JOBS 2013 - Special Section Volume One Magazine
Editors, Writers: Kinzy Janssen, Thom Fountain, Trevor Kupfer • Design: Josh Smeltzer • Photos: Andrea Paulseth
Who’s job is that? Interviews with the people working some of the Chippewa Valley’s most interesting jobs.
COUNT SHOCKULA HEATH BENIKE FISHERIES BIOLOGIST What do you do? We do fish surveys or assessments for lakes, rivers, and small streams in Eau Claire and Chippewa County. In early spring we throw nets out to capture northern pike, musky, and walleye and we take a little chunk of their fin off to mark them. We come back at night with the Boomshocker and recapture the fish, counting how many we’d marked before. It’s better to do it at night because the fish come into shallow water to feed. It’s a big boat – it’s 20 feet long – and it has lights mounted down into the water. The boat has a mounted generator and two large booms that put electricity into the water. The fish involuntarily swim toward you; they’re attracted to the electric field and it makes them swim to the top and float there for about 15 seconds. We net the stunned fish and put them in a tub of water to count them. Is it dangerous? We’ve got safety mechanisms in our gear, but [injury] is still possible. We have mats that we stand on, like a welcome mat, but if we fall off, the circuit shuts the whole boat down. And we have a panic button, too. The water and certain parts of the boat will deliver an electric charge. How long have you been at it? I’ve been doing it for almost 15 years. It’s a lot of odd hours – days and nights – and in early spring, we get
out there as soon as the ice goes out, so there can be snowstorms. How many people share your job title? 35 people statewide have my job. It’s a fair number, but if you consider we’ve got 15,000 lakes in the state, it’s a fairly heavy workload. What’s the outlook like for aspiring fisheries biologists? It’s a tough field to get into. It’s very competitive. You’ll get several hundred applications for one position. But I get paid for my passion, and it’s very rewarding. What do people say about what you do? They think it’s a cool job… a lot of people want to do it. I get to play with fish. I tell my children “Daddy counts fish.”
JUST THE TRAXX, MA’AM CHRIS FLORES THE EAU CLAIRE EXPRESS MASCOT What do you do? Before the game starts, I change into my costume and then ride out behind center field in the back of a Mule 4 X 4. I throw the baseball out to the pitcher for the first pitch. We do infield games like the dizzy bat race. We always do the Traxx race with a really little kid. He [Traxx] always loses. I have to invent
“No one knows. I mean, he’s a train conductor, and he’s definitely an animal of some sort. I’ve heard bear and woodchuck but I’ve also heard bowling pin and chicken nugget.” – Chris Flores on the nature of Traxx
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new ways to lose every time! One time I pretended I didn’t hear him say “go.” Another time I tripped on first base. He walks around the stadium and over to the fan deck at least once. One night I counted: I gave 500 high fives, which is weird because he only has four fingers. How long have you been at it? This is my second summer being Traxx. Did being Traxx change your personality? I dance way more. People who see me as Traxx can’t believe my crazy dance moves because I don’t act that way in person. I am Traxx at the games. I do talk about him in the third person sometimes.
What are some of the perks of the job? It’s really rewarding when you’ve got kids hugging you constantly. Interacting with other mascots is the funniest thing ever. It’s a blast. It’s like a community of mascots – even if you haven’t met them outside the suit – you really bond because you know exactly what they’re going through. We have an annual race with the Buffalo Wild Wings buffalo, the Kristo Orthodontics twins, Gibby (Gibson’s water) fish, the Great Clips shampoo bottle…. What might people not realize about your job? I have to walk around slowly, make slow movements. You have these big feet on. You’re looking out the mouth and it’s this little space you’re looking out of. There is no peripheral vision. I never take it off during the game because it’s a lot of work to put it back on. You know that bulge around his middle? That’s a hula hoop stuck inside the overalls. The costume is really heavy and really hot. I sweat a lot and drink a ton of water. What would you say to aspiring mascots out there? You have to be really enthusiastic, really happy… and patient. You have to be really patient because some kids are mean and they punch him. What is Traxx? No one knows. I mean, he’s a train conductor, and he’s definitely an animal of some sort. I’ve heard bear and wood-
chuck but I’ve also heard bowling pin and chicken nugget.
BUSES AND MINUSES CHARLES DRUNK BUS DRIVER
and correct them and say, “That’s a dance pole. That was instituted by the company for health reasons, because dancing is good exercise.” When they’ve had drinks and they’re loose and among friends, they use it. But what happens on the bus stays on the bus. How long have you been at it? It’ll be a year in January.
What do you do? I drive the blue bus [though Charles is well aware of the widespread moniker “Drunk Bus,” he prefers “Blue Bus”] or chartered buses on weekends. The reason the boss had started the company was because of a drowning death by one of the students. We needed a way of getting people safely home. The shift usually starts at 8 or 8:30pm for Right Way and goes until 2:30 in the morning. I really enjoy it. The riders are very appreciative of the service. And it is a community service; I personally feel good about what I do. And we have had trouble, but it’s minimal. We have at times had to kick them off, we have a right of refusal for the service but I’ve only done it once.
How many people share your job title? About 15. There are nine buses in the company. I also work at the University in Information Technologies. I would say none of the employees work here as their sole source of income. It’s extra.
How’s your report with the riders? They’re not supposed to be talking to me while I’m driving, but especially on chartered buses, when we stop, we talk. There is a dance pole in the center of the bus – well, it’s a stripper pole. But if the riders call it that, I turn around
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How does one become a Blue Bus driver? You have to get your CDL – commercial driver’s license with a P for Passenger Endorsement. Does anything frustrate you about the job? I’m hesitant to say… you know, in any job there are going to be things like that. But I hate it that they can’t use the garbage can… it’s a 40-gallon garbage can, and that’s what it’s there for. What do people say about what you do? Some people are appreciative and other people can’t believe you do that all night long.
How does Eau Claire bring in jobs? Eight ways we can – and do – entice companies. From Mike Schatz Eau Claire’s Economic Development Director as told to Kinzy Janssen
Play Up Natural Advantages We try to recruit industry that makes sense for the advantages we have in raw materials and natural resources: lots of food products and agricultural land. [Silver Spring is one such success]. We have lots of plastic companies and computer product companies… we want to create
a connection with the type of workers already here. We try to document our great location on I-94 for businesses’ transportation needs, and the fact that our city is highly connected through fiber optics.
Diversify We also recruit to diversify so that we’re not linked to one single industry like we used to be with rubber. We like to keep the recruitment focused but not so narrow that we might miss different opportunities.
Roll With The Times I’ve been in Economic Development for over 30 years and with the city for 27 years and the expansion opportunities you see now are much less, especially in
manufacturing. Our big competitor now is overseas. We might want to start going toward service-related industries or entrepreneurship.
Focus On Quality Of Life People can choose where they live now, not just follow big companies. And our area meets the requirements of intelligent and skilled people.
or a manufacturer of circuit boards or medical devices, using infrastructure that’s already in place.
Tailor The Fit If they have intensive labor costs, we highlight the cost-saving aspect of the area because we have lower labor costs. One company wanted a place in Sky Park but they needed a lot of outside storage, so it wasn’t a good
“People can choose where they live now, not just follow big companies. And our area meets the requirement of intelligent and skilled people.”
Take Education Into Account We look at programs that the UW-Eau Claire or CVTV might have, like material science programs. We have a ready supply of labor because we’re a University town with fresh graduates every year.
Market For A Specific Building We might be doing a marketing campaign for a certain building, like the vacant 3M building in the Gateway Industrial Park. It’s 200,000 square feet, so we’re looking for more of a high tech computer related company – maybe chip design
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fit and we tried to find a different location for them.
Target Free Agents As Well As Companies We can show them that they can do well here through our website and brochures. We have a user friendly site [www.eauclairedevelopment.com] that documents the basics, but one of the drawbacks is that you don’t know they’re looking.
HOW TO GET A JOB: ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS “Less than 20 percent of people get jobs from the web. The best way to get a job is to network: make connections, go to events, call companies. Your network is your best job resource.” – Jessica Witte, UWEC Career Services
“One of the best things you can do is intern. Internships offer you experience that you just can’t get anywhere else. They may not pay at first, but they definitely pay off in the long run.” – Scott Hodek, Eau Claire Job Center
“One of the biggest mistakes people make is getting discouraged and giving up. A lot of people think there are no jobs, but that’s definitely not true. You just need to know where to look. A good idea is to skip mass job search sites and contact companies yourself – anything to set yourself apart from the masses.” – Scott Hodek, Eau Claire Job Center “When writing a résumé, don’t use a template. Know what the company is looking for and change your résumé to fit it. There is no standard, so personalize it.” – Jessica Witte, UWEC Career Services “One of the biggest mistakes people make is making career choices out of desperation. Don’t lower your standards. Try something new. Look long term.” – Jessica Witte, UWEC Career Services
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3 LOCAL RESOURCES FOR JOB HUNTERS SMARTT NETWORK
CAREER SERVICES AT UWEC
Career counseling is an opportunity to work individually with a counselor on all aspects of the career search process. A counselor can provide you with an assessment of your skills, interests, values, and personality, as well as help people adapting to fit new technologies. A career counselor can be for a student trying to figure out what they want to do when they graduate, graduates looking to maximize their potential, people looking to make a career switch later in life, or for those recently laid off and looking to become more valuable or reassess their skills to apply them to a new industry.
JUMP-START DOWNTOWN
Jump-Start is a competition for entrepreneurs looking to open a business or relocate an existing business to downtown Eau Claire. Though open to any type of business, participants must be 18 years or older to compete. Grand prize winners have received start-up capital funds, a DECI membership, entrepreneurial classes, and advertising space in TV, print, and radio. Applications must include a business plan of the proposed business to Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. This year’s competition closed in May, but start planning for next year! The award ceremony is usually held in August. Past winners include Cadeaux, Isabelle & Co., Harmony Corner Café, Smiling Moose Deli, Dessert First, Willow Creek Women’s Clinic, Body Focus, Just Local Food Cooperative, and Café 420.
When it comes to looking for a job, there are several ways to get your name out there. One option is the Smartt Network, an online talent recruitment database that connects talent to career-, business-, and technology-based opportunities in western Wisconsin. Smartt offers thousands of talent profiles that local companies can search to find people that meet the skill sets they require. Getting plugged into the network is simple: all you need to do is create a profile on the website, listing all the types of industries you’ve worked in, the duties you performed, and the skills you acquired as well as the level of education you’ve completed. This is all done without your name (until you decide to share it). Then, companies as diverse as Luther Midelfort, Xcel Energy, State Farm Insurance, and Phillips Plastics can contact you through the site and you can choose to respond with your name. Designed to be user-friendly for businesses as well, Smartt Network is beneficial for employers and entrepreneurs. But it’s also designed to grow companies and build name and brand recognition across the region.
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