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BusinessLink, Wednesday, July 16, 2008 5 By now the 2008 issue of the ChambersBuyers Guide has been delivered toyour business or residence. If you havent received a copy please contact the Chamber office and we will be pleased to send you a copy. As always, this book is a handy all-in-one reference guide featuring our Chamber members in the yellow pages. By shopping a Chamber member first you are assured that you are dealing with a local, reputable business that places value on delivering quality products and services. Not in the book? Please call our office to ensure that we list you in the 2009 edition. Are high gas prices ruining your summer vacation plans? Think you have to give up weekend escapes of elegant dining, first rate entertainment and shopping? Worried youll be saying, Im bored. and Theres nothing to do. before the kids? Guess what? You dont have to sacrifice anything, because Halton Hills has it all. Contact our office today for information on great ideas and destinations right here in your own back yard because really, theres no place like home. The Chamber golf tournament will be held on Tuesday, October 7 at Eagle Ridge Golf Course. Contact our office to register. This is a great opportunity to get in a game during the cooler days of fall, surrounded by all the colours the season brings. Halton Hills Home & Leisure Show is returning April 17-18, 2009. The Home & Leisure Show is a 2-day consumer show taking place in the Acton arena. This is your opportunity to meet 2,000+ potential new customers, face-to-face. At our last Home & Leisure Show, consumers said they wanted to see more landscapers, home renovators and electronic businesses. Book now for discounted rates and special promotional opportunities. I encourage you to take some time off this summer and visit our local pick your own farms, local festivals or hike some of our great trails. Our summers are too short not to get out and enjoy some of Halton Hills best kept secrets. Contact the Chamber at 905-877-7119 or through our website at www.haltonhillschamber.on.ca General Managers Desk Sue Walker Fill out a ballot at these local retailers for your chance to win $500 in FREE* GAS. WIN $500 in FREE* GAS GEORGETOWN RETAILERS: Quick Auto Repair/Krown Rust Control 354 Guelph St. Little India 78 Main St. S Vision 2000 328 Guelph St. Outdoor Power Equipment 61 Guelph St. at Queen Turner Automotive 20 Armstrong Ave. Flooring Diva Designs 128 Guelph St. ACTON RETAILERS: Acton Auto Tech 45 Main St. Acton Home Hardware 362 Queen St. E. * NOTE: For no purchase entry simply pick up your ballot and enter at the Independent & Free Press office in the Georgetown MarketPlace Mall during our normal business hours (9 am 6 pm Monday - Friday). Winner must be 18 years of age or older. Limit one entry per day per person. Selected entrant will be required to cor- rectly answer a skill testing question. There is a total of one $500 FREE* Gas prize to be awarded during this contest. Odds of being selected to win depend on the number of entries received. Draw will be held on August 5, 2008 in Georgetown. Contest closes on Thursday July 31, 2008. STATION LOCATED AT 57 ARMSTRONG AVENUE 11597 TRAFALGAR ROAD GEORGETOWN, ONTARIO L7G 4S4 PHONE (905) 877-1420 FAX (905) 873-0919 www.leferink.com BERT LEFERINK President LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED ROLL OFF TRUCK GOES WHERE LARGER TRUCKS SHOULDNT DISPOSAL CONTAINER SERVICE IDEAL FOR: RENOVATIONS SHINGLES HOUSE & YARD CLEAN-UP DIRT GRAVEL DELIVERY DRIVEWAY FRIENDLY 519-853-3332 905-702-2339 1-877-633-6259 LOW MONTHLY RATES A-PLUS SELF-STORAGE INC. 905-866-7464 2 ROSETTA STREET - NEAR GO Georgetown, Ontario VIDEO CAMERA SURVEILLANCE 24/7 DAY COMPUTERIZED ACCESS & SECURITY SYSTEM FREE USE OF TRAILER RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL RECORD STORAGE HEATED FIRESAFE SPRINKLER RENTAL DISCOUNT UNITS ALL SIZES 49 Commerce Cres., Acton, Ontario L7J 2X2 519-853-3540 info@galvcast.net visit our website: www.galvcast.net 10 MOUNTAINVIEW RD. S., SUITE 203 (MOUNTAINVIEW & GUELPH) JOHN A. GIBSON Chartered Accountant Financial Statement Preparation Small Business Accounting Personal Tax Returns Corporate Tax Returns 905-873-0996 Graeme Goebelle, FCA (retired) A. Brian MacAdam, CA, CFP David Alexander, CA Melanie McCracken, CA Ron Starret, CA Anne Starret, CA Darren Turcotte, CA, CPA Tracey Bastedo, CA James Raptopulos, CA 37 Main Stree South, Suite 201 Tel: (905) 877-5155 Georgetown, Ontario Fax: (905) 877-5905 L7G 3G2 Toll Free: (866) 554-2030 www.gmallp.com INDOOR OR OUTDOOR BASEMENT WATERPROOFING CUSTOM SUMP PUMP INSTALLATIONS Member of the ~ ~ ~ BASEMENT WATERPROOFING Call for a FREE Estimate 20 Year Written Guarantee TEL: 905-564-3575 NORVAL, ONTARIO General Managers Report The Canadian Workforce is changing in agedistribution, ethnic makeup, background,lifestyle and motivation. The employment deal is also changing, no longer an exchange of loyalty for security, but a multi-faceted give-and- take between employee and employer. And shortages are looming on the near horizon. As workforce growth slows, the Baby Boom retirement wave begins, and education fails to keep pace with the demands of the new jobs. Employers will need to add new measures to the per-formance dashboard if theyre going to anticipate and proactively overcome the challenges presented by this workforce crisis. Employers will need more sophisticat-ed and detailed information to understand both present and potential employees. If you dont believe this is an issue that will impact you, here is a quick check. 1. Do you anticipate a productivity issue, if your organi-zation cannot get the workers needed or if young work-ers are continually turning over? 2. Are you noticing an increase in style clashes between managers, employees, or even between your senior team members? 3. Are you facing a loss of critical knowledge when those who truly understand your business, the custom-ers, and the organization retire at once? 4. Are you facing the challenge of losing your top executives and/or performers to retirement? 5. Do you anticipate a tremendous brain drain on your institutional memory due to retirement and potential departure of super contributors? 6. Do you know what actions you can take to prevent the pilfering of your top executives and super performers by competitors and other companies who could benefit from your institutional knowledge? 7. Do you have a workforce strategy in place to meet the challenges of the impending work force crisis? A common myth about the impending workforce crisis is that the issue is about an anticipated talent shortage. The issue is much larger than one could imagine. Canada has never had such a large proportion of older workers in the workforce, or a generation as large as the baby boomers preparing to retire. The growth rate of the labor force has never dropped and stayed so low in our history. We never before relied so heavily on intellectual rather than physical labor. So what does this impending workforce crisis mean to you and your business? If we break the crisis down to its simplest elements, you have a supply and demand problem. As a leader, you must have a ready supply of skills and talent to implement and sustain the execu-tion of your business strategy and achieve your performance goals. The issue wont just be about achieving business goals; it is much broader with even greater implications to your business. There is serious doubt whether ready-made, already qualified, locally available candidates will form a large enough labor pool to meet a companys needs. So, you will have to change your thinking about how you man-age your workforce. You are going to have to anticipate your labor and skills needs in the context of the longer-term trends. Will you be prepared when your employees think and act quite differently than their parents, grandparents and previous generations? Some of the first tactics you need to take are the retention of key employees, increasing the level of engagement of existing employees, changing how you select new employees, changing your approach for developing new hires, and tapping new sources of labor and skills. Are you prepared? Wendy Hue, PCC, CSP Partners in Progress www.partnersinprogress.ca The Workforce Crisis