Page 15 - BusinessWest January 9, 2023

“For us, it’s the same old, same old — trying to get people into manufacturing. We’ve dealt with the generation gap for years, and are getting more involved with
the vocational schools and getting parents to understand that manufacturing is a viable option for young people.”
did some things with railroad workers, they’re helping Ukraine, they’re talking about a lot of things. They should have stepped in and regulated this and said, ‘the pandemic created a tremendous amount of shortage; we cannot allow private companies to go out and profit from that shortage of staffing and bring hospitals to their knees.’ With all this, it’s going to be very difficult for hospitals to cope, and that’s why all our strategy centers around finding a way to attract nurses here.”
Falcone: “Number one would be interest rates; we keep seeing interest rates increase, and not increasing at a rate that we would expect compared to supply chain. The sup- ply chain is still not fully intact, so we’re still struggling to find those products that we want to make strategic invest- ments in. Also, the job market is going to be difficult for us, primarily on the service, retail, restaurant industry. We very much struggle with our workforce.”
Senecal: “I would agree with Susan on the labor force. We’re all in different industries, but we’re seeing the same challenges, whether it’s manufacturing, skilled labor, retail labor, banking and financial services ... COVID killed the participation rate of how people want to work or, quite frankly, don’t want to work. It seems like it’s across all industries — the participation is so low, and people just don’t want to work. That’s a huge challenge for next year.
“Another one is inflationary pressures; the Fed has raised rates at unheard-of levels, and it’s having very little impact, which is kind of scary. The last increase wasn’t as high as the others, but it’s still unprecedented. They used to be a quarter-point; three or four 75-basis-point raises is
a shock to the system, and it’s not having the immediate impact you might think it would have. That’s going to be a challenge for a lot of business, as well as for us in the bank- ing industry.”
Harry Dumay says COVID provided many important lessons that are serving Elms College well as it moves on from the pandemic.
MAINTENANCE INCLUDED
2
FOR
YEARS!
PREOWNED VEHICLES PURCHASED FROM BALISE INCLUDE A 2-YEAR MAINTENANCE PLAN.
Start the year off with peace of mind! This January and February, we’re including a 2-year maintenance plan with most preowned vehicle purchases. That means we’ll cover every factory-recommended oil change, tire rotation, and multipoint inspection for the next 24 months or 24,000 miles so you can keep that cash for life’s other necessities.
24-mo./24,000-mi. (whichever occurs first) maintenance plan included with purchase of used vehicle from 1/1/2023–2/28/2023, commencing on agreement application date/mileage. Plan valid for oil changes up to 5 qts., tire rotations, and multi-point inspections at Balise dealerships for vehicle manufacturer’s normal usage scheduled intervals only. Severe/heavy duty schedules and additional maintenance items may be required or recommended and are not included. Customer will be responsible for additional charges that may apply to diesel, exotic, luxury, high-performance, customized, or specialty vehicles. Plan is not transferable to another vehicle or owner. Not valid for purchases made prior to 1/1/2023. Some exclusions may apply, see dealer service center or baliseauto.com for details.
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