Business View Magazine | September 2019

49 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2019 BRADLEY L I FT ING CORPORAT ION it’s been a challenge for us. Whenever we have to replace somebody due to retirement, it’s always difficult to find somebody who fits well. It’s one thing to find somebody with the skill set, it’s another thing to find somebody who integrates well with your company culture. We are very small, 43 employees, and so it’s imperative that they fit and integrate well with the team that we have here. And we find that since we’re doing such a specialized product, there’s always going to be a learning curve. So, we’re always looking for the person that has greater potential. We may not necessarily be looking at hiring somebody who has a three-page list of certifications, per se. We’re looking for somebody who’s got skill training and has demonstrated potential in these functions, and we know that we can cultivate that into the kind of team player we need them to be.” BVM: Some companies are reaching out to their local community colleges and other educational institutions for talent. Is that an option for you, as well? Salisbury: “Well, that’s the other way we combat this – to get them as they’re coming out of school. So, we’re members of the manufacturing associations for our region and we participate in functions and advertise there. We also discuss and meet with the trade schools in our area and the various institutions that exist. And we have hired several of our engineers directly out of local colleges.” BVM: What’s on your company’s agenda, going forward? Salisbury: “In addition to constantly improving the way we do things, you always have to be looking towards improving the way you operate. We want to provide even greater support than we already do for the end users of our equipment, in terms of the maintenance side of it. We have a dedicated service department here that handles the service of our equipment, and non-Bradley equipment, as well. However, most of that is done in-house. In other words, we’re sourcing from the customers