Recruitment strategy expert Randall Butler has left the Whistler Chamber of Commerce.
Hired last fall by the chamber to help organize a recruitment drive as the resort desperately sought workers, Butler was instrumental in moving a number of chamber initiatives forward.
“Randall and I met last week and came to the conclusion that he has taken the recruiting/retention strategies as far as he can,” said chamber president Louise Lundy.
“The decision to leave his post at the chamber was very amicable.”
Lundy applauded Butler’s achievements including attracting 800 people to the chamber’s job fair last October.
“In the first month he was employed (his job)… was to actually go to all the schools and post positions, and go to employment centres and on-line postings to just get the word out across the country that Whistler has jobs and that was instrumental, I believe, in having so many kids show up this year,” said Lundy.
The previous year the job fair had attracted less than 300 people.
“He did a really good job of doing what we needed help to do this winter, said Lundy.
Butler also researched the current state of worker shortages/requirements in Whistler, assisting many members with visa and recruiting information and advice and forming partnerships within the tourism industry to drive marketing efforts internationally.
Butler helped organize the chamber’s on-line petition and pushed the initiative of extending the working holiday visa program. He also provided recommendations for innovative ways to attract workers to the resort, such as creating a web-portal through an international recruitment website and promoting working in Whistler to visitors, said Lundy. “We are now reviewing Randall’s recommendations and will determine the plan of action to implement and build upon Randall’s ideas moving forward,” she said, adding that Butler was interested in pursuing opportunities in the recruitment sector and he couldn’t do that while he worked for the chamber.
However, said Lundy, Butler will be available for help should they want it.
