campaigns : Campaign Archive

August 2007 Vol. 3 Issue 8

In this Issue...

Bill Sims Remembered
On Par 4 HR - It's Time To Scramble
Workforce Readiness Committee
Career Transition Support Group
SHRM Unveils New Brand
Members in the News

Bill Sims Remembered

It is with deep sadness that we report that Bill Sims lost his 2 year battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) on Friday, July 13, 2007. He was a loving husband to his wife of 15 years, Tara, and a wonderful father to their two children, Will and Alli Sims.

But, it is with great joy that many of us remember Bill, who retired as Vice President of Human Resources with Amsurg in 2005 and also served as a charismatic President of MT|SHRM.

Among many honors, Bill was awarded the Solid Gold Award, Outstanding Member Award and various leadership awards. But moreover, Bill contributed to the professional growth of many of our members as well as to the HR profession.

Bill's philosophywas "Never Give Up," and he lived that attitude his entire life. Memorial contributions may be made to Community Foundation of Middle TN, Sims Family ALS Research Foundation, P.O. Box 440225, Nashville, TN 37244.

On Par 4 HR - It's Time to Scramble

The 3^rd annual MT|SHRM Golf Scramble, a fund-raiser for professional development scholarships for members, is well on the way to being the best ever. The scramble will take place on Thursday, September 6 at Gaylord Springs Golf Links at 11:30 am.

"So far, nearly all of last year's sponsors have already committed to this year's event, and 90 percent have been with us since the beginning," said Doug Edwards, Golf Scramble '07 Event Chair.

"Humana is proud and excited to once again support the HR professionals of the Middle Tennessee Society and lend our support to this important event," said Evans Looney,Vice President of Sales-Tennessee Market."

Sponsorship opportunities are still available on a limited basis. Click here to find out more, or contact Doug Edwards at 615-372-1000.

Workforce Readiness Committee

Has your organization recently struggled to find qualified, motivated, skilled workers? Most likely, your answer was "yes" to that question.

As Human Resource professionals, we are deeply impacted each and every day by the shortage of excellent workers at all levels. That's why we are encouraging you to join the MT|SHRM Workforce Readiness Committee to help us create the workforce our city needs now and in the future.

The committee has lots of exciting project ideas - both large and small - to bolster workforce development in this area. If you have a passion or an interest in helping, we need people!

If you are interested in joining or would like to learn more, please e-mail either of the Co-Vice Chairs, Marc Starrett or Julie Stein.

Career Transition Support Group

The Monday night Career Transition Support Group (CTSG), a Brentwood-based, no-cost service for Nashville area professionals who are in career transition, invites all MT|SHRM members to participate in the 2nd Annual Career Networking Mixer on Monday, September 17, 2007 from 6 - 8:30 pm at Brentwood United Methodist Church, 309 Franklin Road, in Brentwood.

This will be a 'career fair' style event at which employers will have booths and offer opportunities for attendees to meet with hundreds of qualified candidates. Last year there were over 300 participants and we are expecting a larger turnout this year.

We are inviting corporate recruiters, hiring managers, search firms, and staffing agencies to get involved and would like for your organization to participate.

The CTSG has worked with tens of thousands of area career seekers since our founding in 1989. The professionals we work with come from different backgrounds with different levels of experience and skill sets.

"This is an excellent opportunity for organizations to source candidates from hundreds of potential local professionals," says Matt LeBlanc. Employer arrival and set-up is from 4:30-5:45 pm. Those interested should contact Matt LeBlanc at 615-477-5651.

SHRM Unveils New Brand

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has unveiled a global branding campaign intended to strengthen the worldwide communication of its messages.

The campaign was announced at SHRM's 59th Annual Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas, NV, before an estimated 15,000 HR professionals from around the world.

The new logo and branding campaign reflect the association's growing influence and reputation and its goal to provide a unifying voice to its 220,000 members, located in 550 chapters in more than 100 countries. The launch comes at a time of intense U.S. national debate on pressing HR issues such as healthcare, immigration, retirement security and globalization.

"Our new branding efforts will go a long way toward making a strong SHRM brand even stronger," said SHRM President and CEO Susan Meisinger. "Our goal is to demonstrate more clearly who and what SHRM is and how we provide our members with the relevant and personalized service and information they need at each and every stage of their careers."

The new look not only mirrors SHRM's current popular image but also marks the beginning of a higher profile for the Society and its members. An increasing number of executives, policy makers, scholars and journalists are seeking to leverage SHRM expertise, and they are also looking for SHRM to play an even greater role in major workplace issues at home and overseas. The campaign will be ongoing over the course of a year, unifying and anchoring some 89 SHRM sub-brands.

SHRM was founded in 1948, when it held its first annual conference attended by 67 participants in Ohio. Today, it has a staff of more than 300 employees working in 20 specialized departments. Its conference in Las Vegas last month hosted over 15,000 HR professionals with significant representations from China, Japan, the UK, Canada and India.

Members in the News

Congratulations to Verta Ross who landed a new job at Cracker Barrel. Verta was a member of the HR Career Transitions Team.

Melissa Holley has accepted a position with the LivingWell Division at HealthSpring. Melissa was a member of the HR Career Transitions Team.

Rene' Clark will begin as Employee Relations Specialist (HR Manager) at Tenneco in Smithville, TN on August 1st. Rene was a member of the HR Careet Transitions Team.

Marty Lovgren has accepted a position at Mars PetCare in Cool Springs and will start on August 13th in the role of Talent Acquisition Manager.