Globo Custom Games: Spreading Family Fun Through Innovation

When Kevin Myers took a job at Legalshield in 2008, he never dreamed that within fifteen years he would be starting his own board game company—Globo Custom Games. Myers had been living in Shawnee, working as an occupational therapist, when he decided to make a career change to information technology. This led Myers to commute to Ada every day to work at Legalshield, where he met his wife, Sandy, who he married in 2010. This marriage and partnership gave them a daughter, Mattie, and also Globo Custom Games.

Business Retention and Expansion Visits

What happened?

Last week, the Ada Jobs Foundation partnered with Pontotoc Technology Center to visit several local manufacturing firms. Apex Engineering, Holcim, and GAMI were the firms visited, with a goal to other local manufacturing firms over the coming months. Each visit focused on sharing the results of the 2022 Talent Demand Study, which was created with the input from our local manufacturing sector.

A key finding from the study was the weak connection between local graduating students and their immediate pathway into a career in manufacturing. The study found that local students may not be aware of jobs and career opportunities in manufacturing and many local firms do not have an easy and systematic way to reach all of our graduating high school and college students interested in a career in manufacturing.

The next steps will require more feedback and ideas from other export-sector companies, including both manufacturing as well as export services companies. This feedback can also be shared in conversations with high school administrators educators over the coming months as well.

By looking at best practices, we have observed other regions implementing a locally focused, industry specific job posting platform which can be shared and distributed to local students on a frequent basis. This could bolster current efforts, such as Hot Jobs List created by the Southern Workforce Board.

Career awareness may also be needed, especially for manufacturing. Pontotoc Technology Center has led events like Manufacturing Day in recent years, and exposing students to the experiences and skills needed in a manufacturing career could lead to more students finding jobs, apprenticeships, or internships with manufacturing firms.

Finally, we have noted that some companies, especially smaller and locally owned manufacturers, may have positions available which are not posted. These positions could be filled with someone who is the right “fit,” and we see the potential for a community-wide “connector” or “recruiter” service to help make these connections between talent and employers more intentional.

The City of Ada has contracted with Freese and Nichols to create a current Housing Assessment and develop neighborhood plans in Ada. As part of this effort, several sessions for public engagement took place on June 21^st. Follow the City of Ada’s Facebook page for updates throughout the housing assessment process.

Ada Jobs Foundation

580-235-0070

www.growada.com

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