New ESC manager: I can empathize with the unemployed

As McDowell continues to cope with high jobless rates and folks struggling to get by, the new manager of the local ESC office hopes his staff can help these people find new opportunities.
"I want to find out what their needs are," said Mike Tanner, who took over Feb. 15 as the new manager of the Marion office of the N.C. Employment Security Commission.
Just prior to coming to Marion, Tanner worked as the assistant manager of the ESC office in Lenoir. This June, he will mark 10 years of working for the Employment Security Commission.
A native of Bluefield, W.Va., the 57-year-old Tanner has quite a varied background. He served in the Air Force from 1971 to 1973 and later worked for the Norfolk & Western Railway for about a year in Bluefield.
Tanner worked as a coal miner for 8 1/2 years and also was also employed at an arsenal plant that made propellants. He managed a Heilig-Meyers furniture store in Forest City and then operated a Kentucky Finance branch.
In short, he knows the hiring situation from the perspectives of both the employee and the employer. He also knows what it is like to be laid off.
The arsenal plant where he worked went through a huge layoff. It went from 5,100 workers to 1,700 workers. His job was one of those that got cut. Likewise, he lost his job when he got laid off at the coal mine.
"I have been on the other side of the table," he said. "I can empathize with them."
As the manager of the ESC office in Marion, Tanner supervises a staff of 13. The office operates a satellite location in Spruce Pine, which has a staff of four. Chris Silvers manages the Spruce Pine facility, but Tanner is his supervisor.
As a state employee, Tanner will earn a annual salary of $45,802.
For many years, Marion's ESC office was located on State Street. It is now located at the Ford Miller Training Center on Baldwin Avenue. That job-training center is housed in the former office headquarters for the old Marion Manufacturing plant, which used to provide jobs for decades in Marion.
"It is great they can make use of a structure like this," said Tanner of his new workplace.
Since 2008, McDowell County has lost many jobs through plant closings and layoffs. McDowell still ranks among the top 10 counties in North Carolina with high unemployment rates. The latest figure available, the one for December, has McDowell with a 15.1 percent jobless rate. The county's rate for December was 4.2 points higher than the statewide rate of 10.9 percent for that month.
North Carolina's statewide unemployment rate hit a record 11.1 percent in January. The Employment Security Commission on Wednesday reported that the state's unemployment rate for January was above its pre-recession high for a 12th straight month.
For folks in McDowell, the local ESC office can help them file their claims and look for new employment. If people lost their jobs through foreign competition, they can file a petition with the U.S. Department of Labor. They might be eligible for a Department of Labor program that helps them get new training. Through this program, they could earn an associate's degree or even a bachelor's degree.
"Hopefully this will give them the skills, they didn't have," said Tanner.
So far, 233 people from McDowell are in school now because of this eligibility.
As he gets to know McDowell County better, Tanner said he finds a lot of similarities with his hometown of Bluefield, W.Va.
"It's a small community just like the one I came from," he said. "(It has) down-to-earth, honest and hard-working people."
Tanner added he feels fortunate that his staff has gotten bigger. This helps the local ESC office meet the increased needs of so many jobless folks.
"We've been fortunate that we've been allowed to have a sufficient staff," he said.
Tanner is married and has two sons. He enjoys doing woodworking and yard work when he is not on the job.
As the new ESC manager, Tanner said he looks forward to getting to know local officials and employers and helping them find jobs for McDowell's people.
"I am still getting my feet wet here," he said.