An AV and integration-focused podcast broadcast weekly

This week's episode of Automation Unplugged features a webinar One Firefly’s hiring division, Amplify People, hosted in June 2026, titled “The AI Gold Rush Is Coming For Your Workforce.”

Artificial intelligence is fueling one of the largest infrastructure investments in history, with data centers being built across the country to support the next generation of AI technologies.

While that may sound like a technology story, it’s quickly becoming a workforce story for integrators, security professionals, and skilled trades businesses competing for the same talent.

During this session, you’ll hear from Andrew Pino, Executive Vice President at One Firefly and Amplify People, and Samantha Hodz, Director of Talent Acquisition Services at Amplify People.

They cover:

• How the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and data centers is creating unprecedented demand for skilled labor across the country
• The five pillars of workforce resilience, including employer branding, candidate experience, career development, culture, and proactive workforce planning
• Practical strategies to help integrators attract, hire, and retain top talent in an increasingly competitive labor market

Visit the episode page on our website to get the audio recording and video of the original webinar. Now let’s tune in and explore how AI is reshaping the hiring landscape — and what your business can do today to stay ahead of the competition.

SEE ALSO: #365: Robert Haecker of Triphase Technologies on 30 Years of Hard-Won Lessons

Transcript 

Ron:

Hey, guys. Got people starting to log in. Hello, everybody. Andrew, how are you, sir?

Andrew:

Doing well. Doing well. It's a beautiful day in Colorado Springs.

Ron:

Beautiful day in Colorado. And, Sam, how are you?

Sam:

It's also a great day here in North Florida. No complaints. Sun is shining. Hot as normal, but that's alright. You expect it in summer.

Ron:

That's it. That is that's that's such a better answer when when Rebecca and I are riffing about the weather, and we're always talking about how hot and steamy it is, like, ten months out of the year. But you're you're so much kind

Andrew:

But come visit us in December. It's so great.

Ron:

Yeah. There there's that December through, you know, February stretch that is what everyone writes home about. Perfection. It is perf some occasionally, it can stretch into March.

Sam:

That's pushing it.

Ron:

Yeah. That is pushing it. Alright. I'm gonna say hi to some of the people that are here, and then we're just going to get started. Yeah. Look at this. I see I see a Hugh, a Dawn. Hello, Johnny. Good to see you, sir. We haven't talked to you in ages. Jeffrey, good to see you. Justin, man, all these familiar names and faces. Good to see you. Michael, Misty, Rohan. Holy cow. What's up, Rohan? I hope you're doing well. Thanks for for tuning in. Steven, Tom, hope you're hope you're doing well, sir. Need to catch up. Hope you're feeling well. Got another got Simon. Got a Mike another Michael. Alright. Lots of familiar faces here. We are one minute after Andrew and Sam, so I say we we get our show on the road. Gang, thank you all for joining us, and our esteemed panel here of of HR and people and hiring experts. We're we're very, honored to spend this this this time with you. You know, these time this time is, these times are very interesting. We're right here on the threshold of, what, the OpenAI IPO and the Anthropic IPO, and, of course, SpaceX IPO is tomorrow. You know, like, three of the largest IPOs in human history are happening, like, right now. And there's some changes that are very dramatically happening in our society around the role AI is, you know, playing in our personal lives and our work lives. And in order for all these AI intelligence and inference to be possible, they need data centers. So there's data centers getting built all over planet Earth, all over the United States. You know, SpaceX and a part of their IPO is they're gonna be putting data centers in space, and, that's just a wild new frontier. But this is having a very direct and immediate impact on your workforce, and, we have two just fantastic experts here to bring perspective to you to help you understand a little bit what's happening and what can you do about it. So we're we're big here at One Firefly and Amplify People of empowering you with knowledge so that you can act. So let's go ahead and jump into it. We'll jump into the agenda. We're gonna talk about the shift that's happening in the workforce. Why does this matter? Why should you be paying attention? We're gonna break it down into bite sized nuggets that, ideally are gonna be very actionable for you to think about. You don't need to act on all of them, but you can ideally walk away with one or two takeaways here. I'm pretty confident Andrew and Sam are gonna give you some very clear cut actions as to what you can do right after this webinar or in the coming days or weeks with your leadership team, and, and we'll go through those next steps. And I'll do quick introductions. My name is Ron Callis, CEO and founder here of OneFirefly. I've been in the space. Know many of you that are tuned in. Known many of you for many years and, honored, again, to be here with you, and I'm I'm honored that you decided to join us. I'll let Sam, introduce herself.

Sam:

Thanks, Ron. I am happy to be here with you all as well. I am Sam. I am the director of talent acquisition services here at Amplify People. And I have been doing this talent thing for longer than I care to admit in most cases, but almost twenty years. Done it in health care, IT, and, joined this team just over two years ago. And, I'm excited that I get to talk to people in this space every single day and and hear how this is impacting them and how it's impacting the market and excited to share that with all of you.

Ron:

Awesome. Thank you, Sam. Andrew.

Andrew:

Yeah. Great great to be with you guys. I've been in talent sourcing and leadership for about twenty five years. I had a long corporate career with a national media company, did consulting for four or five years, and then Ron and myself and a few others ran across each other back in twenty twenty one, and I joined the One Firefly team and have helped grow and even triple the size of our team while while maintaining who we are and our core values and our culture. And so it's been a blast. But, in the last few years, got to spend more and more time with Sam as we grow amp amp people and help, dealers grow their businesses.

Ron:

Awesome. Alright. Well, guys, we are gonna kick this off with a poll, and then I'm gonna let you all know. I'm gonna go camera off and mic off, and you're gonna hear for the the rest of the the the webinar here from our our talented panelists. And then I'll I'll jump you're you you can't be done with me that easily. I might jump in with a question or clarification, and I'm gonna be pretty active over here in the chat. We we always love our our webinars to be live training opportunities. They're happening by listening, but you can also go over there to the chat and ask questions, and then we'll do some live q and a at the end, and I'll I'll jump back on for that. But before we go there, let's would love all of you, as many of you are as are willing to participate in this poll, and that is how difficult is hiring today, June twenty twenty six, compared to five years ago? And Rebecca, behind the scenes here is gonna get a poll launched onto your screen. You could answer much harder, somewhat harder, about the same, or it's easier. And then when you say it's easier, we're gonna put you on stage so that you can present how you're doing that. Because that's, there you go. We have somebody, a couple people saying it's easier. But go ahead. Right now, have about fifty percent participation. It's always fun and and helpful if we get everyone in the audience participating because our data will be better. We're gonna share this back right back with all of you immediately, and then, I'm gonna go to Sam actually and kinda get her take on if this reads, because Sam is day to day talking to you guys about your hiring as she's navigating hiring with her team for so many integrators across the country. I'm gonna call you out. I'm gonna start naming names. I see who has not weighed in here, and so we we will hopefully help you vote through, threatening to name you if you don't vote. Going once. It's not there we go. We got some more people jumping in. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Andrew:

Alright. Pack your bags. We're going on a guilt trip.

Ron:

We're going on a guilt trip. That's it. Alright. I think we'll we'll close. Not everyone participated, but we we have enough data here that it it certainly looks relevant. Sam, thirty three percent of the folks here said it's much harder and thirty three percent said somewhat harder. So I'm rounding up sixty six, two thirds of the group. Does that match what you've seen out there in the wild?

Sam:

A hundred percent. And I'm not even shocked that some of you, said it was easier. There's some people that depending on the market that you're in and and where you are in the country, that could absolutely be true for you. And congratulations. You are the exception, not the norm. That is for sure. But yeah. No. These results don't surprise me at all based off of conversations that I'm having, every single day. And, you know, really, I like to frame it as, you know, just a pure economics kind of, lesson, if you will, or perspective. Basically, you know, what we find to be true is that it it's hard. Hiring is hard. Even if it's easy for you to find people, the process can be arduous and and difficult to go through. And AI will make it harder. That's just the reality. And it's because there is a lot of demand and a very limited supply, and that demand is only increasing as AI expands. And that's really what we're gonna dive into today with this conversation. And, basically, what we know to be true is that people are investing in AI. It's not going anywhere. Trillions of dollars are being invested in the infrastructure, the data centers, grid expansion, power generation. That's just a reality. And how that translates to this conversation today and and translates to this industry, we actually have a map to show you where physically data centers are either existing under construction or plans. And this is going to impact if you are in any of these, you know, markets where there's a dot on the map, you're going to feel the impacts of AI closer to home than you ever have before. There's fifteen hundred data centers approximately in various stages of development across the United States, and, you know, there's varying numbers. Anywhere from two to three thousand is, like, the average number of skilled workers needed on-site daily to build one of these data centers. And if we take a look at where we are today, we already have a shortage of labor. It's already hard. And with this, this number is is widely considered from another a number of sources to be accurate. Four hundred and ninety nine thousand is the projected number of new skilled trade workers or construction workers that would be needed just to meet the demand this year in building. So that's this year alone, you saw there was very limited kind of current construction data centers on that map in the previous window and a lot of blue dots for plans. So imagine what that number would look like as we continue kind of moving forward. And so, you know, when we think about this, the talent challenge was already here. It it was already you know, whether it was, competition for the limited labor pool, there was people that didn't even know this industry existed, or just overall fewer people entering skilled trades. This new layer of added pressure is, going to change the landscape as we know it, for sure. And so there is a new kind of frontier for, talent, and it is emerging in terms of no longer just competing with other competitors, other integrators, or other contractors. Now you've got very, very well funded developers, large technology companies. And what do they all need to function and and do this effectively? They need electricians. They need technicians, project managers, service personnel, network, technicians. And when I speak to integrators every single day, those are the same things I'm being asked for. And so when you think of that picture, it definitely has an impact on on what we do. And so what do we do about it? You know? That that that's the question. And so for your business, it can it has the potential to drive wages up. The benefit expectations, I I am telling you as somebody who, you know, speaks to talent in this in this industry every single day. Whereas a year or a year and a half ago, there were plenty of integrators that didn't offer benefits, you know, smaller integrators, and and that was okay. We are increasingly hearing from the market. What about benefits? Is there, you know, retirement, health care? It's also very, very, very important that you, make decisions quickly. There's a lot of competition. So if they don't hear back from you within twelve or twenty four hours, they're literally just on to the next one because they have that option as talent in this market today. It's also increasing what does it mean for me in my career. Like, what can you do for me, which makes it even harder to retain these people. And so, you know, what you need to do is start by taking stock of, you know, how you can compete. And we're gonna go over some ways to make that true, but you don't have to outspend. I don't want anybody to walk away from here thinking, I'm gonna have to, you know, call investors or get more money somehow or that's not the case at all, but you do have to outposition them. Andrew, I know, you know, this is something you've experienced in your career. Is is that correct?

Andrew:

Yeah. Absolutely. Back in, in the early two thousands, I was running a number of talent, sourcing businesses nationally, namely church staffing, dot com and Christian jobs dot com. And you can imagine this is the season when CareerBuilder is just thriving. Monster is thriving and, indeed launched in two thousand four. And you might have said, why create a separate brand or try to compete with those? But knowing the type of businesses we were trying to serve and and the what they were looking for in a partner allowed us to create messaging and even create platforms that made them more successful in staffing, their businesses and growing their organizations. So much so in finding our identity and and letting that be what shines through our marketing efforts and everything else. We ended up in partnership with Indeed and actually providing them a full channel of jobs and them then reciprocating and backfilling roles. So it's it's one of those things that the right networking and the right connection, can actually help you build even though you may feel like, gosh. How could I take on such a large organization? I think sticking true to who you are, your core values, etcetera, allows you in that specialization to stand out.

Sam:

Yeah. Thank you for sharing, Andrew. I mean, it's so true, and and I just wanna make sure everybody kind of grasped. At the end of that, I think it was it was so important. Being who you are, remaining true to who you are, you know, we're gonna dive into core values and things, momentarily. But knowing who you are as an organization and standing on that is what is going to attract the right people to you, and it's also going to keep the people that are just gonna be a revolving door away from you. If you if you remain true to who you are and what you have to offer, then you're not chasing the wrong people to get somebody in the door for right now. And I think that that's that's a really important point. And so what we're gonna kind of talk about today to make sure that you're prepared for this new kind of frontier that we're all exploring together is the five pillars of workforce resilience, and and they really, they ring true today. I mean, these are these have been pillars for a long time, and and it's true even in this season. And so we're gonna dive into what does it mean to become a destination employer, how do you win the candidate experience. We, mentioned it earlier, but building career paths, not just jobs, retaining through culture, and then planning labor capacity early is gonna be vital to really succeeding in in this space today. But the first thing I wanna dive into is really, you know, becoming a destination employer. And and what we mean by that is remembering that candidates have options. And so what do you do when you're planning a trip or you want you need to book a hotel for something? You research. You look at reviews. You look at pictures online. It is no different when a candidate is taking a look at what your company has to offer. They are going to friends. They're asking for referrals. They're going online. They are researching who you are, just like a a consumer would research a business. And so you need to be clear about defining defining your foundation. I think, Andrew, this is what you were talking about just a moment ago.

Andrew:

Yeah. Absolutely. And one of the things that's unique for, us in our business with Amplify People is we're joined at the hip with one Firefly, a marketing agency that works with integrators all over the country. And and I have to tell you, this is no there's no shade here, but many of the websites, they might show off products and even talk about services quite well. But talking about who you are, talking about your mission and purpose and what the culture of your business are is missing from so many of these, these websites and these opportunities on social channels and others to actually help people that would be looking to join you be part of your organization.

Sam:

Yeah. So so true. And so it's really important that whether it's on your website, to Andrew's point, or it's through, like, something that candidates can see, your social media accounts or or the like, that you clarify your employee value proposition. That's really, really essential. You can see an example here. But there needs to be a quick way to identify what growth opportunities are, what access to leadership somebody has, what your culture is as an organization. Are I hear in ninety nine percent of conversations, is this organization, when I'm interviewing somebody, willing to pay for training and certification? So I've been promised in the past that I'll be sent to training or I'll get this or that, and that's one of the reasons I'm looking. So that, if you if you wanna hone into anything, is a huge one right now. They wanna know that there's opportunities that a company will invest in them so that they can continue growing. And then is there interesting work that they get to be a part of? And so one thing that I encourage each of you to do when you you step away from this conversation today is audit your candidate touch points. This is something that you should be doing at least quarterly, but ask yourself this question. I'm actually gonna Andrew, I'm gonna ask it to you. What would a candidate learn if they spent five minutes researching who we are?

Andrew:

That's yeah. They would immediately know what is our mission and purpose. They would know what our five core values are. They would know testimonials of the partnerships we have built with our clients. A lot of these things are all reflected not just on our website, but are leveraged through social media platforms, through LinkedIn, through others, because it's it's a part of telling the story of who you are to those candidates.

Sam:

A hundred percent. A hundred percent. And it's something so easy to do. It does not cost you anything, but, you know, fifteen minutes of your time to go in there and take a look at your website, ask yourself this question. If they went to my website, what would they learn? If they went to Glassdoor, what would they learn? If they went to social media, what would they learn? Because they're going to all of them in reality. And so fifteen minutes of your time really does make a difference in what you are attracting. When you put I I hear from integrators all the time. We put a job ad out there, but nothing matches what we're looking for. Well, does the story that you're putting out there in that job ad and on your website and through your reviews tell the story of what you're trying to attract? And this is an easy question, to help you answer that. And aside from, you know, this first pillar, the second thing that you really need to do is you have to win the candidate experience. Great candidates are not in this market for long whatsoever. We are interviewing people currently that tell me that they have an offer on the table or they're expecting one tomorrow or I saw this and wanna go through the process, but I'm in the process with seven, eight, nine other people. And that's not an anomaly any longer. That used to be the exception. That's not true anymore. And so I need to let you all know that speed really does matter. If somebody applies, you gotta take a look at that application or at least have some automation. I mean, we're in a, you know, a webinar about AI. At least have some automation to reply immediately and let, candidates know that you've received it and you are reviewing it. Fast communication is going to make all of the difference. Fast scheduling is another thing. It's not enough to just say I'm interested and I'm reviewing. If you are really interested in reviewing, you've gotta let them know the day they apply that there's a way for them to get on your calendar. If you are not available as an organization to interview for two or three weeks down the line, now is not the time to put out there that you're expanding because everything that you get in today will be gone by the time you're prepared to make a move. So gone are the days where things can just marinate and pile up. If if somebody applies today, you've gotta be ready to move because they're not gonna be in the market long at all. And aside from, you know, speed, you've got to have a process that creates momentum. One thing and we do this at at OneFirefly, but letting people know upfront what the steps are, having clearly defined steps, consistent communication. It's okay if, you know, something needs to get rescheduled. Everybody understands a project pops up, a customer called, but you've gotta keep the candidate informed, and you've gotta have defined timelines that you follow, kind of throughout this thing. Andrew, I know this is something that that we do as a team when we're even hiring internally.

Andrew:

Yeah. I I think if you put yourself back in the shoes of the candidate, that lack of communication, that lack of organization is really disheartening, and it obviously can put a tarnish on you would never do that with a client. Right? But we need to think about these candidates as potential rock stars on our team, and we need to be addressing them in that timely way that Sam was, stating. I I think too many times, we see folks you know, the fish gets off the hook, if you will, because we've we've labored and we think, oh, I'm busy. I'm busy. But you're trying to get these right people right seed into your organization, and so that timeliness really has to take precedence. Even if you delegate and elevate within your organization, maybe that's your right hand is gonna do the first screening to help keep the process moving, but it's essential. And and for us at One Firefly and Amplify People, we do that throughout the process. Right from the beginning, we let them know what the steps are and that it's a very methodical and involved process. More often than not, I get the benefit of doing the final interview and making the final decision on candidates across our organization. And one of the pieces of feedback I'll ask them, because I always wanna make sure that we're refining who we are and how we do this, is how much they appreciate. They they said, oh, it seemed like a lot on the front end, but I so appreciate the depth at which you got to know me and allowed me to get to know you to know this was the right fit. And so everything that Sam's saying here, it really is essential. You may feel like, how do I have time for this? I would argue you you have to find the time to do this well.

Sam:

A hundred percent agree with with everything you just shared, Andrew. And and I think it's great. We do really receive that feedback pretty regularly. But, also, I love what you said, Andrew, about, you know, you wouldn't do this to a client. Why do it to a candidate? Why do it to your team? It lets them know who it gives them an idea or an impression of how you treat your employees. And so just always have that in the back of your mind. Is this something I would want my employee feeling? Is this something I would want a team member to experience? Because, ultimately, you're trying to grow your team. And and the idea is somebody that's going through this process will be that person at some point. And another thing that's really, really important, you know, in this hiring process is to show people opportunity. Building career paths, not just jobs. People are choosing opportunity over position. I actually, just three hours ago, had an example of this where somebody said, I liked everything that that this company had to offer. I enjoyed hearing about, you know, what I could do. I felt like there was more opportunity somewhere else. And so I think it's really, really important to paint a picture for candidates. This doesn't mean that you have to have everything spelled out. You don't wanna kind of get lost in the weeds, if you will. But showing that you have thought out what a potential next step could be while still honoring that everybody's got an individual kind of vision for their future. Not everybody who is a technician dreams of becoming a project manager, or a programmer. Some people see this as a stepping stone to they really wanna get into system designer. They envision themselves in sales down the future, but wanted to have an understanding. So doesn't mean that you have to have everything mapped out and methodical and exactly planned in in these rigid steps, but just showing that you've taken the time to demonstrate what could be is really, really essential. It's not about where they are today. It's about what can you do for them long term. That's how you build retention. That's how from day one, you show them that you're investing in in who your team is and investing in development of your team. I know I mentioned this earlier, that I hear all the time. People want to know what training opportunities there are. You know, what does it look like for me if I were a part of what, you have to offer? And what they really wanna know is, is there a mentor? In this onboarding process, I I hear it all the time. Like, what does the first thirty days look like? How will I be trained? Is there somebody that's going to show me the way to do things in this organization? Because each each integrator is different. Each, you know, staffing or talent partner is different. Every marketing agency is a little bit different. So this is true no matter the industry. But in these very hands on, roles, people wanna know that they're gonna be shown the way that you like things, that there might be mentorship available. Leadership is hands on and invested in the business. There's technical training and certifications that are available to them. You know, I partner with a number of integrators that, have monthly training days for their team. And I can't tell you how excited people are when I'm going through that interview process and I get to share that. They're like, really? Never had that before. That's something that stands out. Andrew.

Andrew:

Yeah. I just wanted to throw in here. I was thinking about you all this morning in this conversation and and thinking of this is a place where you could very easily leverage all this talent that's coming into your area. As Sam was showing you that map earlier, this is not just major markets, the ten major markets across the country. This is every state that we're talking about. This talent is coming in some raised from within the state and certainly a lot that's going to be coming to the state offering. I've been in a number of integrator shops where the back of house is as impressive to me as the front of house, and they're training, rooms or facilities and how they're, you know, building the knowledge in their team. And I would encourage you. This is a place where you could start to host some of these technical trainings, and you're actually getting some of this talent that's in your area to know you and know that you lead with developing people. What an interesting and fun way to get them introduced to your company and and where they're feeling probably pretty transactional in the relationship with these big builds that are happening in the area, they'll start to sense what a relational employer actually would look like and where I could maybe build a career as my family settles down in this town and and starts to develop. Leading through training could be a very interesting way for you to get an edge.

Sam:

I love that, Andrew. Absolutely. I think that would be kind of a unique value proposition that you could use to differentiate yourself no matter what market you're in. That that's a hundred percent true. And the one thing that we're gonna keep coming back to is is is make it known. In Andrew's example, it was talking about going beyond and and inviting people into your space and offering up training to those that may not be a part of your team. And you can let people know that. You wanna share success stories of your current team, but also make known what you're doing out there. You wanna highlight employees who have grown internally when we talk about showing career paths, not just a job. So this is a a great example of that, of highlighting promotions. You don't have to have it on your website. You can have it on your, you know, social media accounts. You can make an announcement. Just get it out there and make it known. That's what we want, you to take away from this. It makes a huge difference. And to Andrew's point, inviting people in to see it and to hear from your team, because what would happen is if you if you hosted an event like that, your team would most likely be there. They would be having conversations. They'd be able to talk about their success and why they're a part of your team, And that is how you grow a network and and take advantage of opportunity. So I I I love hearing that, Anshu. Thank you so much for sharing that.

Andrew:

Yeah. The the success stories in celebrating the team too. There's probably folks on here watching thinking, you know, that just feels a little more warm and fuzzy than I than I am or how my personality is. That's okay. That's why there's partners that can help you do it. But the I will tell you in leading generational, businesses for years, this is something that's becoming more and more important to team members is to be acknowledged and to be seen. And I don't mean that in any other way than to just say, why would we not want to celebrate great work that our team members are doing? And when we're doing that, that attracts like attracts like. And if people are seeing that, wow. This company, they really care about their team members or they're celebrating the work that this technician did on this job, that's very meaningful, particularly as folks are in their earlier and mid careers, these days. So I just wanna emphasize what she's saying. It's it is worth your time to do so.

Sam:

A hundred percent. And and people love sharing their success, so your team would feel valued if you ask them to share their success and highlight them and and put them on social media to Andrew's point or or put it out there. And and the next section that we're gonna go to, has the propensity, to Andrew's point. This isn't to get into the warm and fuzzies or if that's not who you are as a culture, that's okay. But retention starts long before, somebody considers leaving. And I know this, Andrew, is something that's really near and dear to your heart. I can speak completely from a personal standpoint. Culture is the reason that I joined this team at Amplify People. It's what keeps me here. And so it is something that people are looking for now, especially in a tight labor market where have where competition is is really fierce. Investing in your culture, retaining, through culture is really, really imperative. And and like I said, Andrew, I know this is something that is really, really important to you even right from the very beginning, creating a strong start.

Andrew:

Yeah. I I think and and there's there's certainly depth we can go into in culture, and that might not be for this conversation, but we have some resources at the end that we'll talk about as well. But I just wanna quickly just say, taking the time to help craft the story of of who you are, what your mission is, and your purpose, why you guys are excited about what you do in your business, it's it's worth your time to document that, to put that down, to craft that, to shape that. If you need help with that, there's resources to do so. But having that even as part of the job postings that you're putting out there, the social posts that you're putting out there, that's early seeds that you're planting in a candidate, that is looking at you as a business. As they get into the conversation and you start to talk about who you are and what you're doing, we talked about this earlier about development, but also thinking about how am I building the bench in this business, and who are those that I just I don't see as a lead doer, but I see as almost a mentor that I could put new team members, under and be able to learn not just what we do, but how we do it and why we do it the way that we do it. I think that's essential to to building a strong infrastructure for success and sustainability in your business. The other thing that we did, and I even helped bring this to bear in one firefly when I got here years ago, was that within the first few weeks, every new team member, I don't care if it's an admin role or an executive role, is spending time with each person on the leadership team at some point. It could be twenty minutes, and it's a cup of coffee. It could be thirty minutes and a deeper dive or maybe even longer depending on what your culture is like or what time you've got or how busy you are. But spending that time, I can't tell you how many folks have talked about how rewarding it was to not just know there's a leadership team or know that so and so is, the head of this or that, but to actually get to connect with them and talk a little bit. It is so meaningful and empowering, and it you give trust and allow for openness by just being willing to take that time. It might be fifteen minutes of your day, but what that leaves in the candidate is monumental. The other thing that we really try to do is think about the hospitality element of this. And, again, I'm gonna go back to the comparison. We do so many things to win clients. We will do lunches and dinners and special things and remember birthdays and enter all the stuff. Think about your candidates and your team members the same way. So we go so far as to say, you know, not just huge welcomes, but sending them some gifts and swag and, you know, some of you have the hats out there, from one firefly that we do at trade shows and other things. Every one of those little touches, what I was always moved by is even the thinking of the spouse or the children or those other things. There's just little touches you can do that just make you stand just heads above any other employer that they would be looking at or eventually work with.

Sam:

Yeah. Thank you so much, Andrew. I always love hearing you. You can tell your passion when you talk about this. But it really is true, guys. It's not just for this webinar. He he means everything he says. That, I promise you. And and this kind of next thing, that we're gonna highlight is also kind of near and dear to both of our hearts, Andrew, and that is the investment in developing great managers. People don't leave companies. People often leave leaders and and managers and and who they report to. I interview people on a daily basis that say, you know, either I got a new manager or, you know, they're changing things in leadership, and that's kind of the catalyst for them taking, this leap to explore what's out there. And so taking stock of who you're developing as your next generation of leaders and who you have today and the message that they're giving to your team is gonna be imperative. Because if somebody's gonna come knocking on their door, whether it's an integrator up the street or if it's somebody building, you know, a data center up the road, somebody is going to come knocking. But if if they are truly fulfilled and satisfied, it makes all the difference in whether they answer that door or not. You know, here's an example. We've got our one firefly leadership guidelines. Andrew, I think you helped craft these, if I'm not mistaken.

Andrew:

Absolutely. Yeah. When I got here, taking the core values and the mission and vision of the company further. And, actually, this is a this can be a very fun exercise together as as your executive team or your leadership in crafting some framework that it's really easy when business is really good, but particularly when business is hard or or sales are struggling or others. Having frameworks like this, these are like a road map and a and a guide or a compass through the storm. And for us, we started to craft what that looks like, what what the framework of success looks like in our business, for the people, for the leaders, etcetera, and giving very practical application to that. So there's there's sort of those key points, but then sub points. Going through that ex exercise, again, you may think, I don't have time for that. There's too much. Take a Saturday morning if you need to. But start to craft and put down on paper. And there are tools available to you. There are people available to you that then can help you shape that. But what I will tell you is creating that structure and framework and that vision is what motivates and moves people forward day in and day out, like I said, in the ups and the downs. This helps us remember this is who we are. This is what we aspire to be as well. And, when you go to make those decisions that are challenging or tough, you have a a new filter and lens to be able to look at it through, and everyone is aligned to it. This isn't somebody guessing, or what would the CEO do, or what would they do over here? You have a framework, and I I think it's so valuable for so many to feel that and see even feel the stability of it in the business.

Sam:

Andrew, you took the words right out of my mouth. That's what I was gonna say. That framework creates the stability. Stability, I mean, really fosters intention, retention. That is kind of the natural next progression. People stay because they feel like they're getting what they need. And what I will tell you, this this last pillar, which we're gonna dive into next, is is all about making sure that you are planning early and often. You can make all of the best plans in the world, and you could have a happy happy team with a great culture, and and everything can be going right for you. And then I have heard a spouse gets transferred. A family member needs, you know, assistance, and a move has to happen. Or I received an offer that for my family was just too good to pass up. I love everything here, but I have to think about my family. And if you are at that moment trying to figure out what the next steps are and what do you do next and and you have that reactive approach, it is far too late, my friends, to to to start having that conversation with yourself. You don't want to wait until you're short staffed to try to figure out the answers. You wanna have a plan for where are we growing, where are we constrained, who will we need next. And that who will we need next, you need to know if everything goes right and our plans all come to fruition. Who will we need in our growth strategy? You will also need to know where there might be gaps or opportunities. Or if this person left there a linchpin, what would I do to replace them? You've gotta have contingency plans and then just growth plans, and you've gotta be evaluating those regularly. And one thing that I will tell you is so vital, is building relationships. Whether you're hiring or not, you need to have these relationships built before you need them. Where you are, there might be a trade school. There's an industry partner. There's a talent partner. There's a referral network. I mean and it could be something as simple as a Best Buy in your in your town where you're starting to, you know, make relationships and and see who the great salesperson is and start to identify potential talent if you needed to make a move. Think about where opportunities are in each of your markets because they're different and start building those relationships long before you ever need them. Always be recruiting. Whether you are hiring or not, know that somebody that can make a difference in your organization may fall in your lap and have a plan for that. So even when fully staffed, like I said, you never know what can happen tomorrow. Build those relationships. Always be recruiting, Andrew.

Andrew:

Yeah. I just wanna throw out about the trade schools too. I can't I I with all this new and Sam shared it earlier, with the amount of new folks that we need in these fields, trade schools are gonna be more important than ever, and the training is gonna be more important than ever. And one of the things I was mentioning, Christian Jobs and Cert Staffing, we started partnering with universities across the country so that we were the resource for when the administrators and counselors were trying to help place people into career paths. We were the resource. Think of that as an opportunity. What a pipeline of talented folks coming right out of, training, ready to learn your way of doing things, your level of excellence. I I just can't stress how valuable those relationships absolutely can be, and they're worth your time to build.

Sam:

Yeah. A hundred percent. I mean, we can't we just can't stress this enough. Here's an example of, you know, something as simple as a flyer that you put at your local trade school on a bulletin board at your local coffee shop. Just letting people know that you don't just exist, but you're in the community, and giving them a way to reach you or even having something out there with your name on it so they can go and look at your website and see who you are, discover this industry. It can make all of the difference in the world. And so those are really kind of our five steps to ensuring that no matter where this landscape goes, you put yourself in the best position for success. But I do want to talk about the opportunity that lays in this time because every talent shift does create opportunity. This current cycle is this big buildup in AI infrastructure. It's increasing the competition for skilled labor, and that's the reality of where we are today. Another reality is once that goes up, only a few things can be true. Either that entire staff that helped construct this current data center is moving the state over or across the country to put up whatever next one is planned, or they they wanna stay local. They're not ready for a move, and they're gonna look for the next opportunity to continue using the skills that they've developed and honed, and you can be that home. So what happens is if you take advantage of this opportunity, you know what's being built in your area. You start having, relationships, early and often. You have conversations with contractors. You go when there are town halls about, you know, new, centers being put up, and you make your presence known when whoever is in charge or responsible for building this data center moves out, if you are there to move in, there will be a lot of opportunity for you to gain talent that did not exist in your market previously. I'm sure that there are examples of people falling in love with the town they never saw themselves in. You can give them a reason to stay. Andrew, what are your thoughts on this?

Andrew:

Yeah. I have two points I wanna just dovetail to everything you just said, Sam. I I think one is a challenge that many businesses face is relocation fees. And one of the beautiful opportunities of something like this is that someone else's dime is bringing this great talent into your town. So that is something well worth, like, showing as an opportunity, not a challenge. You you've got a new pool to draw on. The other piece that really is near and dear to my heart is I would say don't forget about the families. Don't forget about the spouses and the kids and the folks that get plugged into schools or churches in your area, etcetera. There are so many different places to recognize a chance to to network and to sow into the community and build that relationship to Sam's point so that when these larger projects are finished, they've gotten established. Kids are in school. I just finished third grade. I'm coming into summer break. Blah blah blah. They wanna stay in this town and where they've started to develop relationships, and they'll have already known who you are and how you are as a company. And and it's a wonderful way for you to build great team, within your business. And like I said, possibly in a lot of ways on somebody else's dime.

Sam:

That's that's the best part and and a really, really important point. And so if you take nothing else away from today, we know that there's, you know, a lot of talk about AI and what it can do and how it's impacting your business and, larger conversations across the country are taking place. But remember in in every time, we've gone through cycles before. Markets have shifted before. You know? There was there wasn't an Internet in most of our lifetimes, and then that whole thing was created. So this is just the next iteration. It's about seizing the opportunities that present themselves, embracing this new reality, and recognizing that there is, you know, a chance for you to find talent that hasn't been available before. So I encourage you all to take advantage of that, see this as an opportunity, and and really embrace it. Andrew's mentioned a couple of times that there are resources that are out there. You know, we've got an industry job board. If if people partner with us, we're able to place out there that either open roles and open positions. We also have a great podcast, Automation Unplugged. And one of the great ones, number three thirty nine, is about people culture and hiring guys, and it's about exactly what we're talking about, building teams that last. And so it's just something that's out there for you all to take advantage of.

Andrew:

But Yeah. I wanna I wanna encourage you guys. If you if if in talking about culture and, again, you think of it as a maybe it was coming across like an Everest of task. And how do I think about this? How do I craft this? That thirty minute podcast, not because I'm in it, but because it's, I think you will find that thirty minutes well worth your time. Listen to it in the car. Listen to it while you're exercising. But I think there's there's nuggets in there that are gonna help propel you through some of the things we said today in a deeper way and with more meat on the bone for you to be able to leverage.

Sam:

A hundred percent. You can listen to it on the go, which is the great thing about podcasts, which is which is so true. And then, you know, if you wanna continue the conversation, we are always here, to continue that conversation, beyond today. So you'll see up on the screen that we've got, you know, something kind of built for you all if that is something you wanna do, get some workforce strategy consultation. That is available. But I do want to, as promised, I know we're coming up on time, and we wanna be respectful, answer any questions that have come through, or highlight anything, that you would like us to revisit.

Ron:

Yeah. Great job, Sam. Great job, Andrew. Folks out there, don't be shy. Submit your questions. And I actually already see I appreciate you guys. You it looks like almost everyone stayed right here till the end. So great job, Sam and Andrew. I've got one that came through here. Where can I find I'll let either of you decide who takes it? Where can I find information about data centers being built in my areas in my area?

Sam:

Yeah. I mean, great question. To be a hundred percent transparent, we did Internet research. Like, that's where we found out. We've you know, it's a great tool, you know, googling, but this is where I encourage you to go beyond that. I encourage you to leverage your network. I mean, if you've got relationships with contractors, with builders, they are often invested equally in finding out where these things are going up and how it's gonna impact them. So speak to those in your community because I guarantee you it's a conversation that other people want to have beyond just you. So the that's my two suggestions is is don't, you know, hesitate to do research online. But as with many things, I encourage you to get out there and talk to people and network. And that's how you're gonna get, you know, true inside information and some insight. And, also, it's where you're gonna discover you are not alone in your thinking.

Ron:

Yeah. There's something around I'm just over here googling it per your direction, Sam, and I'm I'm seeing the the fourteen to fifteen hundred data centers. Rebecca, I know, found a a really neat site, the site at the very beginning of this presentation that had a a great interactive map. Maybe Rebecca, who I know is listening, maybe she grabs that URL. If we save that, we can drop that here in the comments. Let me keep it let me keep it going just while we still got folks tuned in here. Next question. If I try if I'm trying to revamp my culture Andrew, I'm gonna direct this one to you. If I'm trying to revamp my company culture, where should I start? Maybe so what is the low some of the low hanging fruit or the highest priority areas to to begin with?

Andrew:

The first thing I would say is don't put yourself under the gun or under pressure. I think you taking some time to put down your thoughts on if you're the business owner in particular, especially starting to craft what you are passionate about, what you find fulfillment, and what your vision is for the company. Is it the same today as it was when you started? Has it evolved? Has it grown? And then I would highly recommend that very next step is to bring in some of your trusted advisers, some of your team leaders, or some of your longtime employees, and have a conversation. Maybe you guys do it over a working lunch together, and you're starting to flesh out what is their vantage point on this. Because part of what makes, obviously, a great culture is not just your vision and mission for it, but it's people buying in with their ideas and their, ownership of it and then where they find fulfillment. I think as you start to do that, you're gonna start to craft very quickly what are the core elements or the pillars of who we are as a business. And then we can get into future steps like we outlined here, as I do in that, culture podcast that will help you then take that and then mobilize it. I think it's something if it if it lives on the wall, like your core values, they die on the wall. It's gotta be something that's talked about regularly. It's gotta be something that you're living out in your one on ones with team members, in your team meetings, etcetera. That way, it actually has life and vitality to it, and you're able to help keep it strong and keep it the the the baseline of where you operate from, not something you just eventually aspire to. You get to operate from that place, not aspire to it.

Ron:

Yeah. Brilliant. Alright. I got, one more, and, it's a bit of a a cheeky question, maybe just direct. So I'm gonna look at you, Sam. Someone's asking here, how long does it take right now to hire a technician? So I don't know. I I imagine that's a trick question.

Sam:

trick question, and here are the variables. What level of technician? What area of the country you're in? And did you do any of these things that we talked about today? If if somebody were to audit your candidate experience, would they be able to find something positive and attractive online and through Glassdoor reviews and things like that? I will tell you that the fastest we've ever done it is within forty eight hours. That's the exception, not the norm, so don't hold me to it. But the you know, it could take, in some cases, six months. If you're in a very, very small town and you've gotta relocate somebody and it's gotta be the right person that wants to be where you are, and and that's okay. But there's no, like, hard and fast rule that if you start today, you'll have somebody in x amount of time. There's a lot of variables that go into it. But what I will say is focus less on the time. And if you do proper kind of workforce planning and and workforce development, the time becomes less important, and the person is what is is shining and and really essential in the process.

Ron:

Sam There Oh, go go ahead, Andrew.

Andrew:

I was just gonna throw out there. There are a lot of lot of folks that will help you find staff, and they'll do it. It's about getting a butt in a seat. And, one of the things that we just we just believe in and operate from both as a business, but also how we serve other businesses is helping people find right people for the right seat. And I think that matters and that to Sam's point, if you'll do some of these things and you will plan ahead, you then have the opportunity to be more selective and get those get those just right folks for your team, that are gonna be multipliers, not just addition. Hi. I added a person. Person. This person multiplies who we are and how we do what we do. And and that that's where we all wanna be as as running businesses for sure.

Ron:

Amen. I I don't see any more questions coming in. If you have them, please shout them out. Again, I appreciate everyone here that stayed right to the end. Alright. I think on that, we'll get you out of here maybe just a couple of minutes early. So, Sam and Andrew, I just wanna thank you guys again. You did a wonderful job, speaking from the heart and from your experience. And, again, we're we're we we put this together. We have Rebecca here. She is our amazing marketing lead here at One Firefly, and she's, been a partner in crime with Andrew and Sam getting all of this fantastic content put together. So, proud of you as well, Rebecca. Thank you for that. Folks, we will get you, an email, post webinar that will give you a link where if you wanna share this with members of your team, feel free to do so. And, we are here always ready to talk. If you wanna talk directly with Sam or Andrew, just give us a call there at, the the number below. I'm I'm looking at that number, and I'm like, that must be, like, a tracked number because our our number is I know it is nine five four nine two one two three nine.

Andrew:

It's the new Amplify people number.

Sam:

Amplify people.

Ron:

We have a brand new I didn't even know this. We have a direct line. Oh my god. See, people were learning it live here on the webinar. This just happened. So nine five four nine three two three seven seven one. And that goes right to Sam and and her team. So, appreciate you all. Thank you guys for attending, and, have a just, an awesome rest of your week. Thanks, everybody. Thanks, everyone.

Sam:

Thanks, everyone.

Ron Callis is the CEO of One Firefly, LLC, a digital marketing agency based out of South Florida and creator of Automation Unplugged. Founded in 2007, One Firefly has quickly became the leading marketing firm specializing in the integrated technology and security space. The One Firefly team work hard to create innovative solutions to help Integrators boost their online presence, such as the elite website solution, Mercury Pro.

Resources and links from the interview:

Show Notes:

Links:

https://amppeople.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplifypeople/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthahodz

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpino

https://amppeople.com/insights/blog/item/recruiter-vs-talent-partner