Presenting Sponsor:


This conference provides business owners and others who manage human resource with the tools they need to do so successfully!  This annual event attracts a variety of attendees from small business owners, to HR managers to directors of non-profits. Topics include hiring and retaining employees, how to administer performance reviews and creating a positive culture in the workplace. The event is kicked off with the Chambers Early Bird Breakfast followed by break-out sessions and wraps up with a Q&A session. Attendance ranges from 100 to 200 people. The cost to attend the conference is an affordable $125.00 that includes breakfast, lunch, all-day coffee station, 2 presentations by Blue-U Defense and 3 sessions.

7:00 - 8:00 Networking

8:00 - 9:00 Keynote - Terry Choate and Joe Hileman of BlueU

Surviving an Incident of Violence/Active Shooter

Successfully surviving a sudden incident of violence is 90% mental and 10% physical skill. This breakfast focuses on the 90% mental while concurrently providing skills to survive the 10% physical, as a last resort.

This event will provide a solid foundation for gaining the skills necessary to prepare for “making good decisions in fractions of a second”. This is what is required to survive – the skill to be able to make “Good Decisions in Fractions of a Second”. It will bring critical general skills in mastering the decision making process by bringing students a solid understanding of “the bad guy”.  

Finally, in the work environment, the most important factors are recognizing signs of violence in advance and becoming proficient in de-escalation techniques. These skills are critical as they can be the most important factors in either calming or fueling anger levels. The end result of this breakfast will also provide all attendees with a base “mindset” and thought process that will keep them as safe as possible while they are away from work as much as it does while they are at work. The key to doing this is truly believing it can happen to you and knowing in advance how to prevent, prepare, and respond for such an event.

BlueU will cover Practical Personal Defense designed to keep your employees safe while away from work via preparation for an incident of violence primarily through awareness, avoidance, and mental strength building. If your people are your most important asset, they are just as important while they are away from work as they are while at work. This material includes 100% practical, highly effective tactics and techniques that do not require practice or thought training. 
 

9:00 - 9:30 NETWORKING BREAK

9:30 - 10:30 SESSION I (Choice of 3 seminars - See B)

1. Employment Law Basics:   How to stay out of HR hot water!
Anne-Marie Storey, Rudman Winchell

From recruiting to interviewing, hiring, firing and everything in between, it is so easy to make a mistake and find yourself in HR hot water!   This session will take you through the most common legal mistakes employers make, how to avoid making those mistakes and how to mitigate any potential damages, should you find yourself in hot water!  

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2. Recruiting your future employee - starts now! 
David Pease, Senior Vice President/Director Talent, Diversity & Inclusion, Bangor Savings Bank

There is no secret sauce to solving your talent challenges, but this session will help you whip up a recipe of tried and true “traditional” recruitment methods sprinkled with a dash of innovative new approaches, a pinch of proactiveness and garnish with a “Congratulations – You’re Hired”! You will leave with the tools to be a recruitment Top Chef. 

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3. How to make dealing with difficult employees, less difficult
David Green and Ginger Ward Green, The Ward Green Group

Everyone of us had to deal with a difficult employee at one time or another.   These situations often cause a great deal of stress and negatively impact other employees.  If not addressed, this can lead to poor morale and your best employees walking out the door.  In this session we will discuss how you can identify, assess and address these situations.  Every case and circumstance is unique, as are your employees.  We will give you the tools to confidently handle these situations, reduce your stress and minimize any negative impact to your workplace.

10:30 - 10:45 BREAK

10:45 - 11:45 SESSION 2 (Choice of 3 seminars - Topics See Below)

1.  Making Sense of the Alphabet Soup of Federal and State Disability Law (ADA, FMLA, MHRC, Workers’ Compensation)
Sarah Newell, Eaton Peabody

This session will help you break down the “alphabet soup” to help you understand what your obligations are as an employer when it comes to Federal and State Disability Law.  It can be daunting to keep up with and understand the laws and rules that apply to your business, how these laws might impact your business and how to insure you are abiding by these laws. 
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2.  How to retain your BEST employees in a competitive marketplace
Terri J. Swanson, Swanson Consulting & Associates, LLC

You have made some great hiring decisions and have built a great team!   Now you need to do everything possible to keep them!   This is even more challenging today given the competitive nature of our workforce.   How do you prevent your best from leaving you for a “better offer”?   This session will discuss what will make your employees want to keep working with and for you!
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3.  HR Tools you can use for recruitment, retention and success!
David Dunning, S.W. Cole, Laura Lindblom, Wayfair, Janet Kelle, Husson University

A panel of HR professionals from a variety of sectors will share their favorite tools and resources to help with recruitment, retention and more!   From personality assessment tools to apps that help you keep track of applicants, these tools can help make your HR life easier and improve your chances of attracting and retaining your most important asset:  your people!
 

Lunch Sponsors:



11:45 - 1:00 Lunch - BlueU Presentation: "Recognizing Drugs in the Workplace"

The Blue-U Defense Drugs in the workplace and family course has been called “the most impactful training I’ve ever experienced”.  We will learn what drug addiction looks like and how to recognize and how to deal with the situation, whether we are talking about your employee or a family member of one of your employees.  Both situations can adversely impact productivity, your business and families. 

1:00 - 2:00 Final session

Panel of HR experts answer your HR questions (facilitated by Deb)