OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL Grant Boosts Heartland Workforce Solutions Program

FROM LEFT, STAN ODENTHAL, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS RELATIONS AND ERIN PORTERFIELD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OF HEARTLAND WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS.

Opportunity for All

GRANT BOOSTS HEARTLAND WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS PROGRAM

It’s a curious twist of fate when something as destructive as a global pandemic opens the door to helping people, but that’s just the reality in which Heartland Workforce Solutions (HWS) finds itself.

The nonprofit, which focuses on strengthening Nebraska’s workforce, has long seen the need for a physical presence in South Omaha and now is getting one, thanks to federal funding directly as a result of COVID-19.

HWS recently received $600,000 via the Omaha American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Grant Program. The money, which will be used to give HWS permanent building space in South Omaha, is part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. Signed by President Joe Biden last spring, ARPA funds provided direct support to citizens in the form of stimulus payments as well as assisted state, county and city governments in recovering from the effects of the pandemic.

Help Where Needed

“South Omaha has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and a lot of folks there are experiencing challenges in employment,” said HWS Executive Director Erin Porterfield. “One thing we know is meatpacking plants and other food production services didn’t stop working through the pandemic. As a result, workers there were disproportionately affected by illness, by childcare issues, by school closure issues, everything.

“We also know that folks in South Omaha ZIP codes are also lower income, some experiencing poverty, some experiencing lower graduation rates from high school. Not only that, but you also have some folks who are still second language learners, from Spanish to English. That poses additional challenges.”

HWS’ new resource center will bring a variety of job- and career-related services to the community, among them offering support for job searches, resumé assistance, interviewing skills, occupation and career path awareness, referral to workforce

South Omaha has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and a lot of folks there are experiencing challenges in employment.

- ERIN PORTERFIELD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HEARTLAND WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS

partner programs, employer education and hosting recruiting events.

Boots on the Ground

Stan Odenthal, HWS director of business relations, said having a physical presence helps the organization be more responsive, both to employment challenges and opportunities, by leveraging applicants’ current skills and training them for better-paying positions.

“Having that access point in the neighborhood matters; Something close by that individuals can come to and get connected with resources in the right language,” he said. “We know that in and around South Omaha there are a lot of great jobs, but there’s also a lot of jobs that pay on the lower scale of things.

“One of the things we think is a fantastic opportunity in South Omaha is not only reaching those individuals and connecting them with jobs as they walk through our center, but also helping upskill individuals and then getting them connected with the middle- and high-skill jobs that pay more.”

Porterfield said the organization has already identified a property – a 10,000-square-foot, build-to-suit location – which HWS is leasing from Canopy South. She said several organizations are also lining up to work out of the new resource center.

“We have a number of our workforce system partners who are saying ‘I want space, I want space,’” she said. “We are identifying right now with the architect how that space will play out so that we can understand how many folks can work there at any one time.”

Matching Workers to Jobs

The volume of people needing help to find work seems incongruous with headlines screaming about the scarcity of labor over the past two years. However, Odenthal said, this only underscores how nuanced the issue of employment is among certain populations.

“You look at the unemployment rate and you see it’s like 1.9% for Nebraska, which is lowest in the country. Omaha is a little bit higher, but not by much,” he said. “Even with that low unemployment rate, we’re still seeing a ton of people. On a typical Monday, we’ll have 120 people walking through our doors. All of those individuals, on some level, are looking for employment.

“The reality is, there are a lot of individuals who are still looking for employment or looking for better employment. They’re looking for good opportunities to grow within an organization. Those are some of the topics of conversation we have with businesses. How can you make the hiring process a little easier on the job applicant? How can you get more people through the door?”

Porterfield agreed, saying local companies must understand how to strategically position themselves as an employer of choice, something with which HWS is happy to assist.

“When we hear folks say, ‘I’ve got all these jobs available, why don’t people want to work?’ That’s an important conversation,” she said. “In reality, people are working more than ever and sometimes more jobs than what’s healthy for them and their family. Right now, businesses have a great opportunity to get the right culture together to access the talent that they need to grow. But it’s going to take some education and some flexibility on their part.”

MBJ

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Staying on Track

LINDSAY TETTENBORN BUILDS SUPPORT SYSTEM AT UNION PACIFIC

LINDSAY TETTENBORN, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS SUPPORT AT UNION PACIFIC.

Whether professionally or in her free time, Lindsay Tettenborn loves to help others and give them the support they need to be successful.

“I love people, and I love to help,” she said. “Valuing relationships, building diverse teams and accepting people for the experiences and knowledge they bring to the table goes a long way.”

Her ability to support others through daily challenges and focus on teambuilding at Union Pacific led her to her current role as senior director, operations support.

Tettenborn grew up in Omaha and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied advertising and journalism. Before graduating, she took an internship with Union Pacific in its corporate relations group, driving back and forth between Omaha and Lincoln.

After graduating, Tettenborn took a full-time position with Union Pacific in the marketing and sales department before moving back to the corporate relations group. For the past 16 years, Tettenborn has worked at the company, moving into various positions.

“It’s an honor to work at Union Pacific,” she said. “The railroad is a part of our country’s history and today it continues to serve, delivering everything we need to live our daily lives. I’ve always felt valued at the railroad, and encouraged to challenge the status quo, while never being afraid of failure.”

Tettenborn’s team supports the railroad’s engineering managers and works to find quick solutions to problems that arise.

“Our team works extremely hard to create and maintain a culture where people can come to work as their authentic selves,” she said. “In our meetings, there is an obligation to question what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. I say a million times ‘I don’t want you to tell me what I want to hear. I’m asking you to tell me what you think.’ That alone has led to some great conversation that’s produced fantastic outcomes for the railroad.”

In whatever projects Tettenborn is working on, she aims to always add value to Union Pacific and to support the members of the company in any way she can.

“I don’t want there to be any question about the value my team brings to the railroad,” she said. “When you provide value and think outside the box, people look to you to help solve problems.”

Work/Life Balance

Despite her successes at Union Pacific, Tettenborn said her greatest accomplishment is her family.

“I have an extremely supportive husband and four children ages 9, 7, 3 and 2,” she said. “I’m most proud that my son and three daughters see how hard I work personally and professionally. I want to set a good example that you can do both. It’s not easy, but you can do it.”

While being a working mom presents many challenges, Tettenborn has learned how to manage it all over the years and advance her career while also creating a loving household.

“It’s ages and stages,” she said. “I’ll never declare victory. It’s never perfect. I think every year things change, and you just adapt, and you learn how to make it happen.”

Having a community of support from her coworkers has helped Tettenborn when overcoming these obstacles. After returning from maternity leave after the birth of her fourth child, Tettenborn was given the opportunity to transition to a new position. Although the transition was difficult at first, Tettenborn’s team helped her through it. “You’ve been at the railroad for a number of years, and challenged, at times, to lead teams whose business is completely unfamiliar,” she said. “Those experiences continue to teach me to trust my team. They’re the ones that do the work. And so really, I work for them. My job is to make their life better, so that they provide the best product possible.”

Tettenborn hopes to provide a good pathway for women entering the workforce and to create a community in which they feel empowered to work any job they want regardless of anything standing in their way.

She also hopes to continue to be a good role model for her kids and to raise them to show compassion towards others.

“I hope to make a difference by being kind and inclusive. [And] honestly, I want to raise children who are all inclusive and try to set that example daily,” she said. PRESENTING SPONSOR