Walmart said Thursday it is raising pay for long-haul truck drivers and launching a new program to train the next generation, as it seeks the staffing it relies on to replenish store shelves and warehouses across the country.

The retailer said truck drivers will now make between $95,000 and $110,000 in their first year with Walmart. The company did not provide the current salary range for a new truck driver at Walmart, but said they have made an average of $87,500 in their first year.

Walmart has also started a 12-week program in Sanger, Texas, and in Dover, Delaware, where people can earn a commercial driver's license and join Walmart's fleet. It will cover the cost of earning a license, which can run between $4,000 and $5,000, said company spokeswoman Anne Hatfield.

A Walmart truck departs the company's distribution center in Washington, Utah.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The program will initially be open to only supply chain associates who are near the two training locations, Hatfield said. In the future, she said all Walmart employees will be able to apply for the program. She said the company hopes to train between 400 and 800 new drivers this year.

Walmart, the country's largest private employer with 1.6 million workers, is ramping up recruiting efforts for truck drivers as the growth of e-commerce changes its business and complicates its supply chain. It is also a tight market for trucking labor.

The shortage of truck drivers in the U.S. hit an all-time high of more than 80,000 workers last year, according to the American Trucking Associations trade group. The lack of workers has stemmed from several factors, according to the trade group, including the grueling hours of long-haul trips, the older average age of current drivers and the small number of women in the industry. The Covid pandemic exacerbated the shortage, it said, as some truck drivers left the industry and fewer people went through training programs.

Walmart posted about the pay bump and training program Thursday morning on its corporate website. It has about 12,000 truck drivers in its workforce. The company hired 4,500 truck drivers in 2021, a larger number than any time in its history, a spokeswoman said.

During the pandemic, more of Walmart's sales have shifted online as people got groceries delivered to the home or retrieved online orders by curbside pickup. U.S. e-commerce sales rose 11% in the last full fiscal year, ended Jan. 31. They jumped 90% on a two-year basis.

For Walmart and other retailers, soaring online sales have shaken up the cadence of business and prompted a race to deliver packages quickly and keep items in stock at stores.

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Walmart says it is raising truckers' pay and starting a training program as it grapples with a driver shortage - CNBC

If you are one of the many print businesses that are cruising past their 2019 revenue numbers, you can stop reading here. Just keep doing what youve been doing. If you are not one of those businesses, maybe you should look at the effectiveness of your marketing and sales efforts. Marketing support is more than delivering a great product brochure. Your marketing initiative needs to communicate your brand, tell prospects why they should work with your firm, and work with your sales team in their business development efforts.

Not to over simplify this but, I see companies working to create a clear, executable marketing plan that identifies what their best customers look like, why they buy from them, and how they can attract others that look like them. Your sales team can then jump in with the folks that raise their hand and work the sales process to help win the business.

For most buyers, it starts with information. In the past, buyers depended on the sales rep to tell them what they needed to know. Now customers do the research for themselves and get information online, from peers, and from social networks.

This can work to your advantage if you embrace the omni channel communication opportunities with customers and prospects and provide them with relevant information that differentiates your business and helps guide their decisions.

Content or informational marketing positions your company as an expert and problem solver. You are recognized as a supplier that continually shares useful information that addresses customers needs. When clients are ready to buy (or make a word-of-mouth referral), they will turn to the company (you) that has already provided them with helpful information.

Personal relationships, quality, and service are important for customer retention, but they arent always the best differentiators when trying to attract new business.

One option is to develop these marketing components for your sales team for each of the vertical markets you identify as viable for your business,

As an industry, theres an opportunity to rethink the role and responsibilities of the sales force. Freelancing is not where it's at any more. Its too unpredictable. Tactical sales training by itselfisnt the answer either, because its really the process that needs to be fixed. Repeatable success is the goal of all business leaders. To execute your go-to-market sales plan, you need a process that will enable you to implement it consistently throughout your team. By the way, this is easier said than done.

Look at the systems around your facility and take note of your production departments. You have procedures and processes in place to ensure and measure success and quality every step of the way. Why not put processes in place for your sales efforts as well? The selling effort can be managed as a process. For example, the steps in a sale include, but are not limited to:

Use what worksover and over print firms have already built business development solutions that continue to pass the test of time, relationships, and competitive bids. Pay special attention to these as you transform your sales model. The goal is to turn them into repeatable processes. To begin:

There should always be a solid business reason (beyond they like me) at the start of a business relationship. No matter how you transform and organize your sales function, you cant (or should not) take people out of the mix. Create a good business reason to work together, and the personal relationship will develop and play a role in maintaining and strengthening an established client connection.

It may seem contradictory to suggest creating a process to develop personal relationships, but personal and business relationships will remain a key ingredient of any sales strategy. Defining relationship-building as a process just makes success easier to repeat. Use the elements of past relationship successes as your market differentiator. You'll need to define, articulate, and package these successes, so they can be communicated to your team and replicated in the marketplace.

This is a process that never ends. While many of these ideas have been around for a while, the challenge is adapting them into practice. There is no excuse. There is a wealth of industry-specific ideas on how to improve your marketing and sales efforts available. The print industry is fortunate to have many excellent sales trainers and coaches who are willing to help your team, so doing nothing is not an option. Keeping and winning new business is hard. Its even harder if youre not sure what it is youre after or if your efforts are scattered.

Please add your thoughts and comments below.

Mike Philie can help validate whats working and what may need to change in your business. Changing the trajectory of a business is difficult to do while simultaneously operating the core competencies. Mike provides strategy and insight to owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry by providing direct and realistic advice, not being afraid to voice the unpopular opinion and helping leaders navigate change through a common sense and practical approach. Learn more at http://www.philiegroup.com, LinkedIn or email at mphilie@philiegroup.com.

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Winning New Business Lead With Information, Leave With a Problem That Needs to be Solved - Printing Impressions

Austin has captured a steady stream of tech press this past year thanks to companies like Tesla, Oracle and Cloudflare, which all opened either new headquarters or new offices in the city. Each company has big hiring plans, but what they might not have counted on is competing with the citys established tech companies for both top local talent and new arrivals.

The competition is fierce in large part because companies can no longer woo talent simply on the basis of name recognition or promises of a big perks and pay package.

People want career growth, which is why Evan Hangliter chose to join the sales team at MongoDB, whose BDR to CRO program provided him a clear path to a leadership role. Austinites also know that its not just big-name companies hiring in droves or growing like crazy. ESO has doubled in size since 2020, expanded internationally and has plans to hire 200 people in the first half of 2022. Finally, its important to anyone on the job hunt to join a supportive team that welcomes new ideas and greets challenges to the status quo with curiosity, as Jandy Kelley found when she accepted an offer at Brightpearl.

MongoDB, ESO and Brightpearl are all hiring, as are several other local companies with equally ambitious growth goals. We recently spoke with employees at each organization to learn more about what their experience has been like and what sets candidates apart during the recruiting process.

Kevin Embree

Marketing & Business Development

What they do: Skimmers software is designed to make it easier for pool service companies to do business. Its tech gives companies a single platform to manage their customers, place orders for new parts, track work orders and more.

Why did you first apply to join Skimmer, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?

I love working on platforms that enable customers to significantly enhance their productivity, professionalism and profitability. I joined Skimmer after researching the booming pool and spa industry, talking to a few of their customers, watching all of their product videos and testing the product myself. Its very sophisticated on the back end but the web UI and apps are intuitive and simple to use.

Since joining, we have significantly increased our brand awareness, doubled our customer count and have become the global leader in software for pool service and repair companies. Ive traveled in the Skimmer Mobile for the past nine months visiting customers and partners and exhibiting at trade shows. Everyone Ive met is friendly, hardworking, professional and energizing. Meeting face-to-face and getting to know the industry, our partners and customers has been a gift, and Im energized and excited about whats next!

We have become the global leader in software for pool service and repair companies.

When youre looking to grow your team, whats a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at Skimmer?

We are looking for energetic and passionate people who want to dig in, learn about our industry and our customers work, and help take Skimmer to the next level.

Stephanie Chang

Director, Global Strategic Accounts & GM of Austin

What they do: Brazes technology analyzes customer data to give brands the ability to create personalized, targeted interactions at scale over SMS, email, apps and more.

Why did you first apply to join your company, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?

I joined Braze because of the product and the people. Our sales teams solve problems with confidence because the platform does what we say it will do, and we work alongside genuine and brilliant teammates. During the interview process, I remember candidly sharing my career aspirations with my now-boss, and he not only supported my goals but had a clear vision of how he would help me reach them.

Nearly a year later, I am grateful to report that Braze continues to invest in product and people. Product enhancements are communicated transparently and frequently, with internal surveys collected monthly. We also give our people development opportunities early and often, including mentorship pairings. Everyone gets a Braze buddy to guide them through their first three months, and I still meet with mine!

Many of us don't come from a traditional SaaS background, so curiosity and adaptability prevail in interviews.

When youre looking to grow your team, whats a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at Braze?

When building our teams, we emphasize culture add over culture fit. While we are fiercely committed to our core values, we want to evolve, not just expand! Many of us don't come from a traditional SaaS background, so curiosity and adaptability prevail in interviews. Curiosity allows someone to add knowledge and skills regardless of previous experience, but adaptability is what defines success over time. Mobile and data privacy environments will continue to shift rapidly, so we need to constantly leverage new ways of working with the strengths we already have.

Erin Johnson

Director of Talent Acquisition

What they do: ESO creates software for emergency medical services professionals working in hospitals, fire departments and in state government agencies, enabling them to better share resources and information.

Why did you first apply to join ESO, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?

When I first heard about ESOs mission, products and customers, I knew this was a company I wanted to be a part of. As a recruiter, you want to be able to tell candidates about a company you believe in and are passionate about, and thats what Ive found at ESO. I am extremely grateful to have joined ESO when I did, pandemic and all. Our chief medical officer, Dr. Brent Meyers, held weekly town hall meetings, giving us the data on how the pandemic was affecting the world and what we needed to do as a company to best support our customers.

Working for a company that serves emergency services, fire departments and hospitals is an opportunity I didnt know existed but one I am eternally grateful for. Since joining ESO in 2020, we have doubled in size and expanded into Canada. Even with such growth and expansion, our emphasis on the customer and our people has remained the same.

I knew this was a company I wanted to be a part of.

When youre looking to grow your team, whats a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at ESO?

We are looking to hire 200 people in the first half of the year and have some amazing opportunities across our engineering, product, sales, customer experience and marketing departments. Each team has their own unique set of experiences and qualities they look for, but it all comes back to one thing: passion.

This is a key focus in our interviews. We want to know what youre passionate about personally and professionally to better understand who you are. Passion is one of our core values and something we talk about constantly, because it has a way of bringing out the joy in people. Sometimes the work can be hard, but if you have passion then you know it will be worth it in the end.

What they do: BlackLocus is the internal innovation lab of The Home Depot, with its team responsible for creating the back-end business tech that powers the home improvement retail giant.

Why did you first apply to join BlackLocus, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?

When I applied for a recruiter position at BlackLocus, I was so intrigued by the idea that it was a startup operating within The Home Depot. Ive spent so much time shopping in Home Depot but never even thought about the technology behind the scenes that drives the business itself. Since joining, I realize we have the best of both worlds: a startup vibe with huge business goals. We are an autonomous innovation lab that delivers the competitive edge for the largest home improvement retailer in the world!

I am surrounded by incredibly intelligent people and get to explore new technologies and methodologies on a daily basis, and we do so in a stable and secure environment. We share the culture and values of Home Depot while maintaining the agility of a small company, pushing the boundaries and offering up creative solutions to big problems. Its a truly unique environment that has contributed to my career growth and development in profound ways.

I realize we have the best of both worlds: a startup vibe with huge business goals.

When youre looking to grow your team, whats a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at BlackLocus?

BlackLocus is growing now more than ever! When we are interviewing new team members, it is important that they are thoughtful, innovative, courageous and intentional. We want to be able to challenge each other; try new things and have discussions with those who may have a different vision or idea. Everybody brings a unique skill set and experience, which creates a wonderful opportunity to learn from your peers! Whether youre talking with someone from our data science, engineering or product team, there is an openness that makes even a non-technical person like myself feel comfortable asking questions or sharing an idea.

Evan Hangliter

Regional Director, Corporate Sales

What they do: MongoDB is a database provider whose cloud services are used by both small startups trying to get their ideas off the ground and enterprise companies looking to modernize their tech orgs.

Why did you first apply to join MongoDB, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?

I joined MongoDB for three reasons. First, MongoDBs technology is at the intersection of open source, anything as a service and application development. Five hundred million applications will be developed in the next four years, and each one needs a database. Thats a huge opportunity. Second, when I interviewed I heard about the sales MBA and applying thescience of sales. In my previous role, I was handed accounts, a quota and told to sell. We had training but no execution or accountability. My development stalled and I knew there was more to learn. MongoDB offered structured training, real-time execution and accountability to apply in the sales cycle to realize my fullest potential.

Third and finally, BDR to CRO, MongoDBs sales career growth plan, provides guidance to achieve promotion. I wanted to move into a leadership role, and MongoDB made the path clear. Over one-and-a-half years later, MongoDBs growth has continued to accelerate because of our technology, leadership and people, and there is a night and day difference in my abilities as a sales professional, which led to my promotion to a leadership role. I am passionate about MongoDB because of the impact working here has had on my life.

I am passionate about MongoDB because of the impact working here has had on my life.

When youre looking to grow your team, whats a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at MongoDB?

A growth mindset is key to finding success here. Individuals with a growth mindset lean into the uncomfortable to get to the next level, which means trying to do things better each time, proactively engaging top performers to learn behaviors that drive success and staying humble and knowing there is a lot they can learn. As a growing technology company in a competitive market, we constantly challenge ourselves to go to the next level, and that starts with the individual.

Growing at 56 percent YOY is incredibly exciting and does not happen by accident. Our biggest driver of growth is our people. If we continue to hire the best, provide world-class development and adhere to a strong sales process, we will continue to create opportunities for promotion and scale as an organization. My focus right now is developing future leaders and enterprise sales professionals who will take our company to new heights. Practically, that means individualized development plans, team training, role playing and call reviews, which prepare the people on my team for success and their next role.

Alejandro Moreno-Paz

VP Finance and Administration

What they do: Banyan Waters water management software and services enable businesses to better understand their water use, compare costs from different utility providers, more efficiently use water and more.

Why did you first apply to join Banyan Water, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?

What attracted me to Banyan Water was the small, dedicated team; the mission and the ability to work at a company that is using technology and data to save water and do good. We have dealt with many challenges in my over two years here, but through those challenges we have been able to innovate and grow.

We are always looking for candidates who are willing and ready to roll up their sleeves and wear many hats.

When youre looking to grow your team, whats a quality that you look for in candidates, and why is it important at Banyan Water?

We are always looking for candidates who are willing and ready to roll up their sleeves and wear many hats. Disrupting the water and landscaping world is challenging and it requires someone who has a certain level of grit, determination, proactivity and adaptability. I believe that anyone with those characteristics can excel and grow at Banyan Water.

Michael Clews

VP of Account Management and Customer Success

What they do: Flo Recruit builds virtual and in-person recruiting software designed specifically to both help law firms more easily hire new grads and law schools more easily recruit and interview prospective students.

Why did you first apply to join Flo Recruit, and how has your experience evolved over time since you were a new hire?

In February of 2020, Katherine Allen, our CEO, reached out to me to learn more about my experience in account management and how to ensure a company is set up for success from the get-go. Fast forward one and a halfyears later and Katherine and I met once again, but this time about the possibility of me leading Flo Recruits account management team.

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Start Your Job Search Intentionally With These 9 Austin Companies - Built In Austin

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

I startedmy first businessat 19 years old. That business quickly grew to multiple six figures and half a million dollars by year two. Whilethe business modelitself is still an incredibly profitable option for entrepreneurs, that type of business was not aligned with my goals and ideals of entrepreneurship.

I sold that business in 2012 and transitioned into an online-education business model. I wanted to make money with my mind, not my body.

I've been fortunate to have grown this business to the point that it allows us to travel full-time. I'm writing this article to you from Nice, France. My wife and I have spent the last three months in Europeexploring cities, experiencing history, eating delicious foodand all the while growing our business.

Related:How I Got Out of a Funk (and Saved My Business)

In 2021, we changed our business model significantly, which has revolutionized how we spend our time. We decided to stop offering all forms of client work and fulfillment services. We transitioned to a model where we get paid for what we teach.

I've been an entrepreneur for 22 years. I feel like the thing that we don't think about as entrepreneurs is how we want to spend our time. Automatically, the assumption is that you need clients to generate revenue. More specifically, you need to offer client and/or fulfillment services if you're going to make real money.

There is an alternative business model to the client-based model. If you're going to build a business that allows you freedom and financial security, you have to get clear on what type of model aligns with your future goals. Client services are not the only option.

A client-based business means a consumer hires you to do something. You charge a fee, and you deliver the work. That equation does not consider that there are several factors that lead to a successful result.

You can't control every aspect of what creates a result, but when you offer a client-based model, you have to. A lot of the responsibility from a client-based business model falls on the entrepreneur. Does that work for you?

The alternative is an education-only business model. You get paid to teach something, and the implementation and result are the client's responsibility. In other words, you show them how, and they decide if they'll take action.

The education-only business model is more scalable. All of your time is not spent working on projects and delivering work to clients. You sell pre-packaged information online that doesn't require your time to deliver.

You can sell e-books, digital-information products, online master classesand other forms of training online. Offering digital-information training means that you can put it behind a paywall and continue to sell it 24/7. The beauty of this model is that you're not on the hook to fulfill anything. You're selling online training.

Related:How Experts Use Content to Create Brand Authority and Increased Sales

The challenge of client work is that sometimes the entrepreneur cares more about getting results than the person that hired them. In the education-only model, you're giving consumers what they need to get a successful outcome, but they have to want it and take action.

You can supplement training with a private community or offer monthly Q&A if you want to add more value. You could give training and an outlet for consumers to get their questions answered. Buthow they take action and their consistency falls on them, not you.

One of the first questions you're probably asked during discovery calls is if you offer a guarantee. Potential clients love guarantees.

More than a few consumers feel jaded for having been scammed or ripped off. Still, it's important to understand that it's not your responsibility to make up for every other lousy experience a consumer has had. Your goal is to deliver the best possible information and offer real value. But it's not to be the savior of the internet.

Related:Not All Clients Are Good for Business. Here's How to Find the Ones Who Are

Guarantees will have you working longer and harder to fulfill something that may be outside of your control. There are dozens of factors that go intoa successful result. More than likely, you don't control those factors.

The education-only model takes you away from a situation where guarantees are wanted or expected. In the education-only model, you're providing training only.

More than anything, the goal for many entrepreneurs is time, freedom and financial security. We want to wake up and spend our time in the way we want to spend it.

A business model where your primary offer is training means you won't spend all your time on client work. It means you can record content, put it behind a paywalland sell it. Or it means you have classes scheduled for a specific time each month. Once you do the training, your time is yours to do what you want with it.

Service providers often work long, hard hourswhen offering client work. It's not uncommon for a majority of your day to be spent on projects for clients. You have to ask yourself how you want to spend your time.

Related:Adopt These 3 Mindsets and You'll Become an Unstoppable Entrepreneur

We live in the digital information age. Billions of people log onto the internet and social media every single day. When your business is set up as an education-only model, your time can be spent creating content and sales posts that point consumers towards your training.

You can create lifestyle-based or educational content through podcasts, YouTube videosand leveraging other people's audiences. Your time can be spent talking about things that light you up instead of always being on the hunt for projects to fulfill.

A client-based business is not the only option we have today as entrepreneurs. Your experience and knowledge can be valuable training packaged and sold in a semi-passive way to generate revenue. Building an education-only business takes time and a lot of effort, but it's something that can be done and maybe lead to a better balance for you.

Client work may be for you, and that's good. You should always do what makes sense for you. As a fellow entrepreneur, I want to ask you, have you thought about how you want to spend your time?

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The Profitable Alternative to a Client-Based Business - Entrepreneur

A second $1 million donation in two days is helping Augusta Technical College rev up its automotive technology program.

The gift from Columbia, S.C.-based Jim Hudson Automotive Group, will help the school establish an automotive service training center in Augustas Laney-Walker neighborhood later this year. Jim Hudson operates Acura, Infiniti and Lexus dealerships in Augusta.

On Tuesday, Augusta National Golf Club announced its $1 million to Augusta Tech for the program.

The facility is part of a broader expansion of Techs automotive program, following months of discussions with area businesses and employers from area auto dealerships and trucking companies, said Tech President Dr. Jermaine Whirl.

From those talks about employer needs, it really blossomed into a much broader picture and a broader opportunity, he said.

More: Augusta National awards Augusta Tech $1 million to expand automotive training

The $2 million will cover a substantial portion of the cost to build the facility, Whirl said. School officials have identified a piece of property in the Laney-Walker area where the facility will be built, but the specific location has not yet been disclosed.

Current space for the program on the Augusta campus is about 10,000 square feet, which can fit between 75 and 85 students at a time, and the school just needed more room.

The program, when expanded, is expected to accommodate more than 1,200 students annually, from full-time students to dual-enrollment students to people already employed in the industry who want to expand their skill sets, Whirl said.

Areas of study will be expanded to cover other in-demand sectors of vehicle repair such as marine technology and autonomous,or self-driving, vehicles.

The program also will introduce OEM, or original equipment manufacturer training, so aspiring technicians can earn certifications to work on certain makes and models of vehicles. For example, Whirl said, the closest place for a student to train as a General Motors-certified mechanic is in Greenville, S.C.

Offering training here will help keep talent in the area, he said.

When youre exporting talent to another state to get specialization, youre making the assumption that theyre going to come back, Whirl said.

Another feature of the new program will educate students on the business aspect of the automotive industry, for people who want to become sales managers, finance managers or owners of vehicle dealerships.

More announcements on the growing program will emerge over the next few weeks, Whirl said.

"We have several partners who have come to the table who are really interested in this project," he said. "It's really been a community effort outside of just the National and Jim Hudson. I would say all of our automotive friends in the community have really jumped onboard."

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Another $1 million gift helps Augusta Tech's automotive program gain speed - The Augusta Chronicle

CCW permits brought in $72,000, sheriff's sales netted $384,412 in 2021

COSHOCTON Sheriff James Crawford predicts revenue for the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office will go down in 2022 because of legislative changes regarding conceal carry and sheriff's sales.

Crawford recently delivered his annual report to Coshocton County Commissioners that went over financial elements, services performed and other highlights for 2021.

He reported 659 new conceal carry permits issued in 2021 and 570 renewals, up from 353 new permits and 140 renewals in 2020. Licenses brought in more than $72,000 last year, with some of that going to the state.

Crawford credited the big rise to residents being able to get licenses outside of their home counties, which happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said several people from urban areas came to Coshocton County for their CCW. That stopped last June with sheriff's offices now only being able to accept outside applications from bordering counties.

While that difference would bring down CCW fees for this year, Crawford guesses they'll go down about 75% due to other legislative changes.

Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed into law Senate Bill 215, known as the Constitutional Carry Bill.It makes concealed handgun licenses optional. Previously, one had to pass a background check and provide proof of eight hours of training before receiving a CCW license. Now anyone who can legally carry a gun can without the previously required training and permit.

Crawford said they've been pushing the importance of still getting a CCW license. This includes the training, ability to carry out of state andbeing able to buy a firearm immediately.

"People are still pursuing the conceal carry permit, but I don't think we'll see the numbers," Crawford said in relation to 2021. "I'm excited for (the change), but from a business standpoint, supplying those permits, it's kind of disappointing."

For sheriff's sales, there were 56 in 2021 with total sale amount of $384,412. Crawford looks for this figure go down by more than halfbased on state changes.Private sellers can now sell homes that would have normally gone to sheriff's sales. Crawford said his office is now only getting about one in five foreclosed properties.

"You'll see a lot of sheriff's sales on the website when you do a search, but you'll see very few we're actually conducting," Crawford said. "It's taken our ability to receive outside revenue for doing our job, what I always felt was our job."

While this drop in revenue is a blow, he doesn't see it having a major effect on the department. The budget is about $5.5 million annually with most of the funding coming from the county and city. The biggest expenditure, 67%, is salaries with benefits taking up another 20%.

Sex Offenders: There are 62 sex offenders who currently register and are tracked. The majority, 33, are Tier II offenders who have to register for 25 years.

Communications: The communications center received more than 34,000 calls in 2021, including 10,449 being via 911. Nearly all calls were answered by the 10second mark with 68% answered within three seconds. Of 911 calls, 2,500 were from landlines and 7,949 via wireless means.

Violent Crimes: Handled for 2021 were three murders, 19 rapes, three robberies and two aggravated assaults.

Property Crimes: Handled for 2021 were 325 larcenies, 38 motor vehicle thefts, 29 burglaries and one arson.

Traffic: There were 775 non-injury crashes and 212 crashes with injury, plus 141 crashes recorded as hit and skip, where parties left the scene. There were 2,967 traffic stops made with 636 citations issues and 100 arrests made for operating a vehicle impaired in 2021.

Miscellaneous: The sheriff's office last year had 83 missing persons cases with 41 being juvenile and 42 being adults. Deputies answered 306 calls for threats, 78 for assaults and 117 for domestic issues.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

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Changes to conceal carry, foreclosures impacts sheriff's office - Coshocton Tribune

Microsoft's LinkedIn boosted subscription revenue by 8 per cent after arming its sales team with artificial intelligence software that not only predicts clients at risk of cancelling, but also explains how it arrived at its conclusion.

The system, introduced last July and described in a LinkedIn blog post, marks a breakthrough in getting AI to show its work in a helpful way.

While AI scientists have no problem designing systems that make accurate predictions on all sorts of business outcomes, they are discovering that to make those tools more effective for human operators, the AI may need to explain itself through another algorithm.

The emerging field of Explainable AI, or XAI, has spurred big investment in Silicon Valley as start-ups and cloud companies compete to make opaque software more understandable. It has also stoked discussion in Washington and Brussels where regulators want to ensure automated decision-making is done fairly and transparently.

AI technology can perpetuate societal biases like those around race, gender and culture. Some AI scientists view explanations as a crucial part of mitigating those problematic outcomes.

US consumer protection regulators including the Federal Trade Commission have warned over the past two years that AI that is not explainable could be investigated. The EU next year could pass the Artificial Intelligence Act, a set of comprehensive requirements including that users be able to interpret automated predictions.

Proponents of explainable AI say it has helped increase the effectiveness of its application in fields such as health care and sales. Google Cloud sells explainable AI services that, for instance, tell clients trying to sharpen their systems which pixels, and soon, which training examples mattered most in predicting the subject of a photo.

But critics say the explanations of why AI predicted what it did are too unreliable because the technology to interpret the machines is not good enough.

LinkedIn and others developing explainable AI acknowledge that each step in the process analysing predictions, generating explanations, confirming their accuracy and making them actionable for users still has room for improvement.

But after two years of trial and error in a relatively low-stakes application, LinkedIn says its technology has yielded practical value. Its proof is the 8 per cent increase in renewal bookings during the current fiscal year above normally expected growth. LinkedIn declined to specify the benefit in dollars, but described it as sizeable.

Before, LinkedIn salespeople relied on their own intuition and some spotty automated alerts about clients' adoption of services. Now, the AI quickly handles research and analysis. Called CrystalCandle by LinkedIn, it calls out unnoticed trends and its reasoning helps salespeople hone their tactics to keep at-risk customers on board and pitch others on upgrades.

LinkedIn says explanation-based recommendations have expanded to more than 5,000 of its sales employees spanning recruiting, advertising, marketing and education offerings.

LinkedIn boosted subscription revenue by 8 per cent after offering its sales team with artificial intelligence software that explains itself. AFP

It has helped experienced salespeople by arming them with specific insights to navigate conversations with prospects. Its also helped new salespeople dive in right away, said Parvez Ahammad, LinkedIn's director of machine learning and head of data science applied research.

In 2020, LinkedIn had first provided predictions without explanations. A score with about 80 per cent accuracy indicates the likelihood a client soon due for renewal will upgrade, hold steady or cancel.

Salespeople were not fully won over. The team selling LinkedIn's Talent Solutions recruiting and hiring software were unclear on how to adapt their strategy, especially when the odds of a client not renewing were no better than a coin toss.

Last July, they started seeing a short, auto-generated paragraph that highlights the factors influencing the score.

For instance, the AI decided a customer was likely to upgrade because the company grew by 240 workers over the past year and candidates had become 146 per cent more responsive in the past month.

In addition, an index that measures a client's overall success with LinkedIn recruiting tools surged 25 per cent in the last three months.

I view interpretability as ultimately enabling a conversation between machines and humans

Been Kim, AI researcher at Google

Based on the explanations, sales representatives now direct clients to training, support and services that improve their experience and keep them spending, said Lekha Doshi, LinkedIn's vice president of global operations.

But some AI experts question whether explanations are necessary. They could even do harm, engendering a false sense of security in AI or prompting design sacrifices that make predictions less accurate, researchers say.

Fei-Fei Li, co-director of Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence, said people use products such as Tylenol and Google Maps whose inner workings are not neatly understood. In such cases, rigorous testing and monitoring have dispelled most doubts about their efficacy.

Similarly, AI systems overall could be deemed fair even if individual decisions are inscrutable, said Daniel Roy, an associate professor of statistics at the University of Toronto.

LinkedIn says an algorithm's integrity cannot be evaluated without understanding its thinking.

It also maintains that tools like its CrystalCandle could help AI users in other fields. Doctors could learn why AI predicts someone is more at risk of a disease or people could be told why AI recommended they be denied a credit card.

The hope is that explanations reveal whether a system aligns with concepts and values one wants to promote, said Been Kim, an AI researcher at Google.

I view interpretability as ultimately enabling a conversation between machines and humans, she said.

Updated: April 09, 2022, 4:30 AM

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Here's how AI is explaining itself to people - The National

In Ho Chi Minh City, on April 6, 2022, Digiworld Corporation - "DGW" held the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in 2022.

2021 was a year of many challenges and really difficult for everyone. However, our Vietnam has been still resilient "both apply social distancing to fight against the pandemic and 3-on-the-spot measure to do business". This has helped the economy recover somewhat and recorded an estimated GDP growth rate of 2.58% over the same period.

Digiworld did too, with the spirit of constantly learning, always ready to explore and turn challenges into opportunities, in recent 2021, Digiworld recorded impressive business records. In the whole year of 2021, Digiworld achieved total net revenue of VND 20,972 billion and profit after tax of VND 657 billion, up 67% and 146% respectively compared to last year. With such business performance, the Company achieved 137% of the revenue plan and 219% of the annual profit plan according to the business plan - VND 15,200 billion in revenue and VND 300 billion in profit.

In 2022, Digiworld's Board of Directors has approved a resolution on a business plan with revenue of VND 26,300 billion and a profit of VND 800 billion - an increase of 25% and 22% respectively compared to the performance in 2021. In which, the segment occupying the largest proportion is still mobile phones, followed by laptops, office equipment and consumer goods.

And in order to achieve the set business plan, Digiworld's team is united towards a guiding principle throughout 2022, in line with the company's spirit and development direction: "The universe is open, ready to explore". With this principle, firstly, Digiworld wants to affirm that with its rich development and real combat experience for 25 years, Digiworld will continue in mind of a pioneer, leading and exploring the market, finding potential product segments to become more diversified in business lines.

Besides, with the continuous development trend of Vietnam's economy, Digiworld believes that not only ICT, IoT but also Home Appliances and many other fields will also have more potential and more opportunities. And when the enterprise has prepared in advance, accumulated experiences during the business process, the opportunities are wide open, the enterprise must always further learn, receive and listen to forge its capacity, continue to pioneer, explore and lead the market.

In addition, the role and responsibility of the Board of Directors (BOD) are even greater in building strategies and sustainable development for Digiworld. The company has gradually applied good practices such as establishing specialized subcommittees to support Board of Directors activities in a more effective manner such as Audit Committee, Investment and Development Subcommittee, Salary and Bonus Subcommittee. According to the plan, Digiworld also continues to improve corporate governance according to international standards, and at the same time enhance the role of risk management and control in financial management, accounting, auditing as well as the transparency in the company's operation, the role of independent members of the Board of Directors.

Recently, Digiworld has also announced the plan to pay dividends in 2021 in cash at the rate of 10% (1 stock receives VND 1,000) and the plan to issue stocks from owner's equity at the right exercise rate at 80% (i.e. Receive 80 new stocks per 100 stocks). The expected implementation time is quarter II of 2022.

In addition to taking care of the interests of shareholders, Digiworld also understands that good business begins with developing a good organization, facilitating the development and bringing the best benefits to employees. Therefore, at the General Meeting of Shareholders, Digiworld presented a plan to issue shares under the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) for employees in 2022. The maximum quantity is 2.5% of outstanding stocks - equivalent to 2.2 million ESOP stocks at the price of VND 10,000/stock.

During the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders 2022, Digiworld also announced the revenue estimate of the first quarter of 2022. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2022, Digiworld's revenue is estimated at VND 7000 billion and profit after tax of VND 210 billion, up 40% and 96% compared to the same period in the first quarter of 2021. In addition, there is information about Digiworld's new product line, namely Home Appliances, Digiworld and partner Whirlpool have just officially opened the first sales training center for employees in Vietnam. This will be not only a display place but also a place for Digiworld and Whirlpool to train sales staff, help the sales staff to best understand the products from features, utilities, usage and superiority to be able to provide the most useful advice to customers.

In late 2021, Digiworld and Whirlpool signed a strategic cooperation agreement, Digiworld became a comprehensive market developer for Whirlpool's household electrical products. Next, Digiworld also had a new partner - TCT, with this event, Digiworld has officially become the distributor of 2 brands Alcatel and TCL. And most recently, Microsoft has officially become a strategic partner of Digiworld with the ESD electronic key product. These are the clearest proofs that Digiworld is constantly looking for new business opportunities, expanding its product lines and business fields to always achieve and exceed the 25% compound annual growth rate as committed with Shareholders, consistent to the spirit of Digiworld "The universe is open, ready to explore" in 2022.

And besides constantly expanding its business activities both horizontally and vertically, Digiworld also has pursued the sustainable development goal by always focusing on the fields of economy, environment and society based on the company's 3C development strategy, including: Human - Base - Opportunity. In which, "Human" is the most important factor, the fulcrum to develop opportunities in business; "Base" is a strong financial base with clear management process; "Opportunity" is to seize new opportunities for Digiworld brand to appear and dominate the market. With this 3C strategy and Digiworld's achievements for the past years when following this direction, Digiworld believes that this strategy will create a solid foundation to realize Digiworld's orientations in the coming years.

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Digiworld : POST-PANDEMIC EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES, DIGIWORLD IS READY TO EXPLOIT ALL POTENTIALS ON THE PATH OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO CONQUER THE...

Most people understand the power of the internet and what it means as a growth tool for their business. So why, despite so many knowing what an advantage a great internet presence can be, are so many websites terrible?

Across every industry, in businesses of all sizes, there's this one piece of universal feedback: "My website just doesn't work to produce results." Results typically mean calls, sales, a form being filled out, something that moves a customer along. Websiteshould act like 24/7 salespeople for businesses. They should be revenue-producing assets. They should be something businesses areproud of.

Reality is, despite the best efforts of well-intentioned designers, developers, marketers, and advertisers, more often than not a website simply doesn't do what it should be doing. And if that conundrum is frustrating for the business owner, it's just as frustrating for the professional who provides a service around the website, whether that's the designer, SEO, marketer, or copywriter.

Websites fail to produce results because they fail to communicate

There's a simple reason why most websites fail to produce results, no matter how many times they're tweaked, redesigned, redeveloped, rewritten, or enhanced, and it's because at its core, a website is really meant as one thing and one thing only: It's a tool for communication.

Somewhere along the way, it was forgotten that the internet at large is a massive infrastructure that connects people together. It's been forgotten that websites are a tool to enable that communication, and the fundamental reason that they fail is because they communicate extremely poorly.

Think about it: In-person sales, word of mouth, and face-to-face communication works so well because it's fundamentally people talking to people. Your website is trying to do the same thing at scale, except it doesn't have the advantage of a human brain to communicate with.

Sites can only convey messages as well as we program them to. Which for most people means writingand, if you're really fancy, how color enhances the written message. Once you think about your website as a tool for communication, as a way to connect people with people and not just as a business flier, it all of a sudden it makes sense why things aren't working out.

Reading your website out loud is a great way to test how it communicates

Need to test whether your website is communicating well? Just read it out loud to someone. Odds are, it sounds terrible, because somewhere along the way it was written copying some other company's writing on its website, because it was assumed that "they must be doing it right, so let's emulate success."

Large corporations have the benefit of large sales teams. Their websites are meant to be more overall brand-building and less specific towardhelping a customer make a buying decision (that's what the salespeople are for). Small and midsizebusinesses, meanwhile, don't often have the luxury of manpower, so to copy that kind of verbiage and communication is to take away what the strongest superpower of a small business is: personal connection and unique appeal to specific target markets.

Before you've fixed your site'scommunication problem, nothing else matters, because, while enhancements are important, they're just that: enhancements. And fixing enhancements doesn't solve the core problem.

Fortunately, the more you've learned about sales in your business, the easier this problem is to solve, because this process is much the same as training a new salesperson to pitch your product or service. The only difference is that while you can spot a struggling salesperson learning the ropes, it's much more difficult to see what's working and what's not working online without diving into analytics and data.

Think of your website as a salesperson who needs training

Rather than thinking about fixing your website from a technical standpoint, or just assuming that somehow the internet doesn't work for you, instead think of it as like a salesperson you need to train to communicate better.

If all you started with was simply recording your sales pitch and creating very conversational writing for your website, answering the questions your customers really ask the most, addressing their concerns, and focusing on what's in it for them rather than features or how great you and your company are, you'd find that youget more results, more consistently, and with less expense than any other method.

If the above sounds familiar, it's because it's what works in direct sales, phone sales, customer service, and just about anything else business related, because it's inherently all people talking to people. The only difference is the medium of communication.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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Why Your Website Doesn't Work, and What to Do About It - Inc.

Observing surgical cases in person has long been a standard practice for purchasing and adopting new medical technologies and techniques. However, access to operating rooms, the cost and complexity of travel, patient privacy and safety, and other factors limit the utility of this approach. These limitations became particularly acute with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which severely restricted access to medical settings.

An innovative approach known as remote case observation (RCO) addresses many of the challenges mentioned above, enabling physicians to access procedures remotely without the burden of travel. While challenges related to in-person observation have increased the adoption rate and the necessity for RCO, the benefits of this technology mean its use is likely to continue growing even after Covid-19-related disruption subsides. More than just a new technology option, it represents a paradigm shift in observing procedures. It provides a better experience for operating and observing physicians, poses less risk for hospitals and patients, and creates a broader adoption of life-saving innovations.

What is RCO?

Unlike traditional videoconferencing, RCO is purpose-built for any healthcare setting. A robust RCO platform has the following capabilities:

With a comprehensive, robust digital platform for RCO, clinicians, healthcare organizations, and medical device companies can not only break through the logistical limitations of in-person case observation they can drive levels of engagement and learning that were previously not possible.

Helping Physicians Make the Most of Their Time and Expertise

For observing physicians, RCO serves as a virtual cockpit for any procedure. It allows physicians to see procedures in greater detailand greater comfortthan on a monitor in a procedure. From a physicians perspective and new hospital mandates limiting access to their facilities, having fewer people in the room has become the new normal. Allowing those who only absolutely need to be in the room reduces potential distractions, physical workflow disruptions, and exposure to contagions.

Using digital platforms for RCO, physicians can force multiply their access to educational opportunities and interactions with peers or collaborate on new techniques and technologies. It also provides physicians from all over the world the ability to learn new techniques or observe the use of technology without impacting their responsibility to their patients. With visualization of the entire workflow, known best practices, and procedural processes, introducing new therapies to their healthcare system may provide an easier transition and minimize the learning curve when bringing new therapies to their patient population.

Performance-tracking tools can provide physicians with real-time data that previously may have been limited and expensive based on having to be in the room as a procedure happens. Furthermore, it enables more observation in less time, which can reduce variability in device utilization, surgery workflows, and outcomes.

Increasing the Availability of Medical Innovation

RCO enables medical-device companies to standardize training, disseminate best practices, keep users current on the latest improvements and upgrades to technology, and the ability to capture data in new ways. Medical device sales representatives can ask questions during observation and interact with the proctor to familiarize themselves more with the product and gain deeper insights while also learning valuable techniques.

With a digital procedural playbook, sales teams can learn and share best practices, enabling them to expand their expertise and knowledge and allowing other team members to step in with minimal disruption at any point during a procedure. Medical device companies can also provide training assessments to evaluate and improve product and related procedural knowledge at the end of the procedure.

Reducing Risk, Cost, and Disruption for Hospitals

Hospitals need to keep patient safety and operational efficiency at the forefront. By minimizing the number of individuals entering the OR, RCO provides immediate operational and safety improvements. More broadly, it has the potential to reduce care viability, which may lead to improved outcomes, and enhance patient satisfaction, all of which can help drive down costs.

For every hospital, RCO lowers barriers to the adoption of new technologies. RCO can significantly accelerate the adoption of new procedures and any procedures that require regular proctoring and observation. Physicians can learn new techniques remotely that may improve patient care. For the trailblazing hospitals that adopt and disseminate new technologies, RCO enables them to bring innovative programs to a wider audience, increase their referral base, and potentially recruit physicians as a top-tier center of excellence.

With any new technology, hospitals must carefully consider the implications of cost and patient outcomes. Digital technologies introduced recently are compliant with privacy regulations and proven to be valuable to a physician; however, a layer of cost and complexity still exists with their use. A newer platform, such as Explorer Live, uses mobile devices, has a minimal footprint, and can be set up in ten minutes or less. Multiple network options can enable hospitals to manage bandwidth and deploy RCO in shielded locations. Remote users can install the observation platform on their desktop or mobile device. Platforms that align with current hospital privacy and compliance regulations enable easy accessibility for remote observers.

Reducing Barriers to Medical Innovation

Medical device companies can provide access to new innovative therapies and life-saving technologies in areas that previously were slow to adoption due to the geographical location of their providers. While Covid-19 continues to increase the sense of urgency for digital platforms like RCO, the advantages mean adoption is likely to continue growing after the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. It has the potential to reduce cost and risk, increase the availability of new procedures, and improve patient care through real-time access to education and support. Moving forward into the future, RCO may see increasing use in various contexts such as clinical trials, academia, medical education, and product development. Ultimately, patients will be beneficiaries of this pragmatic yet powerful tool.

Photo: Explorer Surgical

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Transforming medical device training, adoption, and sales with remote case observation - MedCity News