LP Gas, May 2017

Alex Gresham Director discusses employee recruitment and development challenges A lex Gresham the director of human development at Blossman Gas joined the propane industry 11 years ago following career stops in higher education at Birmingham Southern College and the University of Mississippi Like a number of individuals who work in propane Gresham never envisioned embarking on a career in this industry Yet he has carved out a leadership position with one of the largest privately held propane companies in the United States where his responsibilities Gresham center on the recruitment hiring training and development of Blossman Gas employees LP Gas Senior Editor Kevin Yanik connected with Gresham to learn more about the challenges he faces in these areas as well as how an industry faced with filling essential positions over the coming years can best market itself to prospects LP Gas How would you describe the challenge of employee recruitment for Blossman Gas What about for the propane industry Gresham The propane industry including Blossman Gas is going to have to have a change in perspective when it comes to hiring new positions For example when I first came to the company in 2006 it was not uncommon for us to post a position and get multiple CDL commercial drivers license driver candidates who also had some solid industry experience Those candidates are not as common today Fewer people in Gen X and Y are going into the trades and commercial driving There is a gap in these industry specific technical skills that we will have to work through That being said we try to encourage our managers to always be looking in their communities for future candidates for us to consider look for people who have a solid work ethic are peopleoriented and may desire a change LP Gas How challenging is it to find candidates who have a propane quality work ethic Gresham At Blossman Gas while we have had to get more innovative with our recruitment techniques weve found that we are still able to identify potential employees who dont have propane experience but are able to be engaged in learning Some might have the opinion that millennials possess a lack of work ethic because it appears that today and tomorrows workers will not stick to a job as long as previous generations have At Blossman we take the approach that it is not a lack of loyalty or work ethic but that we need to provide ongoing educational and growth opportunities to keep new employees engaged Studies on the millennial generation have shown that they work faster and more efficiently than any workforce yet LP Gas How can the propane industry better connect with its next generation of employees Gresham Generations Y and Z are ultimately going to come around to where Gen X and the baby boomers have been We all want to work where we feel valued and can contribute to something bigger than ourselves Marketers may have to find ways to meet the next generations in the middle with job expectations For example the Ys and the Zs have grown up with technology at their fingertips Maybe its having handheld units or smartphones available to help a new tech research a problem or to help them better communicate with a customer ahead of a delivery or service appointment LP Gas How else can propane marketers leverage the fruits of working in the propane industry Gresham We must make sure we offer competitive wages and benefits Blossman strives to have our people home at night We strive to have them home part of the day on Christmas Eve because we have a commitment to family life Were going to have to market that more As companies were trying to sell our products and services but as an industry were going to have to market ourselves better to the American worker Highlight the rewards of our industry in terms of customer satisfaction professional growth and that our product is mostly produced here LPG More online Blossman Gas Alex Gresham shares more on employee recruitment and development challenges at www lpgasmagazine com search word Gresham 10 LPGas May 2017 www LPGasmagazine com