Top Peninsula Executives, Government Officials Attend PELF
Pictured are J.D. Myers II, senior vice president & regional manager of Cox Communication; Congressman Bobby Scott; Franz Albertini, the College's interim dean for Workforce Development; and Bob McKenna, president & CEO Virginia Peninsula Chamber.
The Peninsula's top corporate executives and up-and-coming managers gathered Tuesday, Feb. 15 for the Peninsula Executive Leadership Forum (PELF) Winter program co-sponsored by Thomas Nelson and the Chamber at the Virginia Peninsula Chamber Commerce's office.
J.D. Myers II, senior vice president and regional manager for Cox Communications, Virginia, presented an informative and engaging presentation about the tremendous growth of technology in trade and commerce and how the workforce had to usher in and adapt to a dramatic shift in teleworking employment policies triggered by an evolving global pandemic. Myers' presentation was eye-opening for any industry; he stated that a consequential movement in the workplace resulting from the pandemic three elements are now necessary to sustain life (air, water, and broadband). He included a video demonstrating how technology seamlessly integrates work and home life using virtual reality (or "augmented" reality) on a platform that appeared to be straight out of Star Wars.
He explained how the world's global trends and innovations are one of the most daunting challenges for tech companies is to stay ahead of consumer technology so that, when new products come to market, the infrastructure is already in place to support the latest tools. Cox Communications is staying ahead of product development which requires carefully calculated infrastructure investment that may take years before any revenue is generated, creating challenging fiscal constraints for companies like Cox Communications. He emphasized that the "old way" of doing business is gone, and any organization that does not adapt to new working models the "new way" will be the ones who will be left behind.
Myers mentioned how training and community colleges' workforce development are an integral to training a workforce and rethinking how to deliver emerging training that meets the future workforce's needs for jobs.
Congressman Bobby Scott, who along with Newport News Mayor McKinley Price and Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck was on hand, asked how Cox Communications was using federal grant money to address affordability and inequity issues with Internet service accessibility. Myers explained that reasons for inequitable access include geographical and socio-economic factors. He pointed out that Cox Communications has a program, partially funded by a federal grant, that allows families with children on reduced-price lunch programs to access basic Internet service for less than $10 per month.
The Peninsula Executive Leadership Forum provides opportunities for executives from the Peninsula and throughout the Commonwealth to share their insight on corporate strategies in what is shaping their business decision-making today and to foster dialogue that inspires and motivates excellence in business leadership.