BIA FOUNDATION
The Foundation’s Role In Solving Our Workforce Shortage
T
JON MELCHI
BIA Executive Director
he news in January of Intel locating a new facility within central Ohio was welcome news on a variety of levels. It's a new industry in our region and will be of vital importance to our national and global economy. Moreover, there will be thousands of well-paying jobs associated with the factory and all related suppliers locating facilities in the region. One number stood out to me, and that was 7,000. That is the number of construction workers estimated to be needed to build this facility, not necessarily including all of the related facilities. If you've seen that number previously or are reading it for the first time, I suspect you had the same reaction I did, which is, "where exactly are we going to find 7,000 workers when we already have a workforce shortage in the area?" That will be an essential question of vital importance as we work toward the 2025 open date of that facility. Infrastructure such as utilities and roads will need to be put into place. In addition to the actual facility being built, we will also need to increase housing production. In discussion with leaders from the economic development community, they understand the challenges before us. The BIA's Foundation is eager to be a part of the solution. For many
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years, this has been done through our scholarship program and the funding of select programs, such as Franklinton Rising. However, as with all organizations, occasionally, there is the need to ask the question: is the way we've done it in the past the way we need to be doing it in the future? BIA Foundation Chairman, Jack Graf, has charged the Foundation to identify how the Foundation can best tackle workforce development challenges. The Foundation board welcomes suggestions and input on how we can do so. The BIA Foundation exists because of the generous support of our members over the years. We need your support in helping to make sure that support continues. That's why this year, the BIA Holiday Party will also double as a fundraiser for the BIA Foundation. I sincerely hope we will have strong participation from the membership as we seek to raise money to help fund the Foundation's future initiatives. Make no mistake, the fact that there is such a demand in our market that we must tackle this problem is a much better challenge than the alternative. We look forward to being a part of the solution and need your involvement to maximize the impact of our organization in meeting the needs of our region.
