AN INTERVIEW WITH
Gloria Butler

  The Georgia Employer Committee would like to share with its viewers the EMR's who are vital to the success of the Local Committees throughout the State. This month we meet and talk with Gloria Butler of the Valdosta Career Center.

 

Tell us your name, your Career Center and how long you’ve been an EMR?

GB: - My name is Gloria Butler and I am the Employment Marketing Representative (EMR) for the Valdosta Career Center, serving Lowndes, Brooks, Echols, Berrien, Cook and Lanier Counties. I was born in Brooks County. Since the age of two, I have resided in Valdosta, Georgia. I have been employed with the Georgia Department of Labor as an Employment Marketing Representative for six months.

Do you have any special talents, hobbies or interests you’d like to share?

GB: - I enjoy reading novels by John Grisham and Danielle Steel and my Bible. I am the Bible Pre-School Director and the Adult Ladies Bible School Teacher. I am also the Coordinator of our ladies ministry and enjoy all of it as well as speaking and attending ladies seminars. I enjoy walking, working out at the YMCA and spending time with my family. I also enjoy traveling and meeting other people.

What led you to your position as an EMR and why?

GB: - Before coming to the Valdosta Career Center, I had more than seven years experience with the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce as the Business/Education Support Coordinator and Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Valdosta. This full time position gave me the opportunity to meet and work closely with employers (the business community) and educators to design and implement programs that helped prepare individuals for the workforce. Employers would often tell me that they needed employees with good work ethics. I organized workshops, recruited speakers and trained presenters to assist in building a better skilled workforce in Lowndes County. As you know the Chamber is the voice for business and when they speak we listen because after a company locates in our area we want to make every effort to keep them. I believe my creativity, strong marketing background and heavy emphasis on work ethics made the EMR position a perfect fit for me.

What do you feel is unique about the area in which you work?

GB: - Valdosta /Lowndes County is nestled extremely south of the state about 18 miles from the state of Florida. We have all four seasons, beauty, great schools, amenity seeking retirees, golf communities, fishing, hunting lodges, great health care facilities and an amusement park (Wild Adventures). During the last census review we made Metro status. In a rather short period of time major changes have taken place economically. Although many manufacturing and the farming industry have experienced some decline, retail, food industry and service related industry have become major industries in an unbelievably short time. All of us at the Valdosta Career Center are working diligently to keep up with the demand of new growth and new employers coming in to our area. The textile industry that dominated our area just a few years ago has given way to a largely service-related job market. Another unique aspect of our region is that more than 90% of our economy is made up of small businesses. This creates a need for our office to offer as much assistance as we can to not only help staff these new businesses but to also offer them the resources to help them grow and prosper.

How active is your Employer Committee? What do you feel are its best features and biggest challenges?

GB: - We have a small but active group. A kick recruitment social was held in September with seven people expressing interest. The membership has grown since that time from seven to 15 people. At least four seminars are held each year to meet the needs of our growing economy. I feel our greatest strength is in our commitment to service and our focus on projects that will serve business, industry and education in our area. While the group gives generously, our main focus of service to business and education remains constant. Our greatest challenges are to bring better service to our smaller employers, continue to serve our larger employer’s needs, and to help promote and facilitate the education needed to produce a more highly skilled workforce in our rapidly changing economy.

Have you or your committee received any awards or special recognition?

GB: - The South Georgia Employer Committee has not received any awards but this is a goal we are striving to achieve in the coming year.

What community activities do you participate in as an EMR?

GB: - Certified Literate Community Regional Partnership, Steering Tech Prep Game of Real Life presenter, CHOICES presenter, Lowndes Commission for Children and Youth (Family Connections) Board, Drugs Don’t Work Committee—, Valdosta-Lowndes Co. Chamber of Commerce, South Georgia Employer Committee, Big Brother Big Sister Board, IAWP, Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Association and Mayor’s Council for People with Disabilities (vice chair)

What do you enjoy most about your job?

GB: - That’s easy—meeting and helping people!

In the future, what would you most like to accomplish as an EMR?

GB: - I would like to help implement and facilitate tools for employers to improve workforce ethic and retention, something that appears to be a growing need everywhere.

What future trends do you see in employment needs in your area?

GB: - The rapid growth in our area will demand an increase in services by our Career Center, eventually requiring more resources and manpower. I see employers leaning more heavily on services through the Department of Labor to staff new businesses, assist with training, to be a resource for new and changing employment legislation, and to be a partner in increasing the skill level of workers. Other trends include possible increases in wages as employers compete for workers in the same workforce pool and increased services to older workers.

Gloria Butler and Susan Dukes

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