ICR Iowa partners with employer group on workforce needs

ICR Iowa, the economic development organization representing seven Eastern Iowa counties, has partnered with a local group of employers focused on workforce diversity.

Under the partnership, the Employee Resources Group Consortium has joined with ICR Iowa's Inclusive ICR initiative, which is focused on ways to attract and keep a diverse workforce in the Corridor.

ICR Iowa President and CEO Jennifer Daly called ERGC a 'natural partner” in her organization's work to meet the workforce needs of employers in the region. Daly said ICR Iowa did not acquire or absorb ERGC, but will act as the group's fiscal agent.

The ERGC was started in 2011 and is made up of 16 employers, including Rockwell Collins, Transamerica, the University of Iowa, ACT and the city of Cedar Rapids. The Gazette also is a member.

The group is co-chaired by Amy Clefisch, Rockwell Collins' senior director of diversity and workforce effectiveness, and Matthew Russell, MediRevv's human resource manager.

ICR Iowa is a joint venture between the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and the Iowa City Area Development Group. It represents a region made up of Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington counties.

'Attracting and retaining diverse talent is a critical business strategy for employers in the region, and bringing these organizations together is a great example of how we are better together as a region,” Clefisch said in a news release.

ERGC holds an annual event called the Diversity Forum. This year's Diversity Forum will be included in The Gazette's Iowa Ideas conference Sept. 20 and 21 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Complex, 350 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids.

l Comments: (319) 398-8366; matthew.patane@thegazette.com