Headquartered in Florida’s capital city, Syntech Systems Inc.is well known within the commercial and private sectors, as well as U.S. military circles for fuel and fleet management automation and security expertise. The Tallahassee-based business was initially founded in 1970 and purchased in 1989 by Florida State University graduate, Doug Dunlap, who is the President; and today counts the U.S. Department of Defense and Homeland Security among its many customers. But growth can come with challenges.
“We find it very difficult sometimes to fill technical engineering positions because the talent pool of candidates is far smaller than the need for that particular skillset,” said Lisa Starling, HR Director for the company.
Syntech credits the company’s success in finding top talent with assistance received through FloridaFlex, an integrated suite of business support resources available through the CareerSource Florida network. FloridaFlex offers businesses in Florida, or relocating to Florida, recruiting, hiring and training resources to help companies like Syntech compete and grow.
Syntech’s 185 employees have a variety of skillsets, including engineering, manufacturing, customer service, and sales and marketing. The company specializes in engineering design, systems integration, independent research and development, and product manufacturing for fuel and fleet management systems.
As a federal contractor, Syntech is required to publicly post open positions. Coordinating with her local workforce development board, CareerSource Capital Region, helps Starling find the right candidates and comply with government job posting requirements.
“We post current jobs on EmployFlorida.com which helps facilitate compliance and casts a wider net to assist in finding great candidates,” said Starling. “We are always posting and recruiting for those harder-to-fill engineering and technical positions as aggressively as we can. We are strengthened by those postings on Employ Florida.”
Syntech also attends veterans’ career days and other career fairs organized by CareerSource Capital Region. Syntech filled an estimated 20 positions last year, and is vetting a South Florida candidate right now who they found with the help of the CareerSource Florida network.
These invaluable business services are a hallmark of FloridaFlex. For decades, FloridaFlex has provided businesses with professional services, grant funding and physical resources worth millions of dollars. Whether a business needs help recruiting specialized talent, hiring new team members, training new or existing employees, or all three, FloridaFlex is the solution that many businesses in the Sunshine State rely upon.
FloridaFlex programs include nationally recognized training grants that cover a matching portion of training expenses and, in some cases, related equipment and partial wage reimbursement. FloridaFlex grants have helped hundreds of thousands of employees statewide boost their productivity, while helping their employers grow and compete in a global economy.
FloridaFlex services, at no or minimal additional cost to businesses, include:
- Physical resources such as office space for in-person interviews and video conferencing technology for remote interviews.
- Customized labor market data (wage trends, talent production sources, etc.) to help drive informed business decisions.
- Hosting and promoting hiring fairs to attract specialized talent.
- Candidate screening and resume reviews.
“Syntech was fortunate to participate with the CareerSource Capital Region Business Partnership Advisory Council, and became pleasantly surprised when CareerSource Capital Region identified additional employee development solutions such as professional development workshops, on-the-job customized training, and employed worker training grant programs, which all contribute to making my job easier to identify and secure quality talent,” said Starling.
Learn more about FloridaFlex on CareerSource Florida’s website.