By Jim DeWalt

Normally, my intent is to use this format as an opportunity to expand upon one aspect or another relative to the various services available to you as a member, as well as the role A.I. plays in our community and within the business community specifically.

Today, however, I’m asking you to stop for a moment and reflect upon something that affects you, your family, the people you do business with and the community as well. It relates to what each one of us can do in support of education.

First, let me share some alarming statistics. Currently, it is estimated the dropout rate in Spokane area schools is 40 percent, up from 33 percent a year earlier. Recently I mentioned this statistic to a school teacher who responded that it really isn’t that high, more around 30 to 35 percent. Whatever. No matter the number you use, the fact remains the same; the student dropout rate within our city, region, state and nation is appalling by anyone’s standard.

Furthermore, those students who do manage to keep their eye on the ball and graduate on time are greeted with a virtually non-existent job market and skyrocketing higher-education costs. The Spokesman-Review reported recently that state legislators are considering an additional 14 percent increase in the cost of tuition at state universities this year, on top of a 38 percent increase over the past five years. The same article notes 80 percent of students attending EWU receive, or are eligible to receive, some form of financial aid (including work-study programs) but much of that funding will be going away.

We all know how society is driven by technology these days, and we also recognize that success is contingent on the ability to work in an increasingly technologically-dependent work environment. It is simply no longer good enough for a person to like cars and be good with a wrench.

I grew up working on my jalopy as a matter of necessity; imagine doing that today! It’s just impossible, when problems are diagnosed through the use of technology, not by getting under the hood and rummaging around. If today’s aspiring mechanic doesn’t have at least a high school education, he will find his options severely limited. Would any of us turn our cars over to a mechanic who isn’t certified (read: “qualified”) to repair them? I sure wouldn’t!

Which leads us to the next limitation; without a high school diploma, the ability to continue on to a certified program or to enter a program offered through a community college is beyond reach.

Not to belabor the auto analogy, but if we are truly on the “information highway,” this would-be auto mechanic is headed down a dead-end dirt road and in one way or another, we all pay the price whether in poor service or the lack of qualified employees. And, while we complain about the traffic on the dirt road, are we – as individuals and as businesses – doing what is within our means to create a brighter future?

It is with this in mind that Associated Industries created and launched the A.I. Bright Promise Program this past year, awarding scholarships to 38 students selected from a field of 96 applicants: 19 scholarships directed to students attending the Community Colleges of Spokane and 19 more to students at Eastern Washington University who transferred from one of the Spokane community colleges.

Obviously, we can’t award scholarships to everyone, but it’s a start and you can believe that it’s a big deal to the person who received the funds. (The example of the mechanic, by the way, is based (loosely) upon one of last year’s scholarship recipients who is currently enrolled in the auto mechanic certification program at one of our Spokane community colleges.)

If any of this makes sense to you, then I challenge you to ask yourself: What can I do that might make a difference? It’s not that hard and it’s not that expensive. I read something once that said, “If education is costly, what’s the price of ignorance?”

Obviously, I think the A.I. Bright Promise Program is a start in the right direction and plan to continue to make it as successful as possible. If you, as a member of this organization, want to help out, call me and I will be glad to discuss it with you.

But I’m not asking for a donation.

What I’m asking is that you think about how you have benefited from having an education and how important is it to you. How important is it to your kids? And how important is it to the people who work with you?

Ask yourself the same questions we at Associated Industries asked ourselves when the A.I. Bright Promise Program was first envisioned:

If not us, who? If not now, when?

We can’t help every student. We can’t motivate every student. But if we start now, we can keep a number of people on the right track – and off the dirt road of life. 

-- Jim DeWalt, Associated Industries President/CEO

Associated Employers Trust and UnitedHealthcare employees form ‘March For Babies’ team


Important facts about babies born in Washington State in 2007 during the average week:

• 1,712 babies were born.
• 177 babies were born prematurely fighting for their lives.
• 8 babies died before their first birthday.

Who doesn’t want to see these statistics improve? Associated Employers Trust and UnitedHealthcare are taking action. We have formed a team to support the March of Dimes March for Babies, which takes place on April 24th, starting at Gonzaga University – Jundt Art Museum (202 E Cataldo) at 10:00am. It’s a three-mile walk, and our team name is ‘Trust’ in the Future. We’re looking for more help.

• Would you like to join us on the walk?
• Can you contribute to our fund raising efforts?
• It’s easy, and we can always use more help.
  

To join the Associated Employers ‘Trust’ in the Future team, click on our March of Dimes page (with Team: ‘Trust’ in the Future at the top,) and create your personal profile.

If lending your financial support is more to your liking, you can help us boost our dollar support by sponsoring our team – in any amount. Simply log into our team page and make your donation online. We hope you will join us to ensure all babies have a healthy start to life.

If you’d like more information about the March of Dimes, you can call the Inland Northwest Division at 509.328.1920. For more information on our Associated Employers ‘Trust’ in the Future Team, contact:

Deb Brady, Director of Operations, Associated Employers Trust at
800.720.4291 or 509.342.21675 or dbrady@aiin.com

Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility

Awards to distinguish business during tough economic times

Applications are now open for the 2010 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility! This prestigious award recognizes companies across the country that make work "work" for employer and employee by successfully using flexibility to meet both business and employee goals. 

If you have implemented flexible practices in your workplace, consider applying for a Sloan Award. Sloan award applications are due by April 6.  For more information view the application instructions, and visit http://www.whenworkworks.org/. To apply for the Sloan Award complete and submit the application sheet.

Back To Top

2008 A.I. ExecuCOMP Survey is on sale!
And we’d like to know your interest in conducting the survey again in 2010

This 2008 A.I. ExecuCOMP Survey was initiated in response to the growing needs of area employers to manage the reward systems they use to attract and retain top management talent and to retain key “bench talent” being cultivated for future leadership roles.  It reports the impact of national and regional pay markets on executive and professional pay decisions in our unique region. Through our affiliation with the Employers Association Group of the National Association of Manufacturers, the ExecuCOMP Survey gives A.I. members access to the National Executive Compensation Survey's results.

DUAL FOCUS - Current and Future Leaders
There is growing competition among area employers for those mid-management or top professional career individuals who are “in the pipeline” for greater responsibility, and in whom much has been invested.  This survey covers CEO through the “top second-level” executives or professionals in key functional areas. We also analyze and report pay markets for the highest-paid exempt individual reporting to the top manager in these same functional areas.

NOW ON SALE AT $250 for A.I. Members ($500 for Non-members)!
While the information in the A.I. ExecuCOMP Survey was gathered in 2008, its information is still very valid. And now, you’re able to receive this valuable information at a reduced rate. For a limited time, you can take advantage of the valuable information gathered in this report, for half off the introductory price.  We would also like to get an indication of the interest our members may have in the development of a 2010 A.I. ExecuCOMP Survey. If you are interested, please contact Bill Sweigert.

IT & ENGINEERING DATA. Looking for specific information regarding IT or Engineering compensation? Associated Industries also has available the 2009 edition of the National IT and Engineering Professional and Management Compensation Survey. Compiled from information gathered from over 1,600 employers, the market analysis in this report can match virtually any specialty job or career level. The National IT and Engineering Professional and Management Compensation Survey is available in either CD or book format; call Bill Sweigert to find out more about this valuable compensation survey.