August 31, 2005 marks the end of an era at ABDick's Rochester location. The manufacturing facility, which provided equipment and supplies to the graphic arts and printing industry, will close its doors as part of an effort by parent company Presstek to increase operational efficiencies. "This business integration decision moves production to our headquarters in Hudson, New Hampshire," says Cathy Cavanna, Vice President of Corporate Human Resources for Presstek. "Three people from the Rochester facility will relocate to Hudson ; the remaining employees will transition to new jobs at other companies in the Rochester area."

On-Site Recruitment Offers Direct Employment Opportunities
RochesterWorks! helped coordinate three local employers-Aerotek, Datrose, and Hammer Lithograph-to go on site to recruit. The employers conducted on-site open houses for half-days, met employees, or provided postings of job openings. "Employers are still in the process of reviewing the résumés they've received, but the interviews went very well and we expect to help place employees in some of these job openings," says Cavanna. She adds, "Another area that RochesterWorks! helped us with is our résumé book. We put résumés together by discipline, and then RochesterWorks! created a database to help us promote people to local companies."

Completing the circle were services offered by the Department of Labor, which RochesterWorks! also helped coordinate. "We had an all-employee meeting that was incredibly thorough about the unemployment process, retraining programs for which employees may qualify, and other opportunities."

Transition Workshops Prepare Employees for a Successful Job Search
To help the remaining 47 employees be better prepared for the closing and for their job search, Presstek asked RochesterWorks! to provide on-site transition services. RochesterWorks! offered five Core Workshops at no charge, with topics ranging from Job Search Strategies to Where the Jobs Are to Interviewing. Each workshop built upon the other to give employees affected by the downsizing the knowledge, skills, tools and motivation they will need to conduct a successful job search.

In addition, RochesterWorks! provided Job Search Training for Professionals, for a small fee, to address specific challenges. These customized services consisted of additional two-hour Professional Series Workshops, including Résumé Writing, The Hidden Job Market, Interviewing and Job Correspondence, as well as one-on-one consulting. Two half-days were also spent on critiquing résumés.

"Employees took advantage of all the workshops, which we ran over five weeks," says Cavanna. "RochesterWorks! was extremely flexible and custom designed their services to meet our audiences, which included technical, hourly staff, and professionals, all with different needs." She added that despite the difficult situation, the workshops and services were very well received with "not one negative reaction. Everyone walked away with great information and got value out of it."

Personal and Professional Services Put Employees at Ease
With a focus on motivation and the opportunities available to employees, RochesterWorks! transition services help make downsizing or a plant closing less unsettling for both the employer and the employees. "RochesterWorks! is so thorough and helpful," says Cavanna. "They gave out personal e-mails for contact and support and did an incredible job to help our employees feel better about their transition. They put everything in a positive light-you can do this-for everyone, from the shipping person on the floor to an engineer."

Since the completion of the workshops and transition services, ABDick employees affected by the downsizing have been going to RochesterWorks! career centers to further explore their options, talk with career counselors and tap into the opportunities available to them. Presstek also continues to encourage employers to come on site for interviews.