Western Railroad Discussion > Time to "reinvent" the railroad town?

There's an article in the Wall Street Journal about the efforts of Pella Window company to reinvent and upgrade their namesake town in Iowa. Although Pella pays well, the people they want to recruit don't want to live there. So the company has invested in expanded childcare facilities, housing, an indoor entertainment center, and restaurants. And it's still a slog to get people to move there.  The article notes the town has two dozen churches and two bars.

The plan has begun to produce results, but the company hopes to double its employment.

Maybe it's time for the railroads to take a serious look at some of the miserable places it calls home and away from home terminals. Providing good places for people to live, and time to raise their families. Especially places that young men and women flee at the first opportunity. Make these places desirable and make the work desirable.

Paywall likely for folks who have exhausted free looks

https://www.wsj.com/articles/labor-shortage-unemployment-pella-iowa-11659364081?mod=hp_lead_pos5

 

This type of long term thinking seems rare in today's business practice. Particularly Railroading or anything tied to Wall Street. 

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
So the company
> has invested in expanded childcare facilities,
> housing, an indoor entertainment center, and
> restaurants. And it's still a slog to get people
> to move there.  The article notes the town has
> two dozen churches and two bars.

Not too sure how more bars (crime) and less churches would help attract families and more stable employees. Seems it would be just the opposite...

As to trying better living/working conditions to attract more and better workers, a billion-dollar company in my industry has tried for years to do this with onsite child care, onsite doctors and gyms, full service cafeterias and lots of other perks but I constantly see them advertising for more workers all over the country, now even offering $25,000 or more bonus and above average wages to jump onboard but it hasn't seemed to work. Maybe it's the company itself, but I think it speaks more to folks just not wanting to do any kind of laborious manufacturing. Which might be the case at Pella. As for railroads, any change would probably be better, but improving terminal conditions would have to accompany major management changes and actual work environment improvements...

JG



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/22 10:58 by jgilmore.

The railroads would need a radical cultural evolution before even considering such a thing. Even then I doubt they would try to tackle such a thing. They have hundreds of terminals in hundreds of towns and most of them suck. This is why they are obsessed with automation. Ridding themselves of people also rids them of everything that comes with those people.

I suspect that brutal Iowa winters, lack of much to do and insularity may have impact.  Small rural towns in brutal climates, with little to do are simply not attractive.  Place matters. As does work.   We used to say..."Why Not Minot?"  "Freezin' the reason".  Nobody cried when the moving van came.

Perhaps they should recruit in Eagle Pass, Tx.  There are plenty of available workers there.

ChrisCampi Wrote:
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> This type of long term thinking seems rare in
> today's business practice. Particularly
> Railroading or anything tied to Wall Street. 

Pella is a privately-held company, so that may explain a part of it.

TJY
 

jgilmore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> So the company
> > has invested in expanded childcare facilities,
> > housing, an indoor entertainment center, and
> > restaurants. And it's still a slog to get
> people
> > to move there.  The article notes the town has
> > two dozen churches and two bars.
>
> Not too sure how more bars (crime) and less
> churches would help attract families and more
> stable employees. Seems it would be just the
> opposite...
>
> As to trying better living/working conditions to
> attract more and better workers, a billion-dollar
> company in my industry has tried for years to do
> this with onsite child care, onsite doctors and
> gyms, full service cafeterias and lots of other
> perks but I constantly see them advertising for
> more workers all over the country, now even
> offering $25,000 or more bonus and above average
> wages to jump onboard but it hasn't seemed to
> work. Maybe it's the company itself, but I think
> it speaks more to folks just not wanting to do any
> kind of laborious manufacturing. Which might be
> the case at Pella. As for railroads, any change
> would probably be better, but improving terminal
> conditions would have to accompany major
> management changes and actual work environment
> improvements...
>
> JG
Gee looks like its TWO bars so might want to read the artical again................beyond that gave up reading your answer just saying.

ChrisCampi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This type of long term thinking seems rare in
> today's business practice. Particularly
> Railroading or anything tied to Wall Street. 

First would like to as do you know why they picked those towns for there operations?  Then anythoughts beyond that might be worthwhile they did for a reason so?

jgilmore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> So the company
> > has invested in expanded childcare facilities,
> > housing, an indoor entertainment center, and
> > restaurants. And it's still a slog to get
> people
> > to move there.  The article notes the town has
> > two dozen churches and two bars.
>
> Not too sure how more bars (crime) and less
> churches would help attract families and more
> stable employees. Seems it would be just the
> opposite...


It would attract a younger crowd who has yet to establish a family, and hopefully become a long term employee.  I know I would not move to place with a bar to church ratio like that.  Not in my pre having a family years, not now with teenagers, or anywhere in between.  

WrongWayMurphy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Perhaps they should recruit in Eagle Pass, Tx.
>  There are plenty of available workers there.

But do they want to move to Pella, Iowa?

Pella used to be on a ralroad line as welll, not enough local business to support it. We did bsuiness with a fab shop in
Pella, most of their work came from outside Pella because the window company wouldn't do business with them, seems
their prices were too high. There are tons of Iowa "towns" with one major industry and a good number do fairly well but
I wouldn't put Pella as a prime place to live. Don't get me wrong, it's a neat town but sorta out on the windy and blustry
side fo things.

Out 

BAB Wrote:

> First would like to as do you know why they picked those towns for there operations? 
> Then anythoughts beyond that might be worthwhile they did for a reason so?

In Pella's case the business was started there back in 1925.  I think history is big factor in why many of these businesses are located where they are.  What's interesting is when new management tries to move them to a different location.   Sometimes that works out well and sometimes not.
The city of Pella is also the home of Vermeer manufacturing who employs 3200 people according to a web search.  I bet that makes things fairly competitive for manufacturing jobs.

Stephen

Big orange won't even buy pizza anymore, think there gonna build up a town? Let's get real until the current class 1's leadership changes drastically nothing good will happen for employees that's not forced on them .

another thought..

Why would you move to a middle-of-nowhere place to work for a corporation, when american corporations are known for layoffs the instant their profit drops and layoffs when your seniority or age increases, leaving you stuck with no possible employment in the middle of nowhere and the expense of moving to other opportunities?.

Corporations have brought this on themselves.

MP

No need for a nice town when all of your waking hours are spent on a train.

It’s interesting to see what has happened to the employment picture in my lifetime. Lots of changes, and jobs my grandparents probably couldn’t have dreamed of. As for Pella, I remember driving through on the main highway that bypassed town. Looked like a nice enough place. We drove through a ton of small midwestern towns on that trip and it was interesting to see the similarities and the differences. Pella has their work cutout for them, but I wish them luck since they build their stuff here in the US.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

Typhoon Wrote:
---------------
> It would attract a younger crowd who has yet to
> establish a family, and hopefully become a long
> term employee.  I know I would not move to place
> with a bar to church ratio like that.  Not in my
> pre having a family years, not now with teenagers,
> or anywhere in between.

Two bars or twenty, that's not really the problem. People who want or need nightlife just don't move to Pella, IA. Part of why I lived in NYC for nearly 20 yrs, and it gets plenty cold there too. If they really want to attract or keep families or young folks looking to start one, more bars are not the answer. Maybe other stuff, not bars...

JG

Pella is kind of a unique town in Iowa.
If you Google the history of Iowa and Pella in particular you will find that among the top ethnic groups that settled the Upper Midwest in the 19th century were the Dutch. The Pella area and parts of the NW corner of Iowa have/had a huge Dutch population and because of Iowa’s agricultural history most people didn’t really move out of the area they grew up in until things started changing in the 1980’s. The influence of the Christian Reformed Church and Dutch tendencies to be “reserved” have had a HUGE influence on Pella. Even in the late 1980’s it was hard pressed to find a business open on Sunday, and culturally you for sure knew you weren’t in Little Chicago.

Haven’t been there for years, but I imagine things are changing.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

Pella company seems to recognize it has a recruitment problem which isn't going to solve itself.

The rail companies should be taking note...

Posted from Android