The true measure of just how bad the economy is can be found in Greg Carlyle's cellphone.
Voice and emails poured in within a day of his recent announcement that he plans to open a restaurant in the Nissen Building downtown, all with the same message:
"Are you hiring?"
The answer, sadly, was, "No, not really."
Still, there was another benefit — almost hidden — resulting from Carlyle's plan that bears exploration and explanation. For it's more than just the opening of another downtown eatery on the table.
It's an unexpected lifeline for John Kurian and his three young children.
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Kurian, 34, is the operations manager for the Millennium Center, the cavernous meeting room/event center/party hall just off Trade Street that Carlyle owns.
As such, Kurian is the details guy. His cellphone buzzes constantly as the weekends approach and he tends to the last-minute details of making dinner meetings and other catered events come off without a hitch.
But it's part time, and the work — while mostly steady — could be more. The big issue, especially with kids ages 4, 8 and 10, is the lack of health insurance.
"We pretty much had to weigh whether to have a car for transportation or health insurance," he said. "We can't afford (health insurance), so we try to make do and look things (medical problems) up on the Internet."
That's where Carlyle's yet-to-be-named restaurant comes in. In order to make it fly, he's going to need a pool of steady, reliable employees. And as luck would have it, he has that at his catering business in the Millennium Center — eight full-timers and about 35 part-timers who grab shifts here and there.
With the restaurant, he expects to have 20 to 25 full-time workers and 40 part-timers. Carlyle hopes to convert some of those part-timers to full-time work, putting them to work at both places.
Full-time work brings benefits, medical and dental insurance, for people (and their families) who don't have any.
"We can't just sit here waiting for the government to take care of people," Carlyle said. "This is my staff, and I realize it's my responsibility to take care of them where I can. I see them when they have a dental problem or need to go to a doctor and they can't."
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Interestingly, Kurian sees the opportunity for full-time work — and the benefits that should come with it — in much the same way.
"It's a tremendous opportunity," he said the other day while taking a short break from the hustle of readying a large room for a dinner for teachers. "It seems like everybody is waiting for the government, the new laws, to make it affordable."
Carlyle estimates that adding health insurance for a 30-year-old nonsmoker might cost $300 a month if he's able to shop around and buy a group plan. He'll pay a portion, and his workers will pay part. His expenses increase, but so does his bottom line.
Kurian appreciates that, and knows well that the loyalty and trust between employer and employee run both ways.
Being rewarded for his hard work also allows the not-small satisfaction of having earned something by the sweat off his brow and the gray matter between his ears instead of having to look elsewhere for help in taking care of his medical costs.
"This will make things a whole lot easier for me and my family," Kurian said. "It shouldn't be up to the government.
"We will be able to breathe just a little easier now."
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