* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:09] GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING. TIME IS 2:06 PM ON THIS FOURTH DAY, EXCUSE ME, FIFTH DAY OF APRIL, 2022. WE'LL CALL OUR MEETING IN ORDER. MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLE COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA? HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER COVEO HOWARD HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PALIS. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. MAYOR NIERENBERG. HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT, UH, WE HAVE ONE ITEM ON THE AGENDA TODAY, AND THAT IS THE, OH, EXCUSE ME, TWO ITEMS. UH, WE'LL FIRST TAKE UP THE, UH, APPROVAL OF [Approval of Minutes  ] THE MEETING MINUTES FROM THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING OF MARCH 16TH, 2022. I'LL MOVE THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THAT MEETING. SECOND. ALL RIGHT. THERE'S A MOTION BY COURAGE SECOND BY KEO HDA. ANY DISCUSSION ON THOSE MINUTES? HEARING NONE, PLEASE VOTE. WAS AYE FROM FROM LIAS? MM-HMM. . MOTION CARRIES. MOTION CARRIES. [Briefing and Possible Action on  ] ALRIGHT. THE ONLY BUSINESS ITEM WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA TODAY IS THE CONSIDERATION OF APPLICANTS FOR THE SA READY TO WORK ADVISORY BOARD. AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE THREE VACANCIES, UH, THAT WE ARE BE FILLING. AND WE HAVE THOSE APPLICANTS WHO ARE ATTENDING HERE WITH US TODAY. UH, WE HAVE SEVEN INTERVIEWS TODAY. SO, UM, JUST BEFORE WE BREAK INTO THOSE INTERVIEWS, UH, I'LL ASK MY COLLEAGUES IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS. WE'RE GONNA GO, AS WE HAVE ON THESE OTHER INTERVIEWS. WE'LL DO A TWO MINUTE OPENING STATEMENT FROM EACH CANDIDATE. THEN WE'LL GO AROUND THE COMMITTEE WITH ANY QUESTIONS. UH, AFTER THAT PROCESS, WE'LL GO BACK INTO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS, AND WE'LL COME BACK OUT WITH A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE FULL COUNSEL. SO ANY, UH, CONVERSATION ON PROCESS? OKAY. IF WE DON'T, THEN WE'LL JUST GO STRAIGHT INTO OUR INTERVIEWS AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA TAKE THESE BY PARTICIPANT CATEGORY FIRST. UM, SO LET ME READ THE NAMES, UH, ON THE PARTICIPANT CATEGORY, WORKFORCE PROGRAM PARTICIPANT. AND THAT IS PATRICK K, FOLLOWED BY AMANDA WRIGHT. SO, UH, IS MR. K HERE? OKAY. SO MAYOR, UH, MR. K CAN COME TO THE PODIUM AND, AND THEN IF ALL THE OTHER, UH, PARTICIPANTS OR CANDIDATES WILL FOLLOW MEGAN, UH, THEY'RE IN THE PINK SWEATER AND SHE WILL, UH, SHUTTLE YOU GUYS, UH, INTO THE CHAMBERS WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN. ALL RIGHT. IF YOU JUST WANNA HANG TIGHT JUST FOR A SECOND. MR. K? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION, MR. K, FOR THE ADVISORY BOARD. UH, AS I MENTIONED, WE'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE, UH, FROM THE COMMITTEE. SO, UH, WITH THAT, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. UH, I'M GONNA READ MY STATEMENT TO KEEP IT SHORT FOR Y'ALL. UH, MY NAME IS PATRICK K I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND PRACTICING ARTIST. UH, I'M A TEXAS NATIVE, ORIGINALLY FROM HOUSTON, AND THEN GREW UP IN DALLAS. UH, I MOVED HERE OVER 10 YEARS AGO TO STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. IMMEDIATELY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY AND COMMUNITY HERE, AND DECIDED TO TAKE PERMANENT RESIDENCE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, I WAS WORKING FOR A LOCAL ARTIST, CRUZ ORTIZ, AS HIS RIGHT HAND MAN, AND ALSO MANAGED HIS DESIGN FIRM FOR FOUR YEARS. UH, DURING THIS TIME, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ALONGSIDE DOZENS OF NONPROFITS AND ADVOCACY GROUPS, WHICH PUSHED ME TO BE MORE INVOLVED WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. AT THE END OF 2019, I DECIDED TO LEAVE MY, UH, POSITION TO START MY OWN CREATIVE STUDIO. UH, I WOULD SAY IT WAS SUCCESSFUL UP UNTIL ABOUT FEBRUARY OF 2020, ONCE THE MAJORITY OF MY JOB STARTED TO FALL THROUGH DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. UH, BECAUSE OF THAT, I DECIDED TO BROADEN MY SKILLS AND STARTED DOING CARPENTRY AND CONSTRUCTION WORK, BUILDING CUSTOM CABINETS, AND, UH, DOING SMALL HOME REMODELS. UH, I ALWAYS HAD A FASCINATION FOR HISTORIC HOMES AND BUILDINGS IN SAN ANTONIO, AND WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRESERVATION OF THIS CITY. UH, THROUGH A POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I SAW THAT ESSAY PRESERVATION WAS TEAMING UP WITH A FEW OTHER CITY SERVICES THAT OFFERED CLASSES AND TRAINING FOR HISTORIC HOME RESTORATION. AND THE SUMMER OF 2021, I APPLIED FOR THE LIVING HERITAGE TRADES ACADEMY, UH, WHICH OFFERED TRAINING, FREE TRAINING, UH, AND [00:05:01] CLASSES ON HISTORIC HOME RESTORATION. UH, LEMME SEE. AFTER COMPLETING MY 400 HOURS, I UNDERSTOOD HOW MUCH DEMAND THERE IS FOR THIS KIND OF WORK, AND THAT MOST QUALIFIED PEOPLE WERE COMING TO AN AGE OF RETIREMENT. UH, SO I DECIDED TO FORM A WINDOW RESTORATION BUSINESS AND STARTED IN 2022 AND QUICKLY BECAME MY FULL-TIME GIG. AND IT WAS, I GUESS THIS YEAR EXPECTING TO MAKE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN REVENUE. THANK YOU, MR. KAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT, UM, SO WE'LL GO AROUND WITH ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE NOW, AND, UH, LET ME GO AHEAD AND START. AND, AND YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WERE PART OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM, UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS OF THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM BEFORE, UH, WITH TRAIN FOR JOBS AND NOW, UH, WE ANTICIPATE, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGES THAT WE'LL NEED TO OVERCOME IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE PEOPLE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM, HEAR ABOUT IT. UM, CAN YOU REFLECT A LITTLE BIT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE AND HOW YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE PRESERVATION PROGRAM AND WHAT ULTIMATELY, UH, CAUSED YOU TO GET INVOLVED? SURE. UH, SO I DEFINITELY FOLLOW QUITE A FEW CITY PROGRAMS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, MAINLY INSTAGRAM. AND I SAW A POST ON THERE SAYING THAT THEY WERE DOING CLASSES TO LEARN HOW TO WORK ON WOOD WINDOW RESTORATIONS. AND SO THAT'S HOW I ORIGINALLY FOUND OUT ABOUT IT. WENT TO THE MEETING. I WOULD SAY IT WAS A PRETTY SMOOTH PROCESS, BUT WAS KIND OF CONFUSING JUST BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MANY DIFFERENT SERVICES INVOLVED. I WASN'T REALLY SURE LIKE WHO I WAS TALKING TO AT THE TIME, BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS ESSAY PRESERVATION, UH, RESTORE EDUCATION, AND A FEW OTHER PROGRAMS. UH, BUT YEAH, THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY MY EXPERIENCE OF FINDING OUT OKAY. ABOUT THE ACTUAL PROGRAM. AND YOU HAD, UH, YOU HAD BEEN SUBSCRIBING OR, OR YOU HAD BEEN FOLLOWING CITY ACCOUNTS ALREADY, SO WERE, WERE PROBABLY PLUGGED INTO SOME OF THE CITY PROGRAMS AND YES. CORRECT. OKAY. WHAT, UH, WHAT KINDS OF BARRIERS DO YOU THINK, UM, UH, PEOPLE WHO ENROLL IN THE PROGRAM, UH, NEED TO MOST HELP OVERCOMING IN TERMS OF STAYING IN THE PROGRAM AND, AND, YOU KNOW, COMPLETING IT? UH, I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST DRAWS TO THE PROGRAM WAS IT WAS A PAID INTERNSHIP OR APPRENTICESHIP. AND SO THEY PAID $15 AN HOUR, BUT FOR MY COHORT, I GUESS THEY DIDN'T GET THE FULL AMOUNT OF FUNDING. AND SO THEY HAD TO LIMIT US TO THE AMOUNT OF HOURS WE COULD WORK, WHICH WAS LIKE AROUND 30 TO 20 HOURS. SO WE REALLY WEREN'T GETTING THAT FULL AMOUNT. AND SO I WOULD SAY, UH, JUST PAY IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS JUST KNOWING WHEN WORKING ON THESE OLD HOMES, UH, THE SAFEST WAY TO DO THAT. AND WE WERE PROVIDED OSHA TRAINING, BUT I WOULD SAY IT WOULD BE MORE IMPORTANT TO GO THROUGH A E P A TRAINING THAT IS, UH, MORE FOCUSED ON LEAD-BASED PAINT REMOVAL OR ABATEMENT. UH, BUT I WOULD THINK THOSE WERE PROBABLY THE TWO BIGGEST BARRIERS FOR PEOPLE TO GET INTO IT. GREAT. THANK YOU. MR. K? YES. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MR. K FOR YOUR INTEREST. UM, WHAT DO YOU THINK ONE STRATEGY COULD BE FOR, UM, FOLKS THAT ARE LOOKING TO OUR, OUR STAFF, FOR INSTANCE, UM, THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO CITY STAFF SO THAT WE COULD ENGAGE PAST, CURRENT OR PERSPECTIVE WORKFORCE PARTICIPANTS? UH, I GUESS PROBABLY MORE MARKETING TO YOUNGER FOLKS. UH, PROBABLY MY AGE DEMOGRAPHIC AND MAYBE GETTING MORE, UH, UNIVERSITIES OR SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY COLLEGE INVOLVED AND HANGING UP FLYERS THERE. UH, YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S ACTUALLY MY ONLY QUESTION. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. K. YEAH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER KEO. HDA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR APPLYING. UM, HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF ADVOCATING TO INCLUDE SPECIAL NEEDS, OUR SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY AND VETERANS INTO THIS PROGRAM? UH, I WOULD PROBABLY SAY, I KNOW THE WHOLE PROGRAM WORKFORCE IS PRETTY BROAD. AND AS FAR AS LIKE LABOR GOES, I CAN'T REALLY ELABORATE ON ANYTHING FOR, UH, I GUESS DISABLED PEOPLE. UH, BUT I THINK THERE IS PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH FOR THE VETERANS COMMUNITY TO HOP INTO THIS TRADE, ESPECIALLY SINCE A LOT OF THE OLDER PEOPLE ARE BEING PHASED OUT THAT STILL KNOW THESE SKILLS TO TAKE ON THESE PROJECTS. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KEO, HDA, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE? COUNCIL MEMBER ELA? YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE AN ARTIST. YES. YEAH. ARE, ARE YOU STILL DOING THAT? YES, I'M STILL A PRACTICING [00:10:01] ARTIST. SO WE HAVE, UH, AN ENORMOUS ARTS ECONOMY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. MM-HMM. , UM, HOW DO WE SPEAK TO ARTISTS AND UH, GET THEM TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS AND GET BEHIND THIS? UH, I THINK IT'S VERY HARD TO CAPTURE ARTISTS' ATTENTION, BUT I THINK THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS DOING A VERY GOOD JOB WITH, UH, PROGRAMS LIKE GET CREATIVE OR ESSAY CREATIVE, UH, AND THE PUBLIC ARTS FOUNDATION. OKAY. I THINK IT'S REALLY JUST TRYING TO FORCE IT IN THEIR FACE, SHOWING THAT THERE'S SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRANTS AND DEVELOPMENTS FOR, UH, LOCAL ARTISTS OF SAN ANTONIO. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ELA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU MR. K FOR APPLYING. NOW YOU'VE HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF GOING THROUGH SOME TRAINING AND YOU PROBABLY UNDERSTAND THAT THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, IS EXPANDING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE. UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE PEOPLE COMPLETING A COLLEGE DEGREE OR PEOPLE GETTING CERTIFIED IN CERTAIN AREAS. UH, DO YOU THINK THAT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF HELPING PEOPLE BECOME BETTER EMPLOYED THAT THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM MAYBE ISN'T LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW, OR THAT YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT YOU THINK, UH, SHOULD BE PART OF THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM? UM, FOR THE PROGRAM THAT I WENT THROUGH, I DO BELIEVE THERE COULD BE BETTER WAYS TO GET PEOPLE INVOLVED AND TO KNOWING HOW TO WORK ON OLD HOMES BY MAYBE SETTING UP LIKE A LOCAL WOOD SHOP OR A CITY WOOD SHOP OR AN IN-HOUSE PLACE TO LEARN HOW TO USE TOOLS AND FEEL SAFE. UH, 'CAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF MY BIGGEST CONCERNS WAS ONE OF THE HOST CONTRACTS I WAS WORKING WITH WASN'T REALLY DOING THE SAFEST PROCEDURES THAT I KNEW COULD BE BETTER, ESPECIALLY WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING IN THAT HAD NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE TO WORKING WITH POWER TOOLS AND, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT HAVING PAID APPRENTICESHIPS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BIGGER BARRIERS FOR WHY PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS. MM-HMM. , UM, OTHER THAN A PAID APPRENTICESHIP, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT THAT, DID YOU, UH, OR DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OF THE OTHERS YOU WERE, WE WERE GOING THROUGH THIS PROGRAM WITH, WHO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OTHER KIND OF WRAPAROUND SERVICES, WHETHER IT WAS COUNSELING OR TRANSPORTATION OR HELP, UH, FOR CASH TO PAY A BILL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? UH, YES. AND WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE, THE VALUE OF THAT? I THINK IT WAS VERY VALUABLE. I KNOW SOME OF THE PEOPLE, A PART OF MY PROGRAM, UH, OPTED IN TO GET HELP FOR PAYING UTILITIES OR WITH THEIR MORTGAGE. AND THERE WAS ALSO A WOMAN IN MY PROGRAM THAT WAS A MOM AND SHE WAS ABLE TO GET SERVICES FOR THAT. UH, I THINK THEY ALSO OFFERED A BUSINESS TRAINING, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY I WAS NOT, UH, ABLE TO ATTEND. AND SO I THINK HAVING ALL THOSE CLASSES AVAILABLE DEFINITELY WILL HELP PEOPLE DECIDE IF LIKE, THIS IS SOMETHING THEY WANTED TO DO OR FIND SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY WANTED TO DO THAT ALIGNS WITH THEIR GOALS. DID YOU HAVE ANYBODY TALK ABOUT CHILDCARE AS AN ISSUE WHEN YOU WERE WORKING THROUGH THAT PROGRAM? UH, NO, NOT PERSONALLY. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YES. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. MR. K, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR STEPPING FORWARD WITH AN APPLICATION. WE'RE GONNA, UM, GO THROUGH OUR INTERVIEWS AND HAVE OUR DELIBERATION. WE'LL BE BACK OUT WITH A RECOMMENDATION. GREAT. THANK YOU. Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY. YOU TOO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT APPLICANT, UH, FOR INTERVIEW IN THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANT CATEGORY IS AMANDA WRIGHT. MEGAN WITH THE GO GETTER. ALRIGHT, MS. WRIGHT, WELCOME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION. UH, AS PREVIOUSLY NOTED, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT THAT WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS, SO, OKAY. UH, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU. I'D JUST LIKE TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. MY NAME IS AMANDA WRIGHT SLASH ULA. UM, I APPLIED BECAUSE I FIND IT A VERY MAJOR PASSION IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW, COMING FROM WHERE MY HUSBAND AND I CAME. I'LL GET EMOTIONAL. SORRY. UH, IT JUST TOUCHES MY HEART. UM, I'D BE HONORED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS POSITION, UM, HAVING BEEN GONE THROUGH THE HOMELESSNESS AND THE PROGRAM MYSELF AND WORKED MY WAY THROUGH TO, UH, GETTING A STABLE JOB AND, UM, NOW BEING PART OF STRONG FOUNDATION MINISTRY, WHICH HELPS OTHER HOMELESS FAMILIES GET BACK [00:15:01] UP ON THEIR FEET. AND WE HAVE A STRENUOUS PROGRAM OF TEACHING THEM THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND A JOB FIRST. AND BEFORE YOU CAN GET INTO HOUSING AND YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE THE FOUNDATIONS. AND I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION IS A MAJOR PART OF THAT FOUNDATION TO BUILD FROM THE GROUND UP. UM, I PERSONALLY HAVE HELPED MANY WOMEN WHO ARE SINGLE MOTHERS GET INTO Y'ALLS PREVIOUS PROGRAM, TRAINED FOR JOBS SA AND GET THEIR GEDS, AND THEN GO ON AND GET THEIR CERTIFICATIONS, AND NOW HAVE JOBS AND HAVE MOVED INTO HOUSING AND ARE DOING GREAT. THEY'VE GOT THEIR KIDS BACK FROM C P S BECAUSE OF THE STEPS THAT THEY'VE TAKEN AND WAYS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GUIDE THEM IN THE PROGRAM BASED ON OUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. SO, UM, I WOULD JUST BE VERY HONORED TO, UH, BE ABLE TO SIT ON THE BOARD AND CONTINUE WITH THAT PASSION OF OURS, OF HELPING OTHERS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. UM, MS. WRIGHT, I DIDN'T KNOW YOUR STORY, BUT, UM, I THINK YOU'RE AS CLEAR IN A SUCCESS STORY, UH, AND IN OUR PROGRAMMING, UH, AS I'VE EVER HEARD. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. THANK YOU. UM, AND MY QUESTION THAT I WAS GONNA ASK, UH, WAS RELATE, WELL TWOFOLD, UH, RELATED TO BARRIERS, UH, THAT PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS MIGHT HAVE. UM, I CAN'T THINK OF MANY BIGGER BARRIERS THAN NOT HAVING A HOME. SO IF YOU COULD, UM, COULD YOU, COULD YOU MAYBE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED IN THIS PROGRAM WHEN IT COMES TO ENSURING THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE ACCESS TO WORKFORCE TRAINING THAT THEY, THAT THEY WOULD NEED? I THINK THE BIGGEST BARRIER IS JUST GETTING THE KNOWLEDGE OUT THERE. A LOT OF PEOPLE HEAR ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THE CITY HAS TO OFFER, UM, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO TO GET THOSE RESOURCES OR EVEN HOW TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE CHANNELS TO GET TO 'EM. UM, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL SET UP THE 3 1 1 AND THE ONLINE APPLICATIONS THROUGH ALAMO RESOURCES AND, UH, RESTORE EDUCATION AND ALAMO COLLEGE, BUT SOME OF THEM WERE JUST KIND OF CONFUSED AS TO HOW TO GET IN AND WHO TO TALK TO. AND I THINK IT'D BE IMPORTANT TO ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEBODY TO PHYSICALLY TALK TO, UM, THAT CARES ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE AT AND WHERE THEY WANNA GO. AND NOT JUST TRY TO PUSH THEM THROUGH THE SYSTEM, BUT TREAT 'EM AS AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON WITH AN INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCE. NOT ASSUME THAT EVERYBODY'S GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING OR THAT THEY'VE LOST THEIR JOB OR HOMELESS BECAUSE THEY PUT THEMSELVES THERE. YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME THAT COME THROUGH THAT I'VE MET THROUGH STRONG FOUNDATION MINISTRIES THAT HAVE TOTALLY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND JUST SUCKS THAT THE LUCK THAT THEY'VE FALLEN INTO, SOME OF THEM HAVE MADE BAD CHOICES AND THEY ARE ILL EDUCATED. AND EVEN THE PROCESS OF HOW TO GO ABOUT APPLYING FOR THINGS. SO IT'S JUST TAKING EACH PERSON CASE BY CASE AND ASKING THEM, WHAT DO YOU TRULY NEED HELP IN APPLYING FOR THIS? OR, WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS OR WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? SO COULD YOU, UH, COULD YOU TELL ME, UM, HOW YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT THE PROGRAM? UM, I THINK I FOUND OUT BY WORD. YEAH. I DID. I FOUND OUT BY WORD OF MOUTH, THERE WAS A CHURCH MINISTRY THAT A LADY IN OUR STRONG PR FOUNDATION PROGRAM WHEN I WAS A MEMBER WAS TOLD ABOUT IT. AND SHE SAID, HEY, JUST CHECK THIS OUT. SO I WENT AND CALLED RESTORE EDUCATION 'CAUSE I COULDN'T REALLY FIND ANYTHING ON THE INTERNET AT THAT TIME. AND, UM, RESTORE EDUCATION ACTUALLY HELPED ME APPLY AND WALKED ME THROUGH THE PROCESS, GAVE ME A CASEWORKER. UM, FROM THERE, I DO KNOW THAT 3 1 1 WAS SET UP AND THE APPLICATIONS ONLINE WERE MADE A WHOLE LOT EASIER. AND THERE WAS A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL, BUT I ACTUALLY HEARD FROM WORD OF MOUTH. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. WRIGHT. AND, AND WHILE WE HAVE, UH, ERIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT STAFF HERE, UM, JUST TO REINFORCE THAT POINT, I HOPE IT GETS CARRIED BACK TO, UH, THE COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE HAD A CONVERSATION, ERIC, YOU'LL RECALL WITH THE, WITH PASTORS FROM, UH, ONE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WERE REALLY ASKING TO GET INVOLVED IN THAT KIND OF OUTREACH TO HELP ENCOURAGE PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROGRAM. SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE A REAL EXAMPLE AS TO HOW THAT WORKS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHARING THAT. THANK Y'ALL. THE PROGRAM WAS AMAZING AND HELPED US IN A TIME THAT WE TRULY NEEDED IT, AND I'D JUST LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PASS THAT ON TO OTHERS. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA MOVE NOW TO COMMITTEE MEMBERS WITH QUESTIONS. SO, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MS. WRIGHT FOR, UM, YOUR INTEREST AND CONGRATULATIONS ON, ON COMPLETING TRAINED FOR JOBS. THANK YOU. UM, SA UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION. IT'S REGARDING TO YOUR EXPERIENCE. YOU ANSWERED A LITTLE BIT, UH, ALREADY WITH SOME OF THE MAYOR'S QUESTIONS, BUT IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE STILL SOME OF THE UNMET NEEDS [00:20:01] OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROGRAM? UM, I DON'T, HONESTLY, I DON'T KNOW A HUNDRED PERCENT MY NEEDS WERE MET BECAUSE I HAD A WONDERFUL CASE WORKER. UM, OTHERS THAT HAVE GONE IN THE G E D PROGRAM. THEY STARTED OUT AND THEN IT WAS, I THINK IT WAS A HICCUP IN GOING FROM THE G E D PROGRAM AND THEN WANTING TO GET A CERTIFICATION OR FURTHER GOING TO COLLEGE. AND SO IT WAS KIND OF A, UM, GAP IN TRANSITIONING. ONCE YOU GET YOUR D E D, SOME OF THEM WOULD JUST KIND OF FALL OFF AND NOT HAVE THAT PUSH TO, WELL, WE'VE GOT OTHER PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, WE'D LIKE TO HELP YOU FURTHER YOUR EDUCATION, NOT JUST STOP AT A G E D PROGRAM. SO. OKAY. THANK YOU MS. WRIGHT. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER RO GARCIA. UH, FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. MS. WRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR APPLICATION. Y'ALL HAVE A BLESSED AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. OUR NEXT APPLICANT FOR INTERVIEW IS GONNA BE FROM THE, UM, EMPLOYER CATEGORY IN DEMAND OCCUPATIONS. WE HAVE A FEW, UH, TO INTERVIEW FROM THAT CATEGORY. UM, WE'LL START WITH, UH, BLAINE BECKMAN. HE'S NEXT. HE'S NEXT. THERE'S ONE, UH, ALSO JUST, UH, TO NOTE, THERE'S ONE APPLICANT IN THE EMPLOYER CATEGORY, UH, WHO ALL TAKE LAST DUE TO SCHEDULING ISSUES. IT'S JUST F Y I GO A LITTLE BIT OUTTA ORDER. MR. BECKMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND APPLICATION. UH, AS WE NOTED, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT THAT WE'LL GO AROUND FOR QUESTIONS. SO UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. PERFECT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, CITY MANAGER FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR INDUSTRY. MY NAME IS BLAINE BECKMAN. I'M WITH FA NUNLEY, GENERAL CONTRACTORS ON THE PRESIDENT. UM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS HUGE FOR ME. UH, I CAME UP THROUGH THE TRADES. I STARTED PUSHING A BROOM WHEN I WAS 16 YEARS OLD, AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MY FAMILY, UM, THROUGH GOING FROM A CARPENTER TO A LEAD CARPENTER, TO A FOREMAN, TO A SUPERINTENDENT, TO A PROJECT MANAGER, VP OF OPERATIONS, AND NOW PRESIDENT OF FA, NOT ONLY, AND, AND WILL OWN FA NOT ONLY WITH A BUSINESS PARTNER IN ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. UM, SO I'M VERY PASSIONATE AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TAKES TO COME THROUGH THE RANKS, THE TRAINING REQUIRED. I ALSO AM VERY AWARE OF THE CRISIS THAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR INDUSTRY AND THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S BEING ALLOCATED TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THROUGH THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND THROUGH THE CITY BOND. I KNOW OF ALL THE K THROUGH 12 BONDS THAT ARE GOING IN PLACE. SO I KNOW WHAT THE DEMAND IS COMING TO THE CITY AND THE NEED THAT IS THERE AND THE TRAINING THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO GO INTO PLACE. UM, I'M AWARE OF ESSAY READY TO WORK. I, I FOUND OUT ABOUT ESSAY READY TO WORK THROUGH PROGRAMS THAT THE MAYOR PUT ON. AND, AND WITH, WITH INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT I'M A PART OF. UM, IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM AND IT NEEDS TO, IT NEEDS TO HAVE SUCCESS AND I WANNA BE A PART OF THAT SUCCESS, UM, WITH, WITH THE WORK THAT FA NOT ONLY DOES, WE'RE INVOLVED IN HEALTHCARE, UM, MUNICIPAL PROJECTS HAVE BUILT A LOT OF WORK WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND THROUGH THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, I HAVE DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO LEADERS IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY, LEADERS IN THE K THROUGH 12 INDUSTRY, AND I HAVE THOSE CONNECTIONS TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WHAT ESSAY READY IS DOING AND THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE IN DIRECT PARTNERSHIPS. UM, I ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH, UH, DEVELOPING C T E CONSTRUCTION TRAINING PROGRAMS WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS. AND I KNOW HOW TO ADDRESS THINGS LIKE THE TROUBLE OF PEOPLE NEEDING TO GET TO THE PROGRAM ENGAGEMENT SO THAT THEY COMPLETE THE PROGRAM DEALING WITH ISSUES OF, UM, THOSE THAT CAN AND CANNOT, UM, MAKE IT TO THOSE PROGRAMS EASILY. SO WITH THAT, I YIELD . GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. BECKMAN. AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO FOR THE CITY. UM, SO LET ME START. YOU, YOU GET TO TALK [00:25:01] WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT EMPLOYERS. UM, AND OBVIOUSLY THIS, THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN MUCH DISCUSSED, UH, AS IT WAS LEADING UP TO IT, BUT ALSO IN THE PREVIOUS ITERATION OF TRAIN FOR JOBS. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE, UH, CHALLENGES AND MAYBE, UH, MISCONCEPTIONS MAYBE THAT YOU'RE HEARING FROM THE EMPLOYER COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE TO OVERCOME AS, UM, AS A COORDINATOR OF SERVICES? WELL, I, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS, IS TRANSPARENCY THROUGH EVERYTHING, OBVIOUSLY. BUT FOR EMPLOYERS TO WANT TO HIRE, THEY HAVE TO BE AWARE OF THE ACTUAL PROGRAM, AND THEY NEED A VOICE IN, IN HOW THESE TRAINING PROGRAMS GET SET UP. THEY NEED A VOICE IN THE CURRICULUMS, AND THAT'S FROM ALL INDUSTRIES. UM, AND SO THAT'S WHERE I WOULD HOPE TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THOSE, THOSE DIFFERENT INDUSTRY LEADERS AND GET FEEDBACK ON, ON WHAT TYPE OF CURRICULUM IS NEEDED, WHAT TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT, SUCH AS, I MEAN, WE PROVIDE INTERNSHIPS FOR PEOPLE. WE PROVIDE WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMS. UM, SO REALLY GETTING THAT FEEDBACK BECAUSE THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION THAT I ALWAYS HEAR IS, UH, YEAH, IT'S JUST SOME PROGRAM BEING DONE. WE NEED PEOPLE THAT, THAT KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND ARE READY TO GO, NOT SOMEBODY THAT WE'RE JUST GONNA PICK UP AND HAVE TO COMPLETELY TRAIN ALL OVER AGAIN. SO MAKING SURE THE PROGRAM IS VETTED OUT AND TRULY UNDERSTOOD BY THOSE EMPLOYERS. UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DID THROUGH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WITH, UH, WITH WARREN AND CONSTRUCTION CAREERS ACADEMY, WITH NORTHSIDE, I S D. UM, I HELPED SOUTHWEST I S D WITH THEIR C T E PROGRAM. AND SO HELPING THEM REALLY SELECT THE CURRICULUM THAT MATTERS TO THE DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES. THAT'S GREAT FEEDBACK. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. BECKMAN. UM, QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MR. BECKMAN FOR YOUR INTRO. BECKMAN, FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS, BASED ON YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF SA READY TO WORK AND ALSO ON TRAINED FOR JOBS SA, WHAT IS THE MOST PREVALENT BARRIER THAT YOU THINK, UM, LIMITS PEOPLE FROM PARTICIPATING IN OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAMS? I WOULD THINK CONNECTIVITY, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS A WAY FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, UM, A WAY TO ATTEND, UM, WHETHER THAT BE THROUGH VIRTUAL, VIRTUAL LEARNING TO START OUT UNTIL, UNTIL THERE'S AN UNDERSTANDING OF A PROGRAM TO HELP WITH, WITH CHILDCARE, UM, WHETHER IT BE TRANSPORTATION, UM, TO GET TO AND FROM AN AREA. UM, THROUGH, UH, WORKING WITH THE GEORGE GERVIN YOUTH FOUNDATION, UM, WE TRAINED SEVERAL STUDENTS THERE AND THEY HAD ISSUES WITH, WITH PREVIOUS, UH, CRIMINAL HISTORY. THEY HAD ISSUES WITH, UH, TRANSPORTATION, UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO OVERCOME AND, AND FIND WAYS TO, TO WORK AROUND THAT. THANK YOU, MR. RICKMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER KEEO. HDA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, MR. BECKMAN, DO YOU SEE A PATH TO HELP, UH, SPECIFICALLY PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR THE, UM, OR VETERANS TO GET THEM MORE ENGAGED IN THIS PROGRAM? I DO. SO ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'RE VERY PASSIONATE AND, AND PARTNERED WITH IS ENDEAVORS. UH, VETERAN, UH, HEALTHCARE. WE JUST COMPLETED THEIR CORPORATE FACILITY. AND, UH, I WORK CLOSE WITH JOHN ALLMAN, WHO IS THEIR C E O. UH, HE DOES A FANTASTIC JOB WITH, UH, PLACEMENT, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW TO HANDLE FINANCES, HOW TO GET TO AND FROM WORK, MENTAL HEALTH, HEALTHCARE, CHILDREN, HEALTHCARE. WE ALSO WORK WITH, UH, WE ARE JUST SELECTED TO WORK WITH CLARITY CHILD GUIDANCE CENTER. SO SPECIAL NEEDS, WHY IT, IT, IT COULD BE A HURDLE, IT SHOULDN'T BE. AND SO THERE ARE PROGRAMS AND WAYS WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TARGETING THOSE RIGHT PROGRAMS TO, TO BE SUCCESSFUL. BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL, IT'S GONNA CREATE A LOT OF DISCOURAGEMENT. NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KEO, HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER S NICE TO SEE YOU. AND, UH, YOU AS WELL. DISTRICT EIGHT IS THE BENEFICIARY OF THAT BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF WORK YOU GUYS PUT UP THERE IN THANK YOU ENDEAVORS. AND THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, I, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I'M SITTING HERE LISTENING TO YOU TALK, AND I IMAGINE THAT ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF, OF HAVING SOMEBODY IN YOUR POSITION ON, ON THIS BOARD WOULD BE THE DIRECT COMPANY TO COMPANY, RIGHT. UM, TESTIMONY THAT YOU'D BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT WE WANT TO JOIN AND TAKE THE OATH AND HIRE FOLKS. I, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN HEARING, UH, FROM SOME SMALLER BUSINESSES IS, UH, THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR SMALL BUSINESS. YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE STEALING OUR EMPLOYEES SO YOU CAN PAY THEM MORE AND SEND THEM TO GO WORK AT FA NUNLEY OR WHATEVER. RIGHT. UH, AND SO I I'M, I'M HEARING THAT, AND I'M ALSO WONDERING WHETHER OR NOT A PROGRAM LIKE THIS WOULD BE WELCOMED BY, UM, YOU KNOW, LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO, YOU KNOW, YOU AND I TALK TO OFTEN WHO BELIEVE, YOU KNOW, IN THE, WHAT IS IT, THE SILENT HAND OF THE FREE MARKET, RIGHT. AND GOVERNMENT GET OUTTA MY WAY. I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP. AND SO HOW DO YOU CONVINCE GUYS LIKE THAT, UM, AND THOSE SMALL BUSINESS FOLKS WHO ARE LOOKING AT THIS WITH A CERTAIN, UH, BIT OF CYNICISM, RIGHT? [00:30:01] AND SUSPICION. HOW DO YOU CONVINCE THEM THAT, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THEY NEED TO GET BEHIND? I THINK PROVIDING THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF IT. UM, OKAY. YOU KNOW, THE BIGGEST PART IS SOME OF THOSE WHO AREN'T INFORMED ARE THE ONES THAT ARE THE MOST CRITICAL. UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE DIRECT RELATIONSHIPS WITH SOME, SOME OF OUR COMPETITORS IN A GREAT WAY. UM, YOU KNOW, LARGE GENERAL CONTRACTOR FIRMS OF, OF, OR, OR DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. AND SO TO GET OVER THAT, YOU HAVE TO, I MEAN, I'M A BIG FAN OF THE RISING TIDE. IT LIFTS ALL, ALL BOATS AND SHIPS. AND SO WE HAVE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THOSE, THOSE LEADERS AND MAKE THEM UNDERSTAND THAT BY INCREASING OUR WORKFORCE AND, AND THAT DEVELOPMENT, IF IT'S NOT A DIRECT COMPETITION, THEY, THEY, THEY CAN SUCCEED FROM THIS PROGRAM. THEY CAN HIRE PEOPLE FROM THIS PROGRAM, OR IF OTHERS ARE RECEIVING, UM, MEMBERS FROM THIS PROGRAM THAT PARTICIPATE, IT'S GONNA FREE UP THOSE THAT AREN'T PARTICIPATING. SO IT'S, IT, TO ME, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN KIND OF A WIN-WIN. UM, THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE PEOPLE THAT ARE CRITICAL, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. AND I THINK MORE OF ANYTHING, IT'S, IT'S DEVELOPING A GOOD PLATFORM AND THEN LETTING THE WORK OF, OF THE BOARD AND THE, UM, THE ESSAY READY TO WORK PROGRAM. DO DO THE TALKING. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PIZ. COUNCIL MEMBER CURRY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MR. NUNLEY. APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT AND WANTING TO BE A PART OF THIS. UH, I THINK YOU'VE OFFERED SOME GOOD INSIGHTS FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE ABOUT, UH, HOW YOU UNDERSTAND WORKING YOUR WAY UP THROUGH AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT, THAT YOU'VE HAD. NOW YOU ARE THE PRESIDENT AND THERE'S MAYBE A VICE PRESIDENT OR TWO, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT SOME OPERATING OFFICERS HERE AND THERE, BUT WHERE DOES IT START FOR PEOPLE IN YOUR COMPANY? AND COULD SOMEBODY WHO STARTS OFF, UH, IN A A MINOR AREA, CAN THEY SUPPORT A FAMILY OR DO THEY HAVE TO WORK THEIR WAY UP FOR, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO GET TO A POINT WHERE THEY'RE MAKING THE CITY AVERAGE SALARY OF $50,000 A YEAR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN YOUR INDUSTRY AND IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T PAY THAT MUCH WHEN YOU START OUT SOMEWHERE UNLESS YOU START OUT SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE BECAUSE YOU'VE GOTTEN MAYBE A COLLEGE DEGREE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO TELL ME HOW YOU SEE YOUR, YOUR, UH, EXPERIENCE HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THEIR OPPORTUNITIES IN YOUR BUSINESS AS WELL AS MAYBE OTHERS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THAT. SO, IN, AT FA NOT ONLY, I MEAN THE, THE PROFESSION LEVEL STARTS AT, AT REALLY LABOR WORKS UP THROUGH CARPENTER, LIKE I HAD MENTIONED, UH, IN INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW. AND I THINK IT'S IN EVERY INDUSTRY. UM, IT IS DEFINITELY A, A LABOR MARKET. THEY, WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO FILL THE POSITIONS. UM, WAGES ARE RISING DRAMATICALLY. UM, WE HAVE HAD TO ADJUST COMPENSATION SIGNIFICANTLY, UM, DUE TO THAT. AND, AND WE CONTINUE TO DO SO BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED TO BE PAID, UM, TO, FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. UM, AND SO FOR ME, I, I THINK IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY IN THE TRADES, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, UH, OR MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING, UM, YOU CAN, YOU CAN HAVE GREAT SALARIES, UM, EVEN FROM AN ENTRY LEVEL POSITION, VERY GOOD PAY, UM, THAT I WOULD SAY AT THE, AT THE AMOUNT YOU MENTIONED, DEFINITELY NORTH OF THAT. YEAH. UM, AND IT, IT DRASTICALLY GOES UP AS YOU WORK THROUGH, UM, THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF, OF PROFESSIONALITY. YEAH. I HAVE TO REMIND MYSELF, OR MAYOR, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO REMIND ME, DO WE HAVE THOSE TRADES AS PART OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT? ELECTRICITY, PLUMBING, AIR CONDITIONING, HV, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO AS LONG AS THAT'S PART OF THE PROGRAM, YOUR EXPERIENCE CAN MAYBE HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN GET IN THAT WAY. YEAH. AND EVEN, EVEN HELPING, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE WAYS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HELP AS A, UH, AS AN INDUSTRY, BUT ME PERSONALLY, IS FINDING LARGE TRADE PARTNERS, UM, WHETHER IT BE DRYWALL, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, UM, THEY HAVE TRAINING PROGRAMS. A LOT OF 'EM HAVE TRAINING PROGRAMS IN HOUSE. SO THEY WILL HAVE THEIR INSTRUCTORS COME TO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND, AND, UH, TEACH PRO BONO JUST BECAUSE THEY NEED PEOPLE THAT BAD. AND IT STARTS THAT ENGAGEMENT, IT GETS PEOPLE EXCITED, AND THEN THEY COULD BE A DIRECT RESOURCE TO SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE COMING OUT OF THE PROGRAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. MR. BECKMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION AND FOR YOUR TIME. WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THROUGH OUR INTERVIEWS AND THEN WE'LL DELIBERATE. PERFECT. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THE NEXT, UM, INTERVIEWEE FOR THE EMPLOYER CATEGORY IS BRAD BELDEN. MR. BEL BELDEN, WELCOME. HOW ARE YOU? [00:35:01] THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, UH, AND FOR YOUR APPLICATION. AS NOTED, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT THAT WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS. UH, SO UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US, FLOOR IS YOURS. OKAY, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS BRAD BELDEN, CHIEF CULTURE OFFICER, AND C E O OF DEN ROOFING COMPANY. AND I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE CONSIDERED FOR ONE OF THESE VACANCIES. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SAN ANTONIO. SUSAN AND I HAVE BEEN MARRIED 34 YEARS. THIS WEEK WE HAVE FOUR KIDS, TWO OF WHICH ARE MOVING BACK TO SAN ANTONIO, FIVE DOGS. UH, AND SUSAN HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO THE, UH, A C S ADVISORY BOARD NUMEROUS TIMES. I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT SHE KEEPS COMING BACK FOR MORE. AND I ALSO STAYED IN TEXAS TO GET MY, UH, DEGREE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN. UH, OUR FAMILY BUSINESS WAS STARTED BY MY GRANDFATHER. UH, HE WAS ON GENERAL PATTON STAFF CAME THROUGH SAN ANTONIO TWICE. LOVED SAN ANTONIO. MY GRANDMOTHER DID NOT LIKE THE WINNERS IN, IN MASSACHUSETTS, AND THEY SETTLED HERE. WE STARTED THE FAMILY BUSINESS IN 1946. MY FATHER JOINED IN 1960. I JOINED IN 1988. WE WERE BOTH 12 WHEN WE STARTED, BUT NEITHER ONE OF US GETS CREDIT FOR THAT. WE EMPLOY 150 PLUS SAN ANTONIANS. WE'RE LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED. WE WE'RE PROUD THAT WE HAVE 76 TEAM MEMBERS IN OUR 76 YEARS OF BEING IN BUSINESS WHO HAVE PROVIDED OVER 20 YEARS OF SERVICE. AND OF THOSE 31 HAVE PROVIDED OVER 30 YEARS OF SERVICE. OUR SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM, UH, AT OUR OFFICE HAS RESULTED IN OVER 3 MILLION CONSECUTIVE HOURS, WORKED WITHOUT A TIME LOSS ACCIDENT. AND WE WORK ON THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY. WE BUILT A VERY LARGE TRAINING CENTER. AND THERE'S PICTURES IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK THAT I GAVE YOU. UH, I BELIEVE THAT CONSTRUCTION CAREERS PRIDE PROVIDE FOR A VERY GOOD INCOME IN SAN ANTONIO AS YOUNG ADULTS. THESE KIDS CAN COME IN AT 18 YEARS OLD AND, UH, AND WORK AND EARN A GREAT LIVING AT TEAM BUILDING. WHAT WE, WE LEARNED IS WHAT WE DID YESTERDAY IS NEVER GOOD ENOUGH. AND I AM, UH, UH, WANT TO HELP GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND HELP STEER, UH, THIS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND I WANNA BE A GOOD STEWARD OF THE, OF, OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S INVESTMENT. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY TO RUBBER STAMP, I'M NOT THAT GUY. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY TO ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES, THAT'S ME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. BELDEN. UM, AND WE APPRECIATE, UH, THE WORK AND LEGACY OF YOUR, UH, FAMILY AND OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL. MY QUESTION, UH, RELATES TO, UM, EMPLOYERS WHO ARE STARTING TO KNOW ABOUT, UH, READY TO WORK AND THE THINGS THAT THEY'VE READ ABOUT IT. UM, WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM OTHER EMPLOYERS IN THE COMMUNITY WITH REGARD TO WORKFORCE TRAINING IN SAN ANTONIO, SPECIFICALLY AS IT RELATES TO TRAIN FOR JOBS AND READY TO WORK? WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE MISCONCEPTIONS MAYBE, UM, THAT YOU MIGHT BE HEARING? WELL, THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION IS NOBODY WANTS TO WORK. AND, UH, SO WE HAVE TO CHANGE THAT BELIEF. AND, UH, WE'VE WORKED WITH PROJECT QUEST. UH, WE WERE HALFWAY HOMES, GOODWILL. WE'VE TRIED EVERY AVENUE AVAILABLE TO US IN THE COMMUNITY, AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK. AND SO WE NEED TO FIND A PROGRAM BACK, BACK WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AT LEE, WE HAD A VOCATIONAL PROGRAM. WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO BRING THOSE VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS BACK INTO TO THE CITY SO THAT KIDS CAN, CAN EARN A GOOD INCOME. YOU KNOW, ROOFERS EARN A HUNDRED, A HUNDRED PLUS THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR. IT'S HARD WORK, BUT IT'S A GREAT INCOME IN SAN ANTONIO. IT'S A GREAT INCOME ANYWHERE. AND, UH, WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO GET THOSE KIDS WITHOUT QUARTER OF MILLION DOLLAR DEFICITS COMING OUTTA COLLEGE. AND THEY'LL BE WAY AHEAD OF THEIR, OF THEIR PEERS, UH, BY GOING THROUGH PROGRAMS LIKE THIS. GREAT. THANK YOU, MR. BELDEN. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, MR. BELDEN, AND, UH, HAPPY UPCOMING ANNIVERSARY. THANK YOU. UM, YOU MENTIONED PROJECT WEST AND I WANTED TO, UM, SAY THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU ALL HAVE A, A A PRETTY GOOD PROGRAM. I LEARNED FROM YOUR DAD THAT, UM, BELDEN WAS IMPORTING WORKERS FROM OTHER PARTS OF SOUTHERN, UH, TEXAS BECAUSE THERE, THERE, THERE WAS A NEED. SO I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL WERE ABLE TO WORK, UH, WITH PROJECT QUEST TO TRY TO CREATE THAT PIPELINE. AND I'D LOVE TO LEARN MORE OFFLINE ABOUT HOW, HOW THAT'S GOING AND, AND SEE HOW I CAN, UH, LEND MY SUPPORT THERE. BUT HOW FAMILIAR ARE YOU WITH THE CITY'S EQUITY ATLAS AND HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAYBE BROWSE THROUGH SOME OF THE EQUITY MAPS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE? YES. OUR OUR BIGGEST ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS TRANSPORTATION. SO I THINK THAT THIS GROUP NEEDS TO FIND A WAY TO PARTNER WITH VIA AND TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET GOOD TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE TO THESE KIDS. 'CAUSE IF THEY CAN'T GET TO THE JOB, THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA FIND A WAY TO GET THERE FOR A COUPLE WEEKS AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA DROP OUT. AND THAT WE, THAT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR A LONG TIME. IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE'VE STAYED WHERE WE WERE ON WEST AVENUE, UH, BECAUSE THE BUS ROUTE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR OFFICE, AND SOME OF OUR WORKERS GET ON THE BUS TWO HOURS BEFORE THEY ARRIVE AT WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY. HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN IMPROVE, UH, OUR MARKETING EFFORTS TOWARDS THE, THE TARGETED AUDIENCES AND THE EQUITY ANALYSTS? IF YOU FIGURE THAT, LET ME KNOW. 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN TRYING IT FOR YEARS. UH, THEY LIVE IN THE DIGITAL WORLD. [00:40:01] THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT GONNA SEE IT ON THE BILLBOARDS, LIKE WE'RE USED TO SEEING IT. IT'S NOT THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF DOING IT. AND I THINK WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT MAKES THESE KIDS TICK. AND AND IT'S NOT JUST KIDS, IT'S, IT'S PEOPLE WHO NEED A SECOND CHANCE. RIGHT. AND THAT AVENUE IS NOT WHAT WE'RE TYPICALLY LOOKING AT WITH THE BILLBOARDS OR THE NEWSPAPER PRINT OR VALPAK OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE HAVE TO BE CREATIVE AND LIVE IN THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY LIVE IN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. DEN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER CAB. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR APPLICATION, BRAD. GOOD TO SEE YOU. UM, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, DO YOU SEE ANY, ANY WAY THAT WE CAN INCREASE THE NUMBER OF, UH, THE COMMUNITY WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR VETERANS, UM, TO INCLUDE THEM IN THIS PROGRAM? ABSOLUTELY. WE, WE'VE TRIED WORKING WITH VETERANS. THAT'S DIFFICULT AT BEST. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE FOR THEM. UM, AND WE'VE WORKED WITH GOODWILL, WITH SUCCESS, AND I THINK THAT GOODWILL'S A GREAT PARTNER FOR THE CITY. AND, UH, AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF AVENUES. MATTER OF FACT, WE TAKE ALL OF OUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT WHEN WE'VE STOPPED USING IT, AND, AND THEY ARE, THEY ACTUALLY, UH, BUILD IT, REBUILD IT, AND SELL IT. AND, AND I THINK WE GOTTA FIND WAYS TO PARTNER WITH COMPANIES LIKE GOODWILL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, COO HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER ELA. THANK YOU. UH, I, I ASKED THIS OF ANOTHER CANDIDATE EARLIER. HOW, HOW DO WE CONVINCE YOUR, YOUR COUNTERPARTS AT OTHER COMPANIES HERE IN TOWN, HOW DO WE CONVINCE, UH, THOSE FELLAS AND THEN THOSE WOMEN WHO BELIEVE IN, YOU KNOW, PASSIONATELY IN THE SILENT HAND OF THE FREE MARKET, AND THAT GOVERNMENT OUGHT TO JUST GET THE HECK OUT OF THE WAY? UH, HOW DO WE GET THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN A GOVERNMENT RUN, UH, PROGRAM, UH, AND CONVINCE THEM THAT YEAH, BUT THIS TIME, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA WORK OUT. AND, UH, I'M, I'M STRUGGLING WITH THAT. SO FROM A CONSTRUCTION STANDPOINT, WE'RE SHORT, MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF WORKERS. OKAY. UH, JUST 'CAUSE IT HASN'T WORKED IN THE PAST, DOESN'T MEAN IT WON'T WORK GOING FORWARD. THERE'S PROGRAMS THAT ARE AVAILABLE UNDER THE FEDERAL SYSTEM AND THEY DON'T WORK EITHER. AND, UH, AND SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO TRY AND FIND, UH, PROGRAMS THAT RESONATE WITH THESE KIDS AND, AND THOSE COMING OUTTA HALFWAY PROGRAMS THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN THE TRADITIONAL METHOD FOR HIRING. AND THEN SECOND, I, I FLIPPED THROUGH THIS WHILE YOU WERE TALKING AND THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF THE GOAT IN HERE. AND, UH, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN BRAD'S TRUCK, IT IS A WORK OF ART. UH, THAT'S PRETTY COOL. YEAH, IT IS. COOL. THANKS. NICE SEEING YOU, BRAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PALAIS. COUNCIL MEMBER URI. WELL, COUNCILMAN PALAIS READ MY MIND AND ASKED MY QUESTIONS. SO BRAD, UH, THANK YOU FOR APPLYING AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOUR COMPANY DOES IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, BRIAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY. YOU TOO. ALRIGHT, THE NEXT APPLICANT THAT WE HAVE, UH, TO INTERVIEW IN THE EMPLOYER CATEGORY IS STACY GUNDERSON. MS. GUNDERSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR APPLICATION. AS NOTED PREVIOUSLY, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS. SO, UH, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. HELLO, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. MY NAME IS STACY GUNDERSON AND I'M THE CRAFT TRAINING SUPERINTENDENT AT MERRICK. I OVERSEE THE TRAINING PROGRAM, THE BUDGETS, THE GOALS AND METRICS FOR FOUR OUT OF FIVE OF OUR LOCATIONS. I HAVE BEEN IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY FOR 17 YEARS, AND I STARTED IN THE FIELD AS A LABORER MYSELF. I STAYED IN THE FIELD FOR OVER THREE YEARS WHILE PUTTING MYSELF THROUGH SCHOOL. SINCE THEN, I'VE SPENT THE REMAINDER OF MY CAREER IN THE INDUSTRY. NOT ONLY TRAINING AND ADVOCATING, BUT RECRUITING INDIVIDUALS SUCH AS MYSELF, WHICH IS WHAT BRINGS ME HERE TO YOU TODAY. I BELIEVE IN THIS INDUSTRY AND THIS INITIATIVE. I, MYSELF WOULD'VE BEEN IN THE SAME POSITION 17 YEARS AGO IF THIS PROGRAM WAS AVAILABLE TO ME, THEN LUCKILY FOR ME, I HAD A CONNECTION THAT INTRODUCED ME TO THIS INDUSTRY AND ALLOWED ME THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT I WAS ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AND BRING MYSELF UP TO WHERE I AM TODAY. I WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO PAY IT FORWARD AND BRING AWARENESS AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SHOW THE PEOPLE IN THIS INDUSTRY THAT IT'S NOT JUST A JOB, IT IS ABOUT A CAREER THAT CAN BE PRESENTED TO THEM. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MS. GUNDERSON. UM, MY QUESTION RELATES TO, UH, SOME OF THE CONVERSATION THAT'S ALREADY OCCURRING WITHIN THE EMPLOYER COMMUNITY. AND OBVIOUSLY THIS PROGRAM IS, UH, ESSENTIAL TO HAVE, UH, EMPLOYERS CONNECTED TO IT. ARE YOU HEARING, UH, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND ANY MISPERCEPTIONS, MISCONCEPTIONS THAT MIGHT BE OUT THERE THAT WE'LL NEED TO OVERCOME AS WE MOVE FORWARD? I'M NOT HEARING SO MUCH ANY MISCONCEPTIONS. I THINK IT'S STILL IN ITS INFANCY PHASE AS FAR AS LIKE IN MY INDUSTRY PER SE. I HAVEN'T HEARD TOO MUCH. I'VE [00:45:01] BEEN TRYING TO ADVOCATE ABOUT IT AND TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT IT AND HOW THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE AVAILABLE OUT THERE FOR THEM. BUT AS FAR AS LIKE ANY MISCONCEPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE TO OVERCOME, NO, I HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY MISCONCEPTIONS SO FAR. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME. WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO, UH, COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. NOW. I'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU SO MUCH MS. GUNDERSON. UH, FOR YOUR INTEREST IN, IN THE BOARD, WHAT TYPE OF RESOURCES OR PROGRAMMING DO YOU THINK WOULD BE MOST BENEFICIAL FOR THE CITY TO PROVIDE PERSPECTIVE SAN ANTONIO READY TO WORK PARTICIPANTS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY'RE FACING MANY CHALLENGES STILL IN THE C OVID 19 RECOVERY. UM, SOME INITIATIVES THAT COULD TAKE PLACE, ESPECIALLY WITH C O V, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT THERE, STILL WOULD BE SOME CREATIVE, LIKE LUNCH AND LEARNS THAT YOU COULD DO SOME, UM, OTHER INITIATIVES AS FAR AS LIKE BRINGING AWARENESS. YOU COULD GET THOSE OUT THERE THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, FLYERS, SOCIAL MEDIA, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER CAB HDA. THANK YOU MAYOR. MS. GUNDERSON, DO YOU SEE ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM, UM, TO INCLUDE MORE, UH, PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR, UM, VETERANS? FOR SURE, ESPECIALLY IN THE VETERAN CATEGORY, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THAT. UM, THERE'S A COMPONENT IN HOUSTON THAT IS ALREADY WORKING WITH THAT AS WELL, THAT'S CALLED A C S. THEY ARE GETTING, ALLOWING THEM TO ACCESS THEIR GRANT AND BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT AND GET INTO TRAINING AS WELL TO WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO UTILIZE THEIR GRANT, BUT ALSO BE ABLE TO, FOR THE COMPANIES TO ASSIST IN THE TRAINING, TO GET THEM IN AN APP, APP REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAM. AS FAR AS SPECIAL NEEDS, I HAVE NOT HEARD OF MANY. I WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE, I'D BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT AS WELL AND SEEING HOW WE COULD EXPAND THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COUNCIL MEMBER APP APPLIES. THANKS FOR YOUR APPLICATION. VERY IMPRESSIVE. UH, I'M, UM, I'M WONDERING HOW THIS COMMITTEE AND YOU IN PARTICULAR ARE GOING TO CONVINCE EMPLOYERS WHO ARE, UM, CYNICAL AND SUSPICIOUS AND UNTRUSTING OF GOVERNMENT TO, UH, PARTICIPATE IN A GOVERNMENT RUN PROGRAM TO, UH, BRING BACK THEIR BUSINESSES, UH, TO COMPETITIVE LEVELS. HOW DO YOU DO THAT? THAT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I, I CONSIDER MYSELF A GALVANIZER. IF I BELIEVE IN IT, STAY OUT OF THE WAY. IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT AND I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT TRAINING OTHERS AND PROVIDING AWARENESS AND GETTING THEM TO GET ON BOARD. UM, IRONICALLY, EVEN IN THE INDUSTRY THAT I WORK IN, TRAINING IS NEW IN A SENSE. I MEAN, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE THE COMPANY I WORK FOR, THEY DECIDED TO START TRAINING, BUT EVERYBODY WAS LIKE, NO, WHY AM I GONNA TRAIN 'EM? THEY'RE JUST GONNA LEAVE FOR A DOLLAR. WELL, WHAT IF YOU DON'T TRAIN THEM AND THEY STAY? WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU LOSING THEN? SO AS FAR AS LIKE BRINGING PEOPLE IN AND TRAINING THEM AND BRINGING THEM UP AND GETTING PEOPLE BEHIND YOU, IT'S A MATTER OF FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. AND IF YOU FIND SOMEBODY ENOUGH WHO'S PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AND CAN HELP SELL IT, SKY'S THE LIMIT. THEY'RE ALL GONNA FOLLOW YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER REPLI. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. YEAH, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU JUST SAID REALLY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. I THINK THAT, UH, OR LET ME ASK YOU, WOULD YOU AGREE THAT THE DIFFERENT COMPANIES THAT ARE, ARE PLEDGING TO WORK WITH THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE ADVERTISING, IT SHOULD BE SELLING IT TO THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES OR TO ANY OR TO THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY? SOMEHOW? SOMEHOW, YES. I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING THEY SHOULD BE PROUD OF. IF THEY'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IT, WHY NOT HELP SPREAD THE WORD? THOSE SHOULD BE YOUR BIGGEST ADVOCATES. NOT ONLY THE COMPANIES, BUT THE EMPLOYEE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE GOING TO THOSE COMPANIES SAYING, THIS IS HOW I DID IT, THIS IS HOW I MADE IT. THIS IS WHO'S, NOT ONLY DID I GET THE TRAINING HERE, THIS COMPANY SUPPORTED ME AND SUPPORTING THAT COMPANY AND THE INITIATIVE AS WELL. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S POWERFUL. DO YOU THINK THERE, THERE COULD BE HESITANCE THOUGH, BECAUSE COMPANIES AFRAID, OH, I'LL LOSE SOMEBODY. THEY'RE GONNA LEAVE ME, GET IN THAT PROGRAM, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. I DON'T BELIEVE SO. IF THE COMPANY HAS THE RIGHT CULTURE, NOBODY'S GOING TO LEAVE THAT COMPANY. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT TRAINING, IT'S THE COMPANY THAT THEY'RE WITH AS WELL. SO IF THE COUNTRY HAS, IF THE COMPANY HAS THE CULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, NO EMPLOYEE WILL BE WILLING TO LEAVE THEM. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. MS. GUNDERSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOU, YOUR APPLICATION. THANK YOU. AND YOUR TIME TODAY. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON WITH OUR OTHER INTERVIEWEES AND THEN WE'LL DELIBERATE RIGHT AFTER THAT. THE NEXT APPLICANT FOR INTERVIEW IN THE EMPLOYER CATEGORY IS JENNIFER CANTU. MS. CANTU, WELCOME. UM, WE'RE GIVING EACH APPLICANT TWO MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH THE COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. UH, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US, UM, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. WELL, GOOD MORNING. HELLO EVERYONE. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND SPEAK IN FRONT OF YOU. MY CEDAR ALLERGIES ARE BOTHERING ME. I PROMISE I'M NOT SICK. I'M NOT TRYING TO GET ANYONE SICK DURING FIESTA, SO I PROMISE I, [00:50:01] UH, I'M NOT PASSING ALONG ANY GERMS. BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. I HAVE TO SAY THANK YOU COUNCILMAN AND COUNCILWOMAN FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN SA READY TO WORK NOT ONLY OF ADVOCACY, BUT ALSO OF YOUR TIME INVESTING IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT INITIATIVE. UM, I'M JENNIFER CANTU. I'M THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND SAN ANTONIO MARKET EXECUTIVE FOR BANK OF AMERICA. AND MY ROLE IS TO OVERSEE ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY EFFORTS HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE REALIZE THAT WE ARE A BIG GLOBAL BANK, BUT WE WANNA BE INVESTED IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE. AND SO FOR THAT REASON, WE GAVE $2 MILLION JUST LAST YEAR ALONE INTO NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND THAT INCLUDES A BIG FOCUS ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, JOB CREATION, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. WE USED TO SAY THAT BANK OF AMERICA, WE WERE FOCUSED ON EDUCATION PROGRAMS. AND THEN WE SAID, WELL, WE REALLY WANNA BE MORE SPECIFIC. WE REALLY WANNA GO MORE TOWARDS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN WE REALIZED A LOT OF THINGS COULD BE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. WE SAID, NO, NO, WE REALLY WANNA BE ABOUT JOB CREATION. HOW ARE WE IF WE ARE FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND MAKING SURE THAT REGARDLESS OF WHAT ZIP CODE YOU'RE BORN INTO, YOU HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY AS EVERY OTHER CHILD BORN IN THIS CITY. IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON, THEN WE'VE REALLY GOTTA BE FOCUSED ON JOB CREATION. AND SO FOR THAT REASON, WE FOCUS ON A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT INITIATIVES. WE'VE FUNDED PROGRAMS LIKE ALL OF YOU HAVE FUNDED LIKE PROJECT QUEST AND RESTORE EDUCATION, UM, COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS, BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, UM, SO MANY DIFFERENT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH TO SAY WE WANT TO BE A HELP AS PART OF THE EQUATION AND A GOOD STEWARD IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT HAS WHAT HAS LED TO MY INVOLVEMENT IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WHERE I CHAIRED THE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE COUNCIL FOR THREE YEARS. I'M ALSO ON THE SA WORKS ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND I RECENTLY HAD THE HONOR OF BEING APPOINTED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE FOR THE EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT SA READY TO WORK COMMITTEE RIGHT ON THE DOT. VERY IMPRESSIVE. I YOU'VE THIS KID TOO. UH, WELL YOU SAID A FEW THINGS THAT THAT PIQUED MY INTEREST. ONE OF THEM WAS ECONOMIC MOBILITY. UH, AND FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT THAT'S SORT OF, UH, THE TRUE NORTH THAT WE ARE LEADING TOWARDS. UH, BUT FROM AN EMPLOYER STANDPOINT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GET FOLKS IN JOBS. SO CAN YOU TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE HEARING FROM THE EMPLOYER COMMUNITY ABOUT THESE WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMS AND MAYBE SOME, UH, PRECONCEPTIONS THAT MIGHT EXIST THAT WE HAVE TO OVERCOME? UH, AND THEN SPEAK TO WHAT IS THE EMPLOYER, UH, LOOKING TO AS TO GET OUT OF THIS PROGRAM? YEAH, I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT IT, A LOT OF OUR EMPLOYERS ARE SAYING, WE, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE JOBS RIGHT NOW. WE NEED TO FOCUS ON HIGH DEMAND, HIGH WAGE JOBS. WE KNOW THAT OUR INDUSTRIES HAVE CHANGED DRASTICALLY AT BANK OF AMERICA, JUST LIKE AT ALL OF OUR OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. WE ARE TECH COMPANIES IN A LOT OF WAYS, RIGHT? A THIRD OF OUR COMPANY IS IN OUR GLOBAL TECH AND OPS. WE HAVE 200,000 EMPLOYEES. THAT'S A LOT OF EMPLOYEES THAT ARE IN TECHNOLOGY. SO OUR COMPANIES ARE CHANGING. AND WITH THAT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING NOT JUST THE SAME STANDARD FOUR YEAR DEGREE TRACK THAT FOR SO LONG WE'VE LOOKED AT, BUT SAYING WHAT ARE THE TRADE SKILLS? WHAT ARE THE CERTIFICATION? WHAT ARE THE SOFT SKILLS? REALLY LOOKING AT INTERNSHIP APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT AROUND OUR ECONOMIC MOBILITY, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF FUNDING AROUND INTERNSHIP AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS. 'CAUSE WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE DON'T NEED TO JUST WAIT UNTIL, UH, THE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ADULT LEARNERS, BUT HOW ARE WE TALKING TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND OUR JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS AND GETTING THEM INTO FINANCIAL CENTERS. IT'S ACTUALLY BEEN A BIG CHALLENGE WITHIN THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRIES. 'CAUSE WE'VE SAID, WHOA, WHOA, WE CAN'T TAKE ANYONE UNTIL THEY'RE 18. AND RECENTLY WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH SA WORKS AND FAMILY SERVICE TO BRING STUDENTS INTO OUR FINANCIAL CENTERS IN ORDER THAT THEY CAN GET THAT EXPERIENCE AT A MUCH EARLIER AGE. BUT ALSO SEE THAT GOING INTO FINANCE DOESN'T MEAN YOU NEED TO BE AN ACCOUNTANT. I HAVE NO BACKGROUND IN FINANCE, , I SHOULD NOT MANAGE YOUR MONEY. UM, BUT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO INTO A GREAT CAREER FIELD THAT HAS LED ME INTO MULTIPLE DIFFERENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE OF THE SKILL SETS I GAINED. SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S CRITICAL, IS UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S MULTIFACETED. IT'S NOT JUST ONE CLEAR PATH. AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON IN DEMAND HIGH WAGE JOBS RIGHT NOW. AND FOCUSING ON THAT POPULATION, WHICH WILL HELP US BUILD UP THE PIPELINE FOR THE FUTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU JENNIFER FOR YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND APPLYING FOR THIS. UM, YOU'VE SAID SOMETHING WAS GONNA BE PART OF MY QUESTION. IT WAS GONNA BE ABOUT APPRENTICESHIP. SO WE JUST GOT BACK FROM SS A T D C, THE ADVOCACY TRIP, AND, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR KEEPS TALKING ABOUT APPRENTICESHIPS AS WELL. SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO DO A STRONGER JOB ON THAT. AND ON, ON THE JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS, WHICH WE HAVEN'T BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL AT ENGAGING FOLKS IN THE, ON THE JOB TRAINING. CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOUR PARTICIPATION, UM, ON, ON OUR, UH, COMMITTEE WOULD HELP WITH THAT? YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. I THINK THE NICE THING THAT, UH, WE WILL BRING [00:55:01] TO THE TABLE OF HAVING A NATIONAL, GLOBAL COMPANY LIKE BANK OF AMERICA IS WE WORK WITH A LOT OF NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO LEARN AND LEVERAGE FROM THEM. SO UNIDOS US HAS A GREAT PROGRAM CALLED LATINOS AND FINANCE, WHICH BANK OF AMERICA IS A BIG SUPPORTER OF. WE'VE RECENTLY BROUGHT IT TO SAN ANTONIO TO BE AT RESTORE EDUCATION. SO LEVERAGING ANYWHERE WE HAVE BEST PRACTICES NATIONALLY, BUT THEN ALSO WORKING WITH THE LOCAL INSTITUTIONS. WE HAVE A LOT OF BANKS. WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, CREDIT UNIONS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND KIND OF PULLING THEM ALL TOGETHER, UM, TO SAY WE NEED TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION IN THE SOLUTION. I THINK. SO OFTENTIMES INDUSTRY HAS POINTED AND SAID, OH, THAT DIDN'T PROVIDE US WHAT WE NEEDED. WE NEED TO BE AT THE TABLE AND SAY, NOT ONLY ARE WE WILLING TO STEP UP AND GIVE OUR TIME, UM, BUT ALSO STEP UP AND PROVIDE JOB SHADOWING, INTERNSHIPS, MAYBE TEACHER EXTERNSHIPS BRING IN TEACHERS TO SAY HOW, HOW HAS BANKING CHANGED, UM, IN THE LAST 20 YEARS. IT'S VERY DIFFERENT, RIGHT? SO I THINK WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB. AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK WHAT'S UNIQUE AND WHY I'M EXCITED ABOUT ESSAY READY TO WORK IS BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE BRINGING IN THE INDUSTRY PARTNERS TO THE TABLE. YOU'VE IDENTIFIED KEY IN DEMAND INDUSTRIES WITH OPENINGS CURRENTLY AND HIGH WAGE JOBS, AND ALSO ARE BRINGING THEM IN TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SO REALLY HAVING THAT OWNERSHIP ON THE INDUSTRIES TO SAY, WE NEED TO ALSO STEP UP AND PROVIDE MORE APPRENTICESHIPS, MORE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, OR AT LEAST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTED ACROSS THE BOARD. 'CAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S NOT A COMPETITION, RIGHT? IF WE'RE SEEING MORE STUDENTS GO INTO THE INDUSTRY, WHETHER THEY GO END UP AT FROST OR U S A A OR BROADWAY BANK OR JEFFERSON OR BANK OF AMERICA, THAT'S GONNA HELP ALL OF US, RIGHT? AT THE END OF THE DAY. SO WE DON'T THINK IT'S A COMPETITIVE FIELD FOR US. IT'S REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE US AS AN INDUSTRY COME TOGETHER AND PUSH THIS FORWARD IN WORKING WITH A LOT OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE DOING THIS WORK AND DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, BUT WE NEED TO BE A BETTER JOB AT THE TABLE. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, JENNIFER AND I APPRECIATE THAT. I, UM, WE RECENTLY WAS IN A MEETING THAT WAS HISTORIC BECAUSE COMPETITORS HAD NEVER COME TOGETHER. AND SO WE WERE WORKING TOGETHER TO SOLVE A COMMUNITY PROBLEM. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION, AND, AND YOU TOUCHED ON THIS A LITTLE BIT, BUT SPECIFICALLY, WHAT KIND OF ROLE DO YOU THINK HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS CAN PLAY SPECIFICALLY IN HELPING RESIDENTS NOT ONLY GET THOSE HIGH PAYING JOBS BY UPSKILLING, BUT A, A COMPLETION OF THEIR EDUCATION OR, UM, CERTIFICATES OR YES. OR FOUR YEAR DEGREE. YEAH. I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT OUR HIGHER INSTITUTIONS, AND, AND MAYBE I'M THINKING ABOUT THIS AS A, A CORPORATE FUNDER 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DO IN MY DAY JOB, BUT WE'RE ALSO ALWAYS COMING BACK TO THEM AND SAYING, OKAY, IT'S GREAT THAT YOU GRADUATED THIS NUMBER OF PEOPLE. WHERE DID THEY GO? WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE DID THAT, WHAT, WHERE ARE WE AT NOW? RIGHT. UM, AND SO NOT ONLY DO WE FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S WRAPAROUND SUPPORT AND SERVICES THAT ARE GONNA BE NEEDED IN ORDER FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ADULT LEARNER POPULATION. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT ARE THE OTHER FACTORS THAT ARE, THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THEM NOT BEING ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AT LEAST PREVIOUSLY? AND HOW CAN WE, UM, FIX THAT OR REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS GOING FORWARD? BUT WE ALSO NEED TO HAVE A VERY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THOSE STUDENTS AND WHERE HAVE THEY GONE. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S THE PART, AT LEAST FROM MY END, THAT WE'VE, UH, BEEN MISSING A LITTLE BIT. WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH ACCESS TO THOSE STUDENTS, RIGHT? ONCE THEY GRADUATE FROM THE PROGRAM, A LOT OF TIMES WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY GO OR WHAT HAPPENED. AND SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE KEY. UM, AS WE LOOK AT ESSAY READY TO WORK, AS WELL AS OTHER INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO FUND BY THESE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND THESE HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IS WHERE DO THOSE STUDENTS GO? WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? HOW ARE WE KEEPING TRACK? AND THEN ALSO, HOW ARE WE LOOKING AT UPSKILLING? YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY ALWAYS REFER TO, UH, MY UNCLE WHO'S A MECHANIC WHO SAID HE CAN'T WORK ON CARS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL COMPUTERS. AND HE IS LIKE, I DON'T, I'M A MECHANIC. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT. RIGHT. WELL, WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE WE'RE TOUCHING BACK TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE HAD A 30, 40 YEAR CAREER, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE WORKFORCE HAS CHANGED AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADAPTING TO THAT AS WELL. JENNIFER, I'M SO GLAD YOU SAID THAT. 'CAUSE THAT'S ONE OF MY BIGGEST CONCERNS RIGHT NOW, SPECIFICALLY WITH MECHANICS AND THE NEW AGE OF AUTOMOBILE. SO, UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT WITH, WITH PORT FOLKS, ET CETERA. SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR SHARING THAT. AND THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCILMEMBER, KEO. HDE. THANK YOU MAYOR. HI, JEN. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR APPLYING. UM, MY, UM, QUESTION FOR YOU HAS, IS ABOUT HOW WE CAN, OR DO YOU SEE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND OUR VETERANS IN THIS PROGRAM? I'M REALLY GLAD YOU ASKED THAT, AND I WAS ACTUALLY HOPING YOU WOULD. UM, 'CAUSE I'VE SEEN OTHER, UH, CONVERSATIONS WHERE YOU MENTIONED THIS. SO I ACTUALLY WAS APPOINTED, UH, BOOK BACK BY GOVERNOR PERRY, UM, AND THEN LATER BY GOVERNOR ABBOTT TO THE STATE BOARD OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. AND THEN I CHAIRED THAT COMMITTEE FOR FOUR YEARS. SO I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT HOW ARE WE CONNECTING BACK INTO THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY. I HAVE A SISTER, UH, WITH SEVERE SPECIAL NEEDS WHO WENT THROUGH, UM, THE LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM THROUGH OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND THEN I'M ALSO DYSLEXIC. SO [01:00:01] I WENT THROUGH THE 5 0 4 TRACK, RIGHT, OF UNDERSTANDING KIND OF WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE. AND WITH THAT, SO OFTEN I HAD, UH, WELL-MEANING INDIVIDUALS WHO WOULD SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO TO A TRADE SCHOOL. YOU PROBABLY CAN'T GO TO COLLEGE. YOU'RE DYSLEXIC. RIGHT? AND IT WAS VERY OPENING TO ME AT VERY YOUNG THAT, WELL, WHY ARE WE LIMITING THIS WHATSOEVER? LET'S SEE WHAT I CAN DO. LET'S TRY DIFFERENT THINGS AND FIND OUT WHAT MY PASSION IS AND THAT WILL LEAD ME IN A DIRECTION. UM, VERSUS MY HUSBAND WHO ENDED UP BECOMING A CARPENTER BECAUSE HE LOVED THAT AND THAT WAS HIS SKILLSET AND HE WENT IN THAT DIRECTION AND BECAME A GREAT TRADE FOR HIM. SO I THINK THERE'S A PLACE FOR THESE VARIOUS PROGRAMS, BUT IF WE AREN'T, IF WE AREN'T INTENTIONALLY THINKING ABOUT OUR SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATION, THEY'RE GOING TO GET LEFT OUT. WE'VE SEEN THAT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND SO WE DO HAVE SOME GREAT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE DOING PHENOMENAL WORK IN THAT SPACE. WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS. ALAMO OF COURSE HAS A BIG PRIORITY IN THAT AREA. UM, BUT THEN THERE'S MISSION ROAD MINISTRIES AND SEVERAL OTHERS. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY PULLING IN THOSE GROUPS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. 'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE THE EXPERTISE, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO LEARN FROM THEM AND SAY, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO? AND HOW DO WE NEED TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THIS POPULATION? SAME FOR OUR VETERANS. WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THIS AT THE BANK, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO P T S D AND THE IMPACT OF THAT WITH OUR STAFF. AND WE HAD AN INDIVIDUAL WHO, UM, WAS LATE ALL THE TIME AND WE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT, WHY ARE YOU LATE? AND WE REALIZED IT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS OVERWHELMING TO WALK IN AT EIGHT O'CLOCK WHEN EVERYONE ELSE WAS WALKING IN. AND WE THOUGHT, OH, WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF ASKING QUESTIONS, HAVING SOMEONE AT THE TABLE WHO REPRESENTS THOSE COMMUNITIES, AND THEN FINDING ACCOMMODATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN BE THE RIGHT PLACE TO WORK FOR THEM. SO INSTEAD OF SAYING, YOU HAVE TO COME IN AT 8:00 AM 'CAUSE THAT'S WHEN YOU START AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS WALKING IN AND A HUNDRED OTHER PEOPLE ARE WALKING IN AND IT'S LOUD AND NOISY. WE SAID, OKAY, WELL WHY DON'T YOU COME IN AT EIGHT 30 AND THEN YOU, WE CAN ADJUST YOUR HOURS AND WE CAN FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT SYSTEM FOR YOU. SO, TINY EXAMPLE. BUT I THINK AS EMPLOYERS, WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB MAKING SURE, ONE, WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES AT THE TABLE AND THEN TWO, WE'RE ACCOM MAKING ACCOMMODATIONS. BECAUSE IF WE WANT TO TARGET THOSE AUDIENCES, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO REACH THEM IF WE JUST KEEP DOING THE SAME THING. AND WE'VE SEEN THAT TOO MANY TIMES. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KEO HDA FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, YOU, YOU PIQUED MY INTEREST WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU WANNA, UM, LOOK AT FINANCING NOT JUST FROM YOUR INSTITUTION, BUT FROM MANY OF THE OTHERS. AND I'M WONDERING, DO YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL ROUNDTABLE WHERE MANY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE DIFFERENT BANKS GET TOGETHER ONCE A MONTH OR ONCE A QUARTER AND TALK ABOUT MUTUAL INTERESTS? WE'VE HAD DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS OVER THE YEARS, ESPECIALLY AROUND KEY ISSUES. SO HOUSING WAS A VERY KEY ISSUE NOT THAT LONG AGO WHERE ALL THE BANKS KIND OF CAME TOGETHER AND SAID, OKAY, WHAT ARE WE ALL DOING AND HOW, WHAT, WHAT ARE OUR PLANS? WE ALSO DID SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT. WHEN THE PANDEMIC FIRST STARTED, THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS AROUND HOW IS THIS GONNA IMPACT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES? HOW IS THIS GONNA IMPACT OUR MINORITY OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES, WHICH WE KNOW ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY COVID. SO WE'VE HAD VARIOUS ROUNDTABLES THAT HAVE COME TOGETHER. HONESTLY, WE'VE LEVERAGED, UH, GREATER SS A T X, UM, FORMERLY THE E D F HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF KIND OF PULLING TOGETHER THOSE GROUPS, BUT SO HAS OUR SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER AND OUR HISPANIC CHAMBER. SO WE'VE WORKED WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OVER TIME TO KIND OF PULL TOGETHER ON KEY TOPICS AND KEY ISSUES. UM, WORKFORCE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN ONE THAT WE DID, I WANNA SAY IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO NOW, WHERE WE PULLED TOGETHER AND SAID, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE OUR CHALLENGES SPECIFICALLY AROUND GETTING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS INTERNSHIPS WITHIN THE SA WORKS AND THE, UH, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UM, SUMMER JOBS INITIATIVE. HOW CAN WE GET MORE STUDENTS INTO THE PROGRAM? 'CAUSE AT THE TIME, A LOT OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS WERE SAYING THEY CAN'T COME IN OUR, THEY CAN'T COME IN AND SEE ANY CLIENT DATA UNLESS THEY'RE OVER 18. WELL, FIRST MARK CREDIT UNION WAS THE FIRST ONE THAT SAID, NO, THEY CAN, THEY CAN COME IN AND DO MARKETING, THEY COULD COME IN AND DO HR, THEY CAN COME IN AND SHADOW, UM, THEY CAN DO OTHER THINGS. AND THEN WE SAW, I THINK IT WAS CHASE WHO SAID, WE ACTUALLY WILL BRING THEM IN AND HAVE THEM BE DIGITAL AMBASSADORS, AND THESE STUDENTS WILL HAVE IPADS. THEY'LL CHECK PEOPLE IN, THEY'LL GREET PEOPLE. THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE CLIENT DATA. THERE'S WAYS WE CAN THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX VERSUS SAYING, THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE, THIS IS HOW IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE DONE. AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN A SEVERAL TIMES WHERE WE'VE DONE THAT. BUT I DO AGREE THAT I THINK IF WE GO IN THIS DIRECTION AND, AND WHOEVER IS THE FINANCE REPRESENTATIVE REALLY NEEDS TO PLAY A ROLE OF HEARING FROM ALL OF THE FINANCIAL SECTOR, RIGHT? 'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY, BANK OF AMERICA, WE ARE, WE ARE ONE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, WITH ABOUT A THOUSAND EMPLOYEES. AND THERE ARE SO MANY MORE, UM, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THIS TOWN, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UM, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THAT SPACE. YEAH, I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE ENCOURAGING IF, IF THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY, UH, WERE UNITED IN THEIR EFFORTS TO WORK WITH A READY TO WORK PROGRAM. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT. THAT'S GREAT FEEDBACK. [01:05:01] THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. MS. CANTU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND APPLICATION. WE'RE GONNA COMPLETE WITH OUR INTERVIEWS BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR DELIBERATION AND COME BACK OUT FOR RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU ALL. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. GREAT. ALRIGHT. UH, THE NEXT CATEGORY THAT WE'LL BE HEARING INTERVIEWS ON IS THE TRAINING PROVIDER, HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION CATEGORY. UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT BRAD BELDEN ALSO SUBMITTED FOR THAT CATEGORY. OUR ONLY OTHER APPLICANT IN THAT CATEGORY IS YVETTE GOMEZ. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR YOUR TIME. UH, AS I PREVIOUSLY NOTED, WE'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES FOR YOUR OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. SO UNLESS YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR US, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU. NO QUESTIONS. YEAH. MY NAME IS YVETTE GOMEZ. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I CURRENTLY SERVE, UM, AS A COMPONENT DIRECTOR, ED EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER, REGION 20. I'VE BEEN IN EDUCATION FOR 25 YEARS, 14 OF THOSE IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION OF SOME CAPACITY AND WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OUR REGION. WE CURRENTLY SERVE 92 SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF WHICH WE WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND WE'RE, WE SERVE AS A NON-REGULATORY AGENCY AND SUPPORT. WE HAVE QUITE A FEW PROGRAMS THAT WE, UM, SUPPORT IN OUR DIVISION. AND ONE OF, UH, ONE THAT IS MOST CONNECTED TO THE WORK OF ESSAY READY TO WORK IS OUR ADULT EDUCATION AND LITERACY PROGRAM. UM, WE OFFER GED COURSES. WE OFFER E S L COURSES, WE OFFER TRAINING AND INDUSTRY SUPPORT, AND WE WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH PARENT LIAISONS AND SOME OF THE, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICT, DISTRICT STAFF TO KIND OF SUPPORT THE WORK THAT THE PARENTS ARE DOING, UH, CURRENTLY AND HOW WE CAN GET THEM THROUGH PIPELINES OF PURSUING HIGHER PERFORMING JOBS, UM, IN EDUCATION, ET CETERA. UM, WE, UM, ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON CREATING PIPELINES, UH, WITH OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE WORK THAT WE DO BECAUSE OF THE HUGE EMPHASIS ON RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS FOR EDUCATORS WITH THE LACK OF EDUCATORS THAT ARE HAVING IN THIS GREAT RESIGNATION, AS WE CALL IT. AND SO IN DOING SO, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH HR ADVISORY BOARDS AND DETERMINING HOW WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, GETTING DOWN TO THE PARENT LEVEL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NEEDS ARE AND HOW WE BEGIN TO BUILD SOME PIPELINES FOR WORKFORCE, WHETHER IT BE INDUSTRY OR WHETHER IT BE GETTING PARENTS INTO OUR G E D COURSES, E S L COURSES, G E D COURSES, PARAPROFESSIONAL TRAINING, AND SO ON. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST CURRENT EFFORTS THAT WE'VE BEEN ENGAGED IN AT THE SERVICE CENTER. UM, IT'S A PASSION OF, OF OURS AS EDUCATORS, AND IT'S A PASSION OF MINE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DR. GOMEZ. YOU'RE WELCOME. UM, SO TRAINING PROVIDERS, UH, THOSE INSTITUTIONS ARE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO DELIVER THE TRAINING, UH, FOR THE APPLICANT OR FOR THE, UH, PARTICIPANT. UM, BUT ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM IS CONNECTING THOSE TRAINING PROVIDERS TO THE ACTUAL EMPLOYERS WHO ARE GOING TO BE RECEIVING THOSE PARTICIPANTS AND ULTIMATELY PUTTING FOLKS INTO JOBS. HOW CAN WE BETTER CONNECT TRAINING PROVIDERS TO THE EMPLOYER COMMUNITY? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR HR ADVISORY BOARDS. WE'RE TRYING TO DETERMINE, UM, CAN, HOW DO, WE CAN CONNECT WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M THINKING IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE, ONE OF THE EFFORTS WE'VE MADE IS TO DO BROAD MARKETING AND SUPPORT. UM, WE HAVE REACHED OUT AND WORKED COLLABORATIVELY WITH A MARKETING AGENCY TO SUPPORT THE SERVICES THAT WE ARE OFFERING, THE SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE, UH, THROUGH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ET CETERA, AND WORKING COLLABORATIVELY ALONG WITH SCHOOL PARTNERS AND THE COMMUNITY TO, UM, GET THE WORD OUT. WE KNOW THAT THAT'S A BIG CONCERN, IS HOW IT'S BEING MESSAGED AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THE INFORMATION IS MADE AVAILABLE TO PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DR. EZ. YOU'RE WELCOME. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MS. GOMEZ, FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS. THANK YOU. UM, IF THERE ARE MORE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES GOING DIRECTLY INTO THE WORKFORCE, HOW WOULD WE BE ABLE TO HELP THEM FOLLOW, UM, A PATH TO PURSUE HIGHER EDUCATION OR TRAINING CERTIFICATIONS, ASSOCIATES AND BACHELOR'S? WHAT ARE MAYBE SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT YOU SEE TO, TO US HELPING? YEAH, LOTS OF BARRIERS COME TO MIND FOR ME. UM, THE NEED FOR WORK. WE WORK WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT POPULATIONS OF STUDENTS. UM, NOT TO PARTICULARLY CATEGORIZE STUDENTS, BUT WE WORK WITH OUR [01:10:01] HOMELESS POPULATION. WE WORK WITH OUR MIGRANT POPULATION, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO OUR, TO OUR STUDENTS AND TO THE PARENTS. OFTENTIMES, PARENTS ARE THE ONES WHO RESTRICT THE CHILD FROM MOVING FORWARD INTO HIGHER ED BECAUSE OF WHATEVER REASON, UM, THEIR PERSONAL REASONS, THE CULTURAL REASONS, ET CETERA. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY WITH OUR PARENT LIAISONS, UM, TO SPREAD THE WORD. WE JUST HAD A CONVERSATION THIS MORNING ABOUT REACHING OUT TO OUR I H E PARTNERS TO BEGIN TO HAVE DEEPER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE LESS GRADUATES COMING INTO HIGHER ED. SO THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING CURRENTLY AT THE SERVICE CENTER. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER RO BER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MS. GOMEZ FOR YOUR INTEREST. YES, SIR. IN THIS POSITION, DO YOU SEE AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE, UM, THIS PROGRAM, UM, BY WAY OF INCLUDING MORE PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR OUR VETERANS? UM, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THERE'S, UM, POTENTIAL GAP IN REACHING OUT. LET ME SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT VETERAN, THE GAP IN VETERANS, RIGHT? WE ARE TRYING TO CURRENTLY GET OUR VETERANS COMING INTO EDUCATION PIPELINE, UM, THOSE THAT HAVE RETIRED RIGHT FROM SERVICE AND TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW BEST TO SUPPORT THAT, THAT NICHE, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT ONCE THEY RETIRE, THEY BECOME VETERANS. THEY, THEY'RE OFTENTIMES, I HAVE THIS IN MY FAMILY, OFTENTIMES, UM, THEY'RE NOT SURE WHAT THE NEXT STEP IS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WORKING WITH OUR, UM, BASE PARTNERS. WE'RE RIGHT OUTSIDE OF FORT SAM, AND SO WE'VE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN BUILD A PARTNERSHIP THERE AND BRING VETERANS INTO THE FOLD AS WELL. THAT WAS ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'VE CURRENTLY DONE. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. , THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GUO. HDA, COUNCIL MEMBER. POLITE. UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. VERY IMPRESSIVE. UH, HOW DO I GET, AND HOW, IF WE APPOINT YOU TO THIS COMMITTEE, HOW DO WE GET YOU, UH, TO RECRUIT NOT JUST FOLKS FOR TRAINING, BUT ALSO THERE'S THE CONVERSATION TO BE HAD ABOUT, UH, GETTING WILLING EMPLOYERS, UH, TO TAKE ON TRAINED EMPLOYEES. RIGHT? SO, UM, HOW IS THAT SOMETHING YOU DO, UH, IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE? UM, YOU GOT ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW WE CAN IMPROVE UPON THAT? THE CURRENT WORK THAT WE DO IS NOT NECESSARILY WITH JOB PROVIDERS. UM, AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW THERE'S A NICHE THERE. WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME EFFORTS THAT WE NEED TO INTENTIONALLY PURSUE. UM, AT THE SERVICE CENTER, WE HAVE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, AND SO I WOULD SEE MY WORKING ALONGSIDE OUR ADULT EDUCATION LITERACY PROGRAM, THE COLLABORATION WITH WORKFORCE THAT'S HAPPENING THERE, AND BRANCH INTO ANOTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE TO PULL PEOPLE IN TO THE CONVERSATION. UM, WE HAVE CONNECTIONS TO OTHERS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS AT THE SERVICE CENTER AND THE WORK WE DO. SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE ON DIFFERENT COMMITTEES AND DIFFERENT BOARDS. I SEE REACHING OUT TO THEM COULD BE AN ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CONTINUE TO BRING THIS WORD FORWARD. THAT'S WHAT COMES TO MIND RIGHT NOW. SURE. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER REPLI. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT WHAT, 16, 17 INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN SAN ANTONIO. I, I ALWAYS GET CONFUSED WHETHER 16, 17, 18, ARE WE COUNTING THOSE JUST AT THE EDGES, ET CETERA, BUT THERE OBVIOUSLY ARE A LOT AND YOU WORK WITH MANY OF THEM OR YES, SIR. UH, YOU KNOW, REGION 20 WORKS WITH MANY OF THEM. UH, WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ARE THE EXPECTED NEXT STEPS FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS FROM ALL OF OUR, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS? HMM. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. UM, WE CURRENTLY SERVE 92 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, SO WE ARE HAVING THOSE ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS, UM, IN THE CURRICULUM SIDE OF THE WORK THAT WE DO, CAREER TECH ED MM-HMM. , UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DO THINK IN THE PROGRAM PROGRAMS THAT I SUPPORT AND THAT, UH, OTHER MY COLLEAGUES SUPPORT IT IS HAVING CONVERSATIONS EARLIER ONSET IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, I THINK TO BEGIN TO BUILD THAT PATH AND THE MENTALITY OF MOVING STUDENTS FORWARD INTO IDEAS AND THOUGHTS AROUND HIGHER ED. UM, IT'S FORMING COLLABORATIONS WITH I H E PARTNERS AT THE EARLY ENTRY OF HIGH SCHOOL TO BEGIN THOSE CONVERSATIONS. UM, THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT COME TO MIND. CURRENTLY. ONCE A MONTH WE HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF THE REGIONAL SUPERINTENDENTS, UM, AT THE SERVICE CENTER. AND SO I ALSO SEE THIS AS [01:15:01] BEING ANOTHER AVENUE FOR US TO CONTINUE TO SHARE THE IMPORTANCE AND THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING HERE. UM, AND THE GOALS OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, SA READY TO WORK WITH THE SUPERINTENDENTS SO WE CAN GET CONNECTED WITH THEIR LEVEL OF THEIR DIRECTORSHIPS TO DETERMINE HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO INFUSE THIS INFORMATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. I, I GUESS I ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE TOO OFTEN I SEE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, UH, ADVERTISING AND THEY'RE SAYING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR STUDENTS GO TO COLLEGE, . UH, AND YOU KNOW, I WORKED FOR OVER 20 YEARS IN S A I S D, AND I REMEMBER WHEN I WORKED THERE FOR A WHILE, THERE WERE THREE GOALS THEY HAD IN MIND FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS. THE FIRST WAS GO TO COLLEGE. YEP. THE SECOND WAS GO TO THE MILITARY, AND THE THIRD WAS BE PREPARED TO GO TO WORK. RIGHT. UH, ARE THOSE STILL THE THREE FOCUSED AREAS YOU THINK MOST COLLEGE DIS I'M, MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS AIM AT? I WOULD AGREE. YEAH. AND I WOULD SAY YES. I WOULD ALSO SAY THERE'S THIS EMPHASIS ON INDUSTRY NOW, AND WITH ALL OF THE NEW PATHWAYS THAT HAVE OPENED UP IN OUR CAREER AND TECH ED AREAS, THAT'S BEEN ANOTHER LEVEL OR LAYER OF FOCUS FOR OUR COUNSELORS TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH STUDENTS. NOT EVERY STUDENT IS MADE FOR COLLEGE. HOWEVER, UM, THEY SHOULD HAVE ACCESS, EQUAL ACCESS TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE DECISION WHETHER THEY WANT TO DO, PURSUE HIGHER ED OR GO INTO A TRADE INDUSTRY. AND SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY HAPPENING. THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UM, THAT I'M AWARE OF. UM, EVERY DISTRICT, EVERY CHARTER HAS A DIFFERENT GOAL AND A DIFFERENT MISSION, AS YOU KNOW MM-HMM. , AND THEY DO PUBLICIZE 100%. UM, I THINK OF, UH, PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOW THE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IS PROBABLY, UM, A STRONG IDEA. RIGHT. UM, YEAH, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, IT'S LIKE I SAID, I HAVE TWO NEPHEWS. ONE IS IN COLLEGE AND ONE IS JUST NOT, ONE HAS DECIDED TO GO TRADE AND HE'S DOING JUST AS WELL AS THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO COLLEGE. SO IT'S THE MESSAGING AND THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HERE. I THINK, UM, ALONG WITH SHARING THE MESSAGE AT A REGIONAL LEVEL FOR US, WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WITH OUR SUPERINTENDENTS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS WOULD BE PROBABLY A GREAT ATTEMPT TO BEGIN TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHAT OUR GOALS ARE. RIGHT. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT MESSAGING, MESSAGING MAYBE THROUGH THE SCHOOLS THAT THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO JUST GOING TO COLLEGE OR GOING INTO THE MILITARY, WHICH PROVIDES A LOT OF GREAT LIFE SKILLS TRAINING. I WENT IN THE MILITARY MYSELF, BUT, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, I'VE GOT FOUR CHILDREN, THREE OF THEM HAVE COLLEGE DEGREES, THEY'RE DOING VERY WELL. ONE IS AN AUTOMOBILE MECHANIC, AND HE'S ALWAYS MADE MORE MONEY THAN ME. SO IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT TECHNICAL SKILLS CAN AND CAN BE JUST AS VALUABLE. SO, UH, YEAH, I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE MORE OF A DISCUSSION AMONG THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ON REALLY EDUCATING AND, AND INFORMING YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE TRUE POTENTIAL IN OTHER THAN JUST GOING INTO COLLEGE OR GOING INTO THE MILITARY. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T HEAR ENOUGH ABOUT. YES, I WOULD AGREE, SIR. THANK YOU FOR SHARING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. DOCTOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, YOUR APPLICANT, UH, YOUR APPLICATION AND YOUR TIME. UM, OUR COMMITTEE WILL DELIBERATE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION BEFORE WE COME OUT WITH A RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. UH, DR. GOMEZ WAS THE LAST, UH, OF OUR APPLICANTS IN PERSON TODAY. UH, SO UNLESS THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS FROM OUR COMMITTEE, I'LL [Executive Session  ] CONVENE US INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE GREEN ROOM RIGHT OFF, UM, RIGHT OFF THE BACK OF THE CHAMBERS. THE TIME IS NOW 3:25 PM ON TUESDAY, APRIL 5TH, 2022. THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE IS RECESSING A NEW EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DELIBERATE THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SA RADIO WORK ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 PERSONNEL MATTERS AND TO DISCUSS RELATED LEGAL ISSUES PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY. ALRIGHT, THE TIME IS NOW 3:36 PM ON TUESDAY, APRIL 5TH, 2022, AND THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE WILL NOW RECONVENE AND OPEN IT SESSION. NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN DURING EXECUTIVE SESSION. UH, BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA TO MAKE A MOTION, UH, I DO WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO'S, UM, PUT FORWARD AN APPLICATION, UH, ALL OF OUR INTERVIEWEES. WERE, WE'RE CLEARLY, UH, READY FOR THIS, UH, AND WE'RE ALL READY EXAMPLES OF, UM, THE KIND OF MESSAGING [01:20:01] AND, AND, UM, WORK THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE TO MAKE READY TO WORK A, A GREAT SUCCESS. I WANT TO THANK YOU, YOU FOR THAT. UH, I ALSO WANNA NOTE THAT, UM, IF WE HAD SEVEN SLOTS OPEN, WE WOULD PUT ALL SEVEN OF YOU ON THERE. UM, SO PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT FOR, FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T GET SELECTED TODAY, WE HAVE SOME INITIAL, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED IN SA READY TO WORK, WE'D LIKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER, UH, BECAUSE AGAIN, ALL OF YOU ARE ARE STELLAR EXAMPLES AND, AND, AND, UH, GREAT STEWARDS OF THIS PROGRAM IF, IF WE COULD GET YOU INVOLVED. SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU. UH, AND LET ME TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I MOVE THAT WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING APPLICANTS TO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES. AMANDA WRIGHT FOR THE PREVIOUS WORKFORCE PROGRAM, PARTICIPANT CATEGORY, JENNIFER CANTU FOR THE LOCAL EMPLOYER AND IN IN DEMAND OCCUPATION CATEGORY. AND BRAD BELDEN FOR THE TRAINING PROVIDER HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION CATEGORY SECOND. OKAY. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND, UH, FOR APPROVAL OF THOSE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE FORWARDED TO THE CITY COUNCIL. UH, ANY DISCUSSION? IF THERE IS NONE, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, UH, AND YOUR INTEREST, UH, FOR ANYBODY ELSE WHO'S BEEN WATCHING THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE NEXT AVAILABLE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR FULL APPROVAL BY THE CITY COUNCIL. SO THANK YOU EVERYBODY. UH, AND THE TIME IS NOW 3:39 PM WITHOUT ANY FURTHER BUSINESS, THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.