While working in higher education, Kathleen Houlihan recognized a major problem. One student after another graduated with a mountain of debt and no true pathway to a career. “There’s a disconnect between the workforce and education.”

Houlihan sought to change that. In 2017, she launched Dream2Career, a staffing and recruiting organization out of Wilkes Barre that aims to attract, retain and inspire talent. 

The key word is inspire.

“Staffing is what we do. A lot of businesses are struggling to fill site-based, entry-level positions,” she said. “You fill out an app, you’re hired, you work on a contract position. The business tests them out. But these people are not motivated.”

That’s where Houlihan’s services are different. When employers work with Dream2Career for their staffing solutions, they benefit from Operation Dream Landing. This program provides on-site, entry-level employees with quality-of-life benefits that help them feel valued and motivated. Bottom line—these are employees who want to stay and grow with the company.

Dream Landing is an onramp, but it’s not the end of the road, Houlihan said. “The idea is that they can evolve. We can help them with that… They can get the education they need to reach their aspirational goals.”

Operation Dream Landing’s mission is to work with local businesses and vetted learning providers to offer high-quality personal and professional experiences that positively impact businesses, employees and the world around them. Dream2Career finds success when:

• Businesses have a talent pool made up of educated, innovative and diverse employees that exceed expectations and excel at all KPIs.
• Students and displaced workers have easy access to on-ramps and experiences that lead to dream careers.
• Communities work effectively, share resources and have a common purpose.

Operation Dream Landing aims to onramp employees, enter a pathway and find a career. Providing quality-of-life benefits and education helps to retain and inspire new talent. Visit dream2career.org to learn more.

While diving into a new business venture, Kolby and Kaleb Rush knew that it was important to build a strong brand. They knew their customers wanted local, fresh, high-quality dog treats. They also recognized customers valued a local business that invested in its community.

The brothers wanted a brand and a product with meaning. They discovered the lesser-known story of Saint Rocco of France. Born into a wealthy family, Saint Rocco became an orphan at a young age. He distributed his wealth to the poor and, when a terrible disease struck Italy, he traveled there to help heal the sick. When he, too, contracted the disease, he was banished from the city. A dog found Saint Rocco in a cove and faithfully brought him food from a nearby nobleman until the nobleman came to Saint Rocco’s aid and eventually he was cured.
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“This was such a cool representation of love and loyalty,” Kolby said. “Our Saint Rocco’s Treats also give back for love and loyalty.” Saint Rocco’s donates $1 to local dog rescues for every 1 pound of treats sold.

A growing number of lone wolf-style attacks across the country have terrorized public places such as schools, churches, movie theaters, nail salons, grocery stores and more. In these situations, preparation is key, said Ashley Bleacher, intelligence analyst supervisor for the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center (PaCIC).

“The threat posed by terrorism has evolved significantly over the past two decades since 9/11,” she said. “We’re still focused on the threat posed by foreign organizations, of course, but we are equally, if not more focused, on the persistent threat that we’re seeing posed by domestic violent extremists. The incidents over the last couple of years at retail locations have been conducted by domestic United States citizens, in most cases.”

The fusion center concept is one of the developments since September 11, 2001, to help identify and prevent future terror attacks. 

“PaCIC is a Fusion Center, and we are part of a national network of fusion centers,” Bleacher said. “A fusion center is a collaborative effort of two or more agencies. We’re the Pennsylvania State Police, and we bring in other agencies that provide resources, expertise and information into the center. We combine that information with the shared goal of building and maximizing our ability to detect, investigate and respond to any kind of criminal activity or terrorist activity.”

Recently, Bleacher and other officials from PaCIC’s Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource (CIKR) Unit met with members of PFMA’s Loss Prevention Committee to discuss ways that food retailers can identify and report suspicious activity. Grocery stores are essential public places, categorized by the Department of Homeland Security as part of 16 vital sectors to protect against terrorist attacks.

It’s all about gathering and sharing information, Bleacher said. “We bring together multiple agencies and sources of information to really put the pieces of the puzzle together, and then share it back out. That’s our biggest role, really, is sharing that information out and making sure it’s not staying static.”

Here’s how it works: Those working in the food, agriculture and retail industries identify and anonymously share information with PaCIC and local law enforcement agencies that they deem suspicious or a threat. PaCIC sifts through incoming information, analyzes it and determines what to report to law enforcement. Appropriate action is then taken to notify or prepare organizations for any threats or trends that might impact them.

“Because of the nature of the ongoing threat environment and how many incidents have occurred over recent years and months, there is a greater general awareness for the potential of an incident to occur anywhere, anytime,” Bleacher said. 

The CIKR unit produces and shares a monthly cyber report and a quarterly report that touches on major events. They offer suspicious activity training, resources, a listserv and other outreach opportunities to those in the public and private sectors. 

The changing environment has been evident to Dawn Roller, senior manager of Loss Prevention and POS and Brown’s Shoprite Superstores. She also serves as chair of PFMA’s Loss Prevention Committee. “There are so many different variables changing rapidly. We update our policies and procedures as incidents arise, whether that be active shooter, robbery, bomb threats, fires, etc.”

Roller has worked in loss prevention with Wakefern for six years. Brown’s Shoprite Superstores rely on many of the procedures developed by Wakefern, but also produce their own based on local events, she said. 

“I think we are very prepared, but it’s important to have reminders at every level and discuss what the safety topic of the day is,” she said. 

Roller has noticed that since COVID, people seem to be moodier, more aggressive and verbally combative. It’s important to know who to contact when an incident arises and how to deescalate a situation, she said. She encourages employees to watch the news and see what’s happening around the country. “If it’s happening in California, within a week, it goes to the East Coast.”

In 2020, many Brown’s stores experienced civil unrest in Philadelphia. Roller said one of the most beneficial resources to their team was using a closed-circuit television (CCTV). As employees tried to safely exit a store, Roller was able to guide them to the roof and tell them to wait for help. She said it’s important to appoint someone outside of the store who can remotely access the CCTV in an emergency.

“I could tell them the safest place to go is on the roof. That was critical,” she said. “You can remote into your store and see where they are. You can give a description to the police or help your associates.”

Roller also stresses setting up regular safety committee meetings and 5-minute huddles at different points of the day to cover safety topics. Regular reminders are important, she said.

Education is another big piece of the puzzle, Bleacher said. A business should stress topics like cyber hygiene, emergency response plans, familiarity with the facilities, communication plans and regular training for employees at every level of the organization. It’s also important to build relationships with local law enforcement agencies so that they have access to emergency response plans and are familiar with the layout of the facility. 

Roller added that it’s important to work together. “I have a great relationship with my Wakefern partners, and if anyone needs guidance, you can always contact me.” 

Managers, employees and even customers all can anonymously report suspicious activity through text and photos with the See Something, Send Something app—free to Apple and Android users. “That information comes directly to analysts at the fusion center who are here 24/7,” Bleacher said.

It’s better to send anything than to overthink it and send nothing, Bleacher noted. Leave the analysis to PaCIC. “We’d rather look at it and determine it’s nothing. Include as much information as you have,” she said. “Include the address and why it is suspicious. Articulate it—why is the behavior suspicious.”

Roller emphasized this isn’t intended to scare anyone. The point is to be prepared. “If you’re a store owner, it could happen to you. It could happen six doors down from you,” she said. “Don’t panic but have a plan. Be calm and think of the next step.”

Anyone can use the See Something, Send Something app to anonymously report suspicious activity. What’s considered suspicious, criminal or threatening activity? Review the lists above provided by the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center (PaCIC). Download the app for free on any Apple or Android device.

PaCIC operates a 24 hours/day, 7 days/week Terrorism Tip Line, (888) 292-1919, and email account, tips@pa.gov, to solicit information from the public. The Terrorism Tip Line provides an avenue for individuals to report suspicious activity to law enforcement for follow-up.