Nationally-read Workforce Management has just posted an article explaining the trials America faces regarding workforce education. As the Indiana Chamber is a leader in this area, the writer interviewed our senior vice president, Mark Lawrance, about our workforce studies and Ready Indiana programs.

An excerpt:

While Washington drags its feet, states are trying to tackle workforce challenges on their own. In Indiana, 931,000 working adults have an educational deficiency that limits their employability, according to a study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. They lack some kind of required credential—a high school, associate’s or bachelor’s degree—for jobs in demand.

The article also claims that 88 million of the 150 million people in the American workforce have at least one educational or language barrier that limits their job prospects (18 million lack a high school education). Additionally, National Commission on Adult Literacy chair David Perdue says the U.S. is simply getting "left behind" in relation to other nations like India.

I admit to some mixed reactions in reading a Midwest Business.com column. It referenced a Forbes article on 10 dying cities in America. Four — Canton, Cleveland, Dayton and Youngstown — in Ohio were joined by Detroit and Flint, Michigan.

I was happy to see no Indiana cities on the list, but disappointed as the Midwest took a beating. If we’re to believe that regional economic impact that everyone keeps talking about, dying cities to our east and north can’t be a good thing.

The mixed thoughts went away as the writer went on to contrast Fort Wayne with the "dying 10." He noted that the city experienced similar challenges in job losses and corporate moves, but that "the political leaders saw what was coming and they got out of a traditional mode of approaching economic development." He detailed some of the expansion and efficiency measures and also cited the fiber-to-the-premises investment by Verizon as critical.

The Chamber’s BizVoice magazine captured these stories last year as former Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard was our Government Leader of the Year and Verizon regional chief Gale Given a Chamber volunteer of the year.

Congrats, Fort Wayne. It’s nice to see others recognize the accomplishments.

NEWS ALERT: Apparently, Michael Phelps is a big deal.

While his accomplishments in the pool have rendered him an archetype in his sport with legendary status, it’s the personal revenue machine he’s generated that might be equally appealing to capitalists everywhere. This article on ESPN.com is quite telling, and explains how Phelps could end up taking in over $100 million from the global business community.

Eight gold medals in one Olympiad are cool, I guess. I’ll only take mild offense that similar financial accolades were never tossed my way when my Lil’ Steelers bested the previously undefeated Lions in the 1986 Boone County Pee Wee Youth Football Championship. Pretty impressive milestone, but whatever.

On a typical afternoon at 3 p.m., hunger strikes my cubicle, and the siren song of the office vending machine gets harder and harder to resist. The sweet notes of candy bars and comforting coo of carbohydrates can occasionally overpower my better judgment.

Many vending machines offer dismal choices in terms of healthier options. Our wellness committee recently contemplated how we can make better choices as an office when it comes to vending machines.

We came up with three highly-feasible options:

1) Dress up like a robot, wait in the break room until someone attempts a not-so-healthy food purchase and yell, “Danger, Will Robinson!”

2) Dress up like a mother from the ‘50s and proclaim, “A moment on the lips, forever on the hips” when a co-worker reaches for a bag of chips.

3) Contact the company that stocks our vending machines and see what healthier products are available.

We opted for number three, mainly because the price of the costume rental required of the other two put us off budget.

It turns out there are several healthy items with which the machines can be stocked. Now that we are on our way to a healthier vending machine, I don’t have to cower under my desk in the afternoon when I hear the call of my not-so-fiendish friend in the break room.

Overall, Indiana has a very competitive business tax climate. That is thanks to the 2002 elimination of the inventory tax (like most other states had already done) and additional measures.

Concerns, however, remain. They include:

• Many states do not have a personal property tax on machinery and equipment. Indiana does. These taxes hinder innovation; an alternative is to tax the income and sales that are produced
• Indiana’s corporate income tax rate of 8.5% is ninth highest in the country, a disincentive for new or expanding businesses
• The classification system that would emerge if proposed differential property tax caps are approved

The cap argument was at center stage throughout the 2008 General Assembly, and it will return in 2009. Homeowner property tax relief was critical, but it should not come at the expense of future business development. If business property is subject to different tax treatment in the constitution, spending interests will return seeking more. The 3% business property tax cap (even higher in 2009) would be the third highest rate in the country.

The constitutional guarantee of uniform and equal assessments and taxation was a wise one. Instead of unequal caps, let’s enhance spending controls, enact the efficiencies laid out by the Kernan-Shepard Commission and improve the tax climate for all.

The latest Letters to Our Leaders installment offers the details. Read the letter (and others in the series); watch the one-minute video below; offer your comments.

Tired of having nothing but hot dogs, sausage, and nitrate sticks for your afternoon snacks? (Provided you purchase your snacks from strangers on the street.) Perhaps serving as a complement to the celebration of culture that is the Olympics, Governing.com reports U.S. cities are now looking at new, multicultural foods to don their streets.

Governing Magazine reports:

In many places around the country, food-cart options are exploding as vendors branch out and offer new fare. American cities have never had quite the street-food culture that urban centers in Europe, Asia and Africa do. But some sidewalks in the United States are starting to look like a global buffet — with vendors selling everything from crepes and kebabs to vegan burgers and Korean Bi Bim Bop. Street food today means a whole lot more than hot dogs and pretzels.

See there, I thought Bi Bim Bop was simply a type of jazz, so I guess you learn something new every day.

As part of the Chamber’s wellness program, I, along with fellow Chamber staffers, will participate in the Central Indiana Walk to Defeat ALS sponsored by the ALS Association Indiana Chapter on October 4.

The Chamber’s wellness committee identified this walk as a great opportunity to support a great cause (the money raised goes to the ALS Association which works to fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and to motivate our staff to get walking. As team captain I’m attempting to get as many staff members to participate as possible.

Sure, it requires raising money and walking two miles on a Saturday morning, but those who participate receive wellness points towards a wellness day off of work. Though a day off should serve as adequate motivation, I’m ready to go above and beyond. I’m contemplating an “Eye of the Tiger”-esque motivational CD for all who sign up to participate. The walk also offers an excuse to get out of weekend housework. “Honey, I can’t mow the lawn/rake the leaves/clean the gutters today, as I’m committed to doing my part to find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s Disease."

With so many similar opportunities around the state, participating in a charity walk as part of a your workplace wellness program is a great way to get out of the office, get moving, and get involved in a worthy cause.