Kimberly Wimer, our Human Resources Manager, has been named one of Crain’s 2020 Notable Women in Manufacturing. (See details.) This honor is well-deserved for her work with STEM education, workforce development and the economic community of Lake County since she joined us in 2017.

Building Alliances

Upon assuming her position, Kim quickly foresaw the need for building a long-term pipeline of talent to fill positions as needed. She reached out to Lake County Partners (LCP), a non-profit organization that works to maintain the economic vitality and improve the business climate in the region. Through its efforts, the Lake County Workforce Ecosystem (ECO) was developed to build a force of skilled workers from the ground up that aligns with future workforce demands. 

This is accomplished by working closely with local partners. For example, College of Lake County offers career-related certification programs, and Lake County Tech Campus is an extension site of many area high schools for Juniors and Seniors to attend classes in a specific career training program such as IT, automotive, engineering, welding, etc. 

Taking a Leadership Role

Kim also worked closely with the Lake County Workforce Development Board, volunteering to sit on the board’s Employer Connection Committee to give them valuable insight into the manufacturing industry’s needs and provide a voice to recruitment and retention issues in Lake County. Her hard work (and her ability to say “yes” to any workforce-related task) led to her recent appointment to the board.

As a board member, Kim is well positioned to keep her finger on the pulse of the marketplace and influence other companies to participate in workforce development. She is also at the forefront of activities that place her in contact with a variety of potential employees, enhancing our own efforts to remain fully staffed. 

From our point of view, Kim’s participation on the Lake County Workforce Development Board is time well spent. Our goal is to develop and retain our workforce, which in turn will make the growth of our business sustainable. This gives us a competitive edge over companies in Lake County that have not taken a proactive stance to the workforce shortage problem.

The Business Leadership Award

Thanks in large part to Kim’s efforts in discovering and nurturing a more diverse population of potential employees in Lake County, Laser Precision was presented with the 2019 Business Leadership Award from the Illinois Workforce Partnership. This organization is comprised of 46 workforce development professionals representing 10 Economic Development Regions and 22 Workforce Innovation Boards in the state of Illinois. Laser Precision was nominated by the Lake County Workforce Economic Development Region.

The Business Leadership Award is given to recognize a private sector company that has demonstrated leadership in the areas of workforce and economic development as well as making significant contributions to local workforce innovations in their area during the past program year (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019). (See details.)

Somehow, Kim found time for all these endeavors in addition to being responsible for payroll, hiring, benefit decisions, building a long-term pipeline of talent and anything related to employee relations. We congratulate her on this recognition, and thank her for the value her services bring to Laser Precision, in particular, as well as the Lake County community.