks that support the overall marketing goal. o SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats): The agency conducts a thorough examination of your competitive environment and operations to identify assets and opportunities that can be leveraged as well as weaknesses and threats that must be addressed. o Situation analysis: This component represents the overall thinking behind the strategy and supporting tactics laid out in your plan. It represents NMC?s expert assessment of what you have already achieved in terms of marketing and business growth, your current market position, and what your marketing priorities should be for the future. o Short-term marketing and communications tactics: Based on the Veterans? Employment Committee needs and focus throughout the next year and outlined specifically in the objectives above. O Mid-term review: NMC will provide the first draft of The Marshall Plan?, based on the information gleaned from group input from the discovery phase, to be reviewed. This is an opportunity for those involved in the brainstorming meeting to provide candid feedback. NMC will allow several weeks for the group to discuss the plan, with one designated person to communicate any changes to us. o Final presentation: The final plan is presented via an interactive presentation geared towards ensuring the entire team of stakeholders involved in its creation full understands its purpose and can identify a role for themselves in its execution. This meeting focuses on discussing marketing priorities as outlined in the plan, as well as the intended tactics.

Project time frame: Three-month process, depending on when the Veterans? Employment Committee is ready to begin.

SWIB VEC Member Recommendations: ? Clarify with NMC the SWIB VEC Mission, Vision and Objectives with a focus on service members, veterans and their families (SMVF) and employers ? Clarify with NMC that ?Employment? is the #1 Goal of the Outreach Campaign, and that access to other services and resources is key to successful employment.
? Clarify with NMC that we?d like to adapt the existing MMCN website to become a ONE-STOP Resource/Web Portal for SMVF. ? Request that NMC augment the Employer Outreach Campaign with the good work developed by Colby College students on the Marketing Plan for MMCN.

Committee Members: Motion made, seconded and approved to take next steps with NMC?s Proposal Option A for $10,000Approval of Meeting Notes from March 19, 2014.

Chair ? Steve Wallace and Garret Oswald, Director SWIB: Shift to Phase II ? Fundraising - ?Vision without funding is a hallucination!? • Legislation passed in 2013 allowing SWIB Committees to raise funds. The Veterans Employment Committee (VEC) is the first to consider doing this. We are exploring new territory. We raised questions and concerns with MDOL Commissioner Paquette. ◦ Is it OK to raise funds, especially in a political year? ◦ Would using a like-minded 501c3 as a pass through be a good alternative to fundraising as the State of Maine? ◦ Bottom line ? as long as we don?t collect a fee, the committee has the legislative authority to receive funds. Maine Attorney General has given us the go-ahead. ◦ The Industry Partnership Collaboration legislation passed in 2013, promoting jobs in high wage in demand occupations. It was unfunded legislation. Given the SWIB has a bit of a surplus this year, Garret has requested 10k be allocated to the support SWIB VEC?s Veterans Outreach Campaign with the goal of pushing industry partnerships and employment opportunities for veterans. Commissioner Paquette was receptive. Will have yes/no in next few days. • In addition to prospective SWIB funding, SWIB VEC will continue additional fundraising strategies, with a focus on outreach to Maine businesses. ◦ Steve Wallace will draft a letter for next meeting to run by SWIB VEC members. ◦ At the next meeting committee members will review the TOP 50 Employer List and identify key employers to contact (send letter, call, email, visit) for prospective fundraising.

Committee Member ? Lee Fournier: Suggested we write a thank-you letter to Colby College students, signed by Fred and Steve in appreciation of the great work they did developing the MMCN Marketing Plan and its implications for a statewide Veterans Outreach Campaign. • Motion made, seconded and approved. addition to prospective SWIB funding, SWIB VEC will continue additional fundraising strategies.

Suggested Agenda Topics for Future Meetings • How deployment impacts employers and do they avoid hiring Maine National Guard members?
• Should we add Great Falls Plaza Veterans Educational Videos to the MMCN web portal?

The meeting adjourned at 12:30pm 2014 Meeting Dates: September 17, and November 19

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