Southwest Iowa Logistics Sector Board
June 2, 2015 Meeting Notes
Members in attendance: David Bills (Red Giant Oil), Kelly O’Brien (Union Pacific), Keith Hawkes and Jeff
Clark (XTL), Kim Jones (Lewis Central Community Schools), Mark Stanley, Denise Norman and Carol
Young (IWCC).
Others in attendance: Matt Mancuso, Brenda Aguero, (IWCC); Terry Bailey (Council Bluffs Chamber),
Mary Warren (M. Warren Consulting).
Welcome:
Mark Stanley, VP of Economic and Workforce Development at IWCC, told members that
to successfully address the growing skilled labor needs of logistics companies, we need the feedback and
guidance of local businesses. In order to optimize solutions for talent needs, the input of businesses and
community partnerships are critical. Members introduced themselves and briefly talked about their
companies.
Economic and Gap Analysis Report Review:
Matt Mancuso, IWCC Associate Dean of Instruction,
presented the highlights of a report from the EMSI data service which pulls information from 7 different
state and national sources. In the 10 county region (7 counties of SW Iowa and 3 counties in the Omaha
area) there is a projected 12% increase in transportation and logistics workforce needs in the next 10
years. This is higher growth than in the nation as a whole, and one of the top growth sectors locally.
The number of graduates from local schools is unlikely to keep pace with demand so IWCC is examining
training program options to determine what additional programs may be needed. Mark commented
that the overall labor pool in the region is limited plus there is a skills mismatch in the workforce. Matt
will pull relevant excerpts from the report and send it to members.
Board Charter:
Mary Warren, M. Warren Consulting, reviewed the Sector Board Charter that
contains the mission statement, goals, membership and governance structure. The group spent time
examining and prioritizing the short term goals in the charter, and members who were not present will
be sent an email requesting that they too rank the goals.
CDL New Regulations:
Denise Norman, IWCC Continuing Education Coordinator, provided a
summary of legislative changes that affect CDL regulations. There are 3 significant changes:
Must obtain CDL permit 14 days before skills testing. Because of this, obtaining the Class A
CDL Learners Permit will now be a prerequisite for the IWCC course.
2. To be issued a CDL permit, ALL 3 written CDL tests (General knowledge, Air Brakes and
Combination) must be passed. A change from only needing to pass 1.
3. Must test on a manual transmission for nonrestrictive license. IWCC is changing to manual
transmissions for its class.
1.
Logistics Associate Certificate:
Carol Young, IWCC Continuing Education Coordinator, told
members about the Logistics Associate Certificate training offered by Iowa Western. It is a 28 hour fast-
track course designed to prepare students for entry level positions in logistics. It includes 9 modules
which include an introduction to supply chain concepts, materials handling, industry regulations, safety
requirements and soft skills. A class will be offered October 19-21 and tuition assistance is available for
eligible individuals. A program outline will be sent to members for review and comment.
Information Sharing:
Members talked about the workforce challenges they are facing:
David said Red Giant Oil has had to get creative with their recruitment strategies. They are encouraging
student involvement such as job shadowing at their business. Technology skills are increasingly
important and are needed even in entry level positions. The pathway at their business is: Dock Loader –
Materials Manager – Logistics Manager.
Kelly said UP does all of their training in-house to ensure safety and consistency. They are engaged in
tech and STEM-centered activities with the schools to promote a pipeline of talent. Kelly also said that 1
in 5 UP hires are veterans so they utilize substantial recruitment efforts to that population.
Keith said the XTL facility will open in the third quarter of next year and will be highly automated so tech
skills will be important for many of the positions they fill. Maintenance staff will need PLC programming
skills. He commented that the Logistics Associate Certificate course might be perfect for the Forklift
Operators they plan to hire. Those positions will use tablets so instruction in those skills would be
useful. They will begin recruitment and hiring efforts in January of 2016.
Kim Jones told members about some of the career awareness activities local schools engage in, including
a city-wide 5th grade career fair and a Pottawattamie County 8th grade career forum for students and
their parents. Lewis Central Schools are revamping their Career and Technical Education programs to
make them more up-to-date and better prepare students for the labor force.
Mark asked members to talk about the biggest workforce challenges their companies face. David said
it’s recruiting the right caliber of truck drivers. Kelly said UP is dealing with lots of retirements and train
service positions are tough to fill. Keith and Jeff said maintenance people and drivers are the biggest
anticipated challenges. Jeff said it’s difficult to find young people who want to work in the field of
logistics, and OTR trucking does not have a positive public image.
Next Steps:
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Mary will survey the business members not present at the meeting and ask them to rank the
short term goals.
Matt will send information from the Economic and Gap Analysis Report.
Carol will provide an outline of the Logistics Associate Certificate course.
Next meeting date – It will be on Tuesday, August 4th, 3-4:30 at Iowa Western.