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A Night to Remember

There comes a time in every organization to reflect on years past and those yet to come, to showcase the progress inspired by original ideas, ingenuity and imagination and to look toward where the organization is going.

2003 provided that milestone for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry and the community it serves.The year marked the 50th anniversary of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber’s Industrial Fund and 20 years for the Chamber’s Community for Economic Growth.

What better time to celebrate then at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner held at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza? The evening focused on how Ideas, Ingenuity and Imagination have positively impacted the growth of Northeastern Pennsylvania and both recognized and honored those individuals in the community who helped move that growth along and are still contributing to growth and achievement in the region.

The Wachovia Arena – located in the newly developed Highland Park – was chosen as the host facility for this significant event because it serves as a powerful symbol of progress in Northeastern Pennsylvania. In the 1960’s, the Highland Park area – marked by strip-mines left by the coal companies – was 350 acres of scarred lands with pits 200 feet deep known as “the moonscape.” Now, the against-the-odds successful development of this land – land that at one time no one wanted to buy - and of the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza and the surrounding companies including Lord and Taylor Distribution Center, Target, Super Wal-Mart (soon to be completed), the Hilton Garden Inn, Bennigan’s Grill and Tavern, Red Robin Restaurant, Cracker Barrel, Pizzeria Uno, the King’s College Athletic Fields and a growing number of businesses and commercial operations - is a case study of the region’s ability to reinvent itself.The 10,500 seat Wachovia Arena is a tribute to the effort put forth by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber and the community who turned Highland Park around and the dedication and commitment of those community leaders and residents who believe in the economic growth potential of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Read about more of the festivities by purchasing NEPA Outlook.

Leading the way...

The Legacy of Leadership Wilkes-Barre

The idea first took voice among a group of concerned citizens. How can we create a mechanism to identify new leaders that can help ensure the smooth operation of volunteer agencies and help build the future of our community? The answer was to explore a new concept – a community leadership program that would seek out the region’s future leaders and provide them with the information, skills and training needed to build the future of the community.

With that idea, Leadership Wilkes-Barre was born.

Today, just over 20 years later, Leadership Wilkes-Barre offers more than six programs for potential leaders of all ages. With more than 2,650 Leadership Wilkes-Barre graduates, nearly 200 class members matriculate through the leadership programs every year.

The first class was comprised of 20 adults from a variety of businesses, industries, social service agencies, health and educational institutions, labor and non-profit organizations. Now, 23 years later, the 43-person class of 2004 meets once a month for a day-long program exploring topics ranging from collaboration to diversity. Along with monthly sessions, Leadership Wilkes-Barre class members undertake community service projects in small groups. These experiences teach servant leadership and give class members the opportunity to give back to our community while putting their leadership skills to good use. To date, over 80 independently designed and executed projects have been completed by members of Leadership Wilkes-Barre.

Some of these projects have even launched new leadership programs. In 1985, a class project established a new program for high school students. What began as a one-day leadership training event grew into Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre (JLWB). JLWB now trains roughly 55 students from 18 different area high schools every year, introducing them to issues such as diversity, collaboration, consensus, government, and justice.

Learn about Leadership Wilkes-Barre. Buy NEPA Outlook today.

Not Right or Wrong, Just Different: Generational Diversity in the Workplace

By Bob Snyder
Director, Corporate Training and Education
Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania

When you walk through the corridors of most American businesses today, what do you hear? Often, it’s not the sounds of harmony. Instead, you might just hear grumbles of irritation as people with wholly different ways of working, talking and thinking have been tossed together side-by-side, cubicle-by-cubicle. It’s the teeth-gritting sound of generations in collision.

For the first time, there are four unique generations in the workplace, each shaped by individual values and significant experiences throughout the course of history. Veterans (b.1922-1945), Baby Boomers (b.1946-1960), Generation X (b.1961-1979) and Generation Y (b.1980-) are all working, or trying to work, effectively together. One generation doesn’t understand the other. No one is sure how to communicate. It’s a headache for any leader who is trying to mold this hodgepodge of ages, faces, values and views into a productive, collaborative group.

Attempting to bring some understanding to this real situation, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania designed a unique program, cleverly entitled “Generational Diversity,” that attempts to explain the how, what and why of the generations. With a central message of “Different is not right or wrong, it’s just different,” they have created a multi-media, music-laden, sound-bite, stuffed presentation that is both entertaining and educational.

The following material is provided as a take-away for attendees. This material was designed to gather in one place the central characteristics of each generation. It’s a quick way to compare each generation’s tendencies in outlook, values, assets and liabilities. Also included is a quick guide on how to provide development and create a motivational environment that “fits” the generation considered. Finally, this material was intended to be a gentle reminder that understanding generations does matter and can help you lead your business more effectively.