Blair Milo, Indiana Secretary of Career Connections and Talent

WARSAW — One of Indiana’s most innovative troubleshooters, who used her problem-solving skills to save her hometown from financial hardship, is using that same savvy to help marry employers to job candidates in a job market that continues to evolve.

On Wednesday, Blair Milo, Indiana’s Secretary of Career Connections and Talent, visited Kosciusko for the second time in as many months to offer her expertise to local employers. This time, her sights were set on one of the county’s largest employers, Zimmer Biomet.

“We had the opportunity this afternoon to join the Indiana Medical Device Manufacturers Association to chat with them a little bit about some of the trends they’re seeing and to talk about what kind of partnerships we could build to be able to address the concerns that they have,” Milo said in an exclusive interview. “We talked about talent pipelines. We talked a little bit more today about some of the entry-level positions and how to recruit people into those areas and attract people to the area to be able to take advantages of these opportunities.”

Milo has built a reputation for finding solutions to pressing issues, which could indicate why she was tabbed by Gov. Eric Holcomb to be the first to fill the new cabinet position. Milo likely lit up the governor’s radar following a career choice she made after more than a half decade in the U.S. Navy.

“As I made the transition to reserve status, I saw some challenges that were happening in my hometown [LaPorte] and ended up running for mayor to be able to provide solutions toward the challenges that my hometown was experiencing and was elected,” she said.

In her capacity as the town’s top elected official, Milo spearheaded efforts to reverse the town’s financial woes by becoming a champion of collaboration and partnership-building.

In her new role, Milo has now made two trips to Kosciusko County county, having visited Grace College in June to discuss initiatives such as NextLevel Jobs and Workforce Ready Grants. In meeting with medical device makers this week, Milo talked about issues faced by employers in a job market that is constantly fluctuating.

“We try to just share some trends and concepts because some employers, educators and community leaders have connected up with different parts of both challenges and solutions, and so our efforts are then to visit with as many of them as we can to talk about ‘this is what is happening in the economy right now and why you may be feeling some of the different challenges that you are,’” she said. “And then, using that as a springboard to discuss what kinds of solutions are available and connecting up with things like NextLevel Jobs.”