HR Professional - February/March 2008 - (Page 41)

FEATURE REGEN ENERGY’S VICE-PRESIDENT CHRIS B E AV E R ( L E F T ) , P R E S I D E N T A N D C E O M A R K KERBEL (CENTRE) AND CHIEF TECHNOLOGY O F F I C E R R O M A N K U LY K ( R I G H T ) A T O N E O F T H E I R ROO F T O P I N S TA L L AT I O N S AT T O RO N T O HYDRO ENERGY SERVICES’ HEADQUARTERS. to expand from three employees to 20 in the next year and to 200 the year after that. “It’s rapid growth and it’s affecting everything from marketing and sales to programmers and engineers,” says Chris Beaver, executive vice-president and founder. So Regen is taking a proactive approach to future recruitment challenges. The company now works with university internship programs to get students familiarized with the company and the technology in the hopes they will choose Regen when they enter the workforce. ‘‘ When people see the possibilities of the future, the industry sells itself the large, trained labour pool that older technologies can draw from. “If you want to find somebody who is an expert in power conservation or carbon credit, there are probably fewer than 1,000 people in the world that have the expertise,” says Stewart. “This industry is growing quickly. How do you go from 100 people to 1,000 people to 10,000 people? This is especially hard to do if those people don’t exist yet.” But will it sell? As well as requiring specialized skills, Stewart says that green technology companies also face a consumer learning curve. w w w.H RThought L eader. c om Employees are not selling a wellknown or understood product or service. Not only do they have to sell potential customers on the technology, but explain to them why they need it, what the economic benefits are and train them how to use it. “That means the skill set required is only going to be half of the job description,” says Stewart. “The other half is evangelist and educator.” Take Regen Energy for example. The Toronto-based company developed a controller that attaches to power-intensive equipment in buildings, lowering electrical demand. The two-year-old company expects ’’ The wow factor “One thing that green technology companies have over other industries is its cachet, which appeals to the best and brightest,” says Barry B A S E D I N B A R R I E , O N T. , G E E P I S A N E L E C T R O N I C S C R A P M E TA L C O M PA N Y R E C Y C L I N G E -WA S T E , SUCH AS COMPUTER MONITORS, KEYBOARDS AND FAX MACHINES. F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 0 8 41 http://www.HRThoughtLeader.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - February/March 2008

HR Professional - February/March 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Boards By the Numbers Did You Know Sustainability Education News: E-Recycling Communications News: HR Study FYI Ethics World Watch News: Legislation Legal Compensation Focus Strategy The Colour of Money Sustainable Skills From Brown to Green HR Trends: From Winners to Also-Rans Branding Human Capital HR 101 Interview with David Suzuki Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - February/March 2008

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