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Retirees find Huntsville is good place to start again
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer marian.accardi@htimes.com
Older workers' experience, knowledge hot commodities

John Pepper and Jerry Nabors retired the same day - Dec. 31, 1999 - from the Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center. They're working together again, in post-retirement jobs as systems analysts with Huntsville-based Intuitive Research and Technology.

"We both felt we had something to offer," said Nabors, 69, who retired after 40 years of civil service work at Redstone Arsenal. Working at Intuitive gives Nabors a sense of accomplishment, a way to keep his mind active. And Intuitive allows him and Pepper to work part time and keep flexible hours.

"I'd like to continue part time forever," said Pepper, 67, who worked for 39 years in civil-service positions. "You just hate to admit your career's finished."

Efforts by companies such as Intuitive to hire retirees have helped Huntsville make the latest list of the top 10 best cities for job-seeking retirees by U.S. News & World Report. About one-quarter of more than 130 employees at Intuitive have returned to work after retirement and just over one-third of workers is over the age of 50. Intuitive, which provides systems engineering, product development and other services to the Department of Defense, government agencies and commercial clients, was one of 50 companies in the country named in 2007 and 2008 as "AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50."

"We don't hire for a particular job, but we hire people for their experience, knowledge and expertise," said Harold Brewer, Intuitive's president. That's where retirees can fit in - using skills they honed in previous jobs to handle the company's diverse mix of projects, he said.

"The type of work we do enables us to have a flexible work schedule," said Brewer, though the work schedule is dictated by the customer. "It's not always an 8-to-5 job," he said. And some former retirees want to return to the work force but don't want to go full time.

The U.S. News article noted that some of the best cities to find retirement jobs support several industries that tend to hold up well in turbulent economies. It recognized Huntsville for its mix of government jobs at Redstone Arsenal and Marshall Space Flight Center and health-care opportunities in the Huntsville Hospital System. It also helps that other companies - like Verizon Wireless and Boeing - have significant operations in town.

"It's a good idea to hedge your bets by retiring in a city where several industries are hiring," the article noted.

'A lot to offer retirees'

An AARP study, released last October, showed that 70 percent of 1,500 workers ages 45 to 74 surveyed plan to work into retirement - for the income and enjoyment. Yet another AARP poll found that 31 percent of employed adults age 45 and older believe it's likely their job will be cut this year.

One of the primary objectives of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce this year is continued workforce recruitment and development efforts to fill thousands of jobs, according to Elizabeth Morard, the chamber's vice chair for image enhancement.

Positive recognition from national publications like U.S. News is "due recognition," she said, "because we have a lot to offer retirees who return to work" as well as their spouses who might choose not to work but are looking for ways to get involved in the community.

Diverse economy helps

The local economy is diverse enough to offer work opportunities for just about anyone, said Morard, the president/CEO of Huntsville-based Qualis Corp.

Qualis has more than 330 employees, with the highest concentration of workers based in Huntsville and at Eglin Air Force Base, and about 17 percent of those are retirees who have returned to work.

"A positive for retirees," said Morard, "is they have an established network and relationship base" that can help support the work Qualis is doing.