Miller’s Rentals and Sales has been a family owned business since 1934. Located in Edison, NJ, the event and party store employs 60 full- and part-time employees to deliver its products, but even more importantly, provide their customers with top-notch service. Growing up in the family business, company owner and President Stuart Kohn, recalls his father’s motto “you have to be the firstest with the mostest."
“In simple terms, you can’t ride your reputation,” Kohn emphasized. “One has to continually be thinking out of the box and looking for new, innovative ideas, new opportunities and better ways to provide the best service possible.”
He noted that today is more challenging, thanks to a tight labor market and a young generation of workers who have a myriad of options when it comes to employment. “We’re competing for laborers with companies such as Amazon, Uber, Uber Eats, and Lyft among other potential employers, who can offer jobs that are less labor intensive and pay equally well, if not better, than what we can offer.”
The irony for Miller’s Rentals and Sales is striking. It was founded in the heart of the Great Depression when the unemployment rate was more than 20 percent. Compare that to today’s rate of 3.8 percent in the Edison area, which means, as Kohn pointed out, virtually anyone who wants to work can have a job.
“Just last week, I offered a position to an individual who informed me he was going to be reviewing other employers before making his decision,” said Kohn. “In this kind of labor market, every day is a hiring day all year long.”
He mentioned that social media has helped get the word out, along with sites such as Indeed, and his company partners with a couple of temporary agencies that help fill part-time positions. Once on board, employees are offered a 401k with a 4-percent match and annual raises with benchmarks for additional increases. Other incentives, such as photo and caption contests with winners to be posted on the company website and barbecues where managers do the cooking, help foster engagement and a team culture.
“We’re also continually looking for ways to make their job easier,” Kohn added. “We’re using motorized carts where we can and Bobcats with fork lift attachments to help with loading and unloading. You have to remember how different we were raised compared to young people today. The truth is, the digital world has made our work less attractive to them."
Kohn continued, “In fairness, though, things will come back around. We’re currently in a hiring valley, but that will change. Employers in our industry and others will have to be creative and continually look for new ways to hire and retain good people.”
