News

Cape Canaveral, FL — IAP Worldwide Services, Inc. has teamed with the Central North Florida Minority Supplier Development Council (cnFMSDC), and Crowell Consulting to provide workshops on business and marketing skills to small, minority-owned businesses. Attending the first of five workshops, entitled “Engaging a Changing Workforce” were cnFMSDC certified small minority-owned businesses, large corporate members, and interested IAP employees.

Beverly Crowell, Principal Consultant, founder and CEO of Crowell Consulting, a woman-owned small business, provided a two-hour workshop on the changing demographics of the workplace, where four generations work cubicle to cubicle, network to network, and across the globe. This workshop reviewed today’s workforce through a generational lens to help the attendees better understand how to engage all of their employees—no matter the generation.

Joellen Moore, IAP’s Small Business Program Manager, said the training initiative grew out of concern for local and regional small business growth and sustainability during the economic downturn. The question most often asked was “How do we cope with the changes to the markets that we target?  What can we do to remain in business?  After discussing these concerns with  the Council and Ms. Crowell, we worked together to create a training plan that starts at the individual level, to create awareness of fellow workers, employees, and even the markets targeted. This awareness provides the framework for strategies to increase a business’ productivity and sustainability,” she explained.

Ms. Crowell pointed out that in today’s rapidly changing and competitive marketplace, it will take the talent and skills of everyone in an organization to be successful and people will no longer be able to get by on what they used to know. Leaders and employees alike will need to be well-versed on what’s changing in the world of work through constant learning and development.

“I am thrilled to share new ideas and best practices with the cnFMSDC based on my work with many of the Fortune 500 companies from around the world,” said Crowell. “Whether you are a big corporation or a small company, the rapid pace of change challenges all of us to be one step ahead. We can do that on our own or by learning from others and sharing what we know in opportunities such as these cnFMSDC workshops.”

Jeff Wrisley, IAP Senior Manager of Global Procurement, located in Dubai, stated, “The understanding of generational differences, (as well as cultural differences) in motivation and attitudes is critical to the effective management of multigenerational workforces. This type of training benefits IAP by enabling better awareness and understanding of the differences, resulting in improved communication to and enhanced motivation of my staff.”

Stephanie Hampton, Operations Manager, cnFMSDC Space Coast Chapter representative, summed up her experience at the workshop, commenting “Attending the “”Engaging a Changing Workforce” training session was insightful and informative. Hearing from the representatives of various generations has definitely put a different perspective on my approach in communicating with my colleagues (that happen to fall into all 4 generations). Considering the diverse workforce that we are in today, I would recommend this workshop to any organization, as it can definitely have an impact on the bottom line.”

The remaining workshops that IAP will be sponsoring are:

• “Branding Strategy and Business Planning” a two-part session focusing on brand development, both personal and business branding, and strategic business planning;
• “Career Coaching for Leaders,” focuses on learning how to coach yourself and others through exploration of who you are, what others perceive, what’s changing in the world of work, and what career options are best suited to your employees’ skills and needs; and
• “Managing Change,” focuses on seeing change as an opportunity, using tested strategies and tips to enhance attendees ability to see change coming, and working through change as an active participant

IAP Worldwide Services, Inc. is a leading international contractor providing global mission support for commercial industries, the Department of Defense, and other U.S. government agencies. A provider of global operations and logistics services, base operations support services, and professional and technical services, IAP is committed to small business growth and sustainment, awarding over 60.4% of the Company’s subcontracted dollars to small businesses over the past two years.IAP’s corporate headquarters is located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the company employs more than 7,000 people at over 120 locations worldwide. IAP’s website can be accessed at www.iapws.com.