Ken Shwartz wants you, the new director of human resources, to recruit more production workers for his hat embroidery company, Ahead Headgear. Based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Ahead creates caps and visors for golf courses, resorts, and tournaments. Founder and CEO Shwartz has turned Ahead into one of the fastest growing small businesses in the United States.
In just a few years, the company has gone from a start-up operation to a firm that earns more than $18 million in annual sales. However, filling open production jobs can be a struggle. “We have a very high-tech company, but younger workers don’t seem to want our production jobs,” he tells you. “They equate us with the old, dirty sewing factories.”
You decide to make a presentation about Ahead at the next Southern Massachusetts Job Fair, which typically attracts 1,000 high school graduates. You are allotted five minutes to speak to the audience and another five minutes for a question-and-answer period. What kinds of questions do you anticipate? List at least six questions you expect to be asked. Using the Internet or other sources, research Ahead Headgear to find the answers to these questions.