Member Economic Series, April 2021

REWINDING THE WORKFORCE

Join us for the first Member Economic Series Event of 2021!  Businesses are facing both challenges and opportunities in returning a remote workforce to the workplace. 

During the moderated panel conversation, Dave Brendza, Division Vice President/General Manager of OneADP Augusta will share perspective and insights on HR management; Dr. Melissa Furman, Lecturer at Augusta University will expand the conversation to consider the attitudes and perspectives of employees who have adapted or not to a non-traditional work environment and how that is influenced by generational characteristics; and Dennis Trotter, Founding Partner with JordanTrotter Commercial Real Estate will discuss how changes to the traditional workplace will impact the supply and demand of commercial office space.

PANEL OF EXPERTS

DAVE BRENDZA

Dave Brendza is the Division Vice President and General Manager for the OneADP Augusta and OneADP Louisville locations, andis a 37-year veteran of ADP. Dave’s role is to lead and oversee their growth. Since his arrival, the Augusta facility has grown approximately 50%. Dave oversaw the $22 million expansion project completed in 2017 which added additional jobs and amenities. OneADP Augusta’s current organization includes approximately 1500 associates, 6 business units and over 200 different functional roles to a capacity of nearly 1800 associates.  He has held multiple senior leadership roles within ADP. Before coming to Augusta, Dave served as Vice President of Client Service for the ADP Major Accounts Central Region located in Cleveland, Ohio.  Dave graduated from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree and majors in Accounting and Management Information Systems.  He also is the graduate of a number of ADP Executive Training Programs.

DR. MELISSA FURMAN

Dr. Furman previously served as the assistant dean and currently serves as a faculty member at the James M. Hull College of Business at Augusta University. Her research includes generational diversity, unconscious bias, career and leadership development, emotional intelligence, and assisting technical professionals transition into management roles. With 20 years of academic training and experience, Dr. Furman is known as a subject matter expert and provides a knowledge of diverse learning styles. Dr. Furman obtained her Doctorate of Business degree and Masters of Science degree in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Susquehanna University. 

DENNIS TROTTER

Dennis Trotter is a founding partner of JordanTrotter Commercial Real Estate and has been in all aspects of commercial brokerage and development since 2002, covering Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. He has brokered and developed numerous projects for nationally branded users, ranging from single tenant projects to large scale office, industrial, and retail developments. Dennis co-founded JordanTrotter Commercial Real Estate in 2013 and the firm has completed over $500MM of transactions in the greater CSRA area since inception and currently manages over 1,000,000 square feet of retail, office, and warehouse properties in the CSRA. Dennis is a 2000 graduate of Furman University with a degree in Business Administration.

TOM BLANCHARD, PANEL MODERATOR

Thomas M. Blanchard, III is President of Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Co. and currently serves as Chairman of the Chamber's Board of Directors.  Blanchard and Calhoun compliments the real estate transaction by providing Insurance and Mortgage Lending services for any real estate transaction, with their “Family of Business” concept.  For over four generations, the Blanchard & Calhoun Family of Businesses has helped countless people buy, sell, insure and finance their homes and businesses, transforming our community into what it is today.  Their customer-first dedication to service, born over 100 years ago, remains the cornerstone of Blanchard & Calhoun’s success.