Panel: Proving Success in Talent Attraction: Defining Our Wins & Envisioning Our Future
Speakers:
Kate Pangallo, Senior Director, Talent & Strategic Partnerships, Indy Chamber;
Matt Sanford, Economic Development Manager, City of Carlsbad, CA
Katie Ralston Howe, Director, Workforce Division, North Dakota Department of Commerce
Moderator: Tim Carty, Founder, RoleCall
Historically, one of the major challenges in talent attraction has been proving success. When working to attract and retain individuals, we don’t have the clear and established metrics used in business attraction. In this session, we’ll dig into the idea of success and some specific ways our industry can and should define our progress, including:
- Calculating ROI: What is the value of one new resident?
- Automation and tech solutions: Easing the burden of our teams and making the most of resources
- Employer engagement & deliverables: How can we be most helpful to employers and meet their workforce needs?
- Internal & external awareness: How can a talent attraction project serve as a catalyst to shift perception internally and rewrite the narrative about a community on the national stage?
Creativity as a Catalyst: The Role of the Arts in Economic Development & Talent Attraction
Speaker: Marissa Pierce, Public & Community Relations Coordinator, Flint Institute of Arts
The arts are a crucial and often overlooked piece of economic development, community development, and placemaking. Key themes and questions we’ll explore in this session:
- Leveraging your local creative community and arts assets in your talent attraction efforts
- How does the creative community contribute to prosperity and quality of life?
- How can economic developers nurture and support the arts? What does success look like when it comes to building and fostering your creative community?
- Why is your creative culture your greatest asset when it comes to connecting with talent and inspiring relocation decisions? And how can you activate them?
Attracting and Retaining Veterans: Building a Pipeline for Military Talent
Speaker: Steve Janke, Founder, Mission Wisconsin & Semper Forward
Whether you’re looking to create more intentional connections with a local military base or want to build a talent pipeline for veterans from across the country, recruiting servicemembers requires specific knowledge of their needs, skills, and values.
In this session, Steve Janke, founder of Mission Wisconsin, will share insights and expertise from years of veteran recruiting and job matching to help you connect authentically with retiring military members and carve out a supportive and valued place for them in your community.
Becoming a Chooseable Small Town
Speaker: Rebecca Undem, Director, Growing Small Towns
"If you've seen one small town, you've seen every small town." Quotes like this diminish the incredible opportunity that each community has to dig into what makes them special and create a personalized approach to attracting both visitors and newcomers to their small towns. In this session, Rebecca will share the ideas and tactics she's used to help her rural community of just 1,800 people be more attractive. People have so many choices; this session will help your community (even the smallest of towns) become more "chooseable".
In this session you’ll learn how to reframe the value proposition of small towns, apply a person-centered approach to attracting visitors & newcomers, and use storytelling to take back the narrative about small communities
Real Talk on Child Care: Shared Challenges, Success Stories, and Real Solutions
Speakers:
Megan Nestor, Working Family Supports Advisor, Fourth Economy
Missie Forbes, Executive Director, 4Cs of Johnson County
No conversation about talent attraction is complete without addressing the elephant in the room: the child care crisis. Communities across the country are struggling to support their residents and workforce with the child care they need to thrive.
In this session, Megan Nestor and Missie Forbes will share creative strategies, practical ideas, success stories, and visions for the future, addressing questions like:
- How can economic developers increase access to child care for current residents and incoming talent?
- What’s the best way to engage employers in providing child care solutions?
- What funding mechanisms are most effective?
- How can our industry advocate for more sustainable and inclusive child care solutions?
Centering Equity in the Talent Attraction Ecosystem
Speaker: Joshua Devine, Director, Racial Economic Equity, National Community Reinvestment Coalition
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational pieces of the economic development ecosystem. As we work to attract talent to our communities, how are we supporting current residents and building true paths to prosperity for newcomers and locals? What does centering equity in this work really look like?
In this session, you’ll learn how talent attraction strategies can address regional inequality, how to examine labor and wage data through an equity lens, and actionable ways to operationalize these strategies with local equity-focused partners and ecosystems in mind.
Digital Branding: How to Own Your Corner of the Internet
Speaker: Monica Hershberger, Marketing & Communications Specialist
Whether you’re struggling to overcome unflattering perceptions of your community or just want to take your place’s positive reputation to the next level, digital marketing is a key component of a successful talent attraction campaign. In this session, you’ll learn proven marketing strategies for place branding, building a digital audience, mastering SEO, and using social media to carve out a positive reputation and connect with prospective residents.
You’ll leave with fresh ideas you can put into practice immediately, plus links to free and low-cost resources and helpful templates you can customize for your city.
How to Build a Recruiter Network
Speakers:
Carly McCrory-McKay, Executive Director, Champaign County EDC
Terri Reifsteck, Vice President of Marketing, Visit Champaign County
Attracting talent is only half the battle — getting newcomers hired promptly and efficiently by local employers is the true metric of success in this work. How to keep your employers engaged in the work and ensure your efforts are being utilized? A recruiter network!
In this session, you’ll learn about Champaign-Urbana’s successful recruiter network, how it was built, why it’s important, and how you can build one in your community.
The Summer Intern → Engaged Resident Pipeline: How to Nurture & Connect Your Next Wave of Talent
Speakers:
Brianna Mosier, Director of Organizational Development, Flint & Genesee Group
Rachel Gray, Executive Director, Hello West Michigan
It’s a common refrain in college towns and downtowns across the country – how do we get college students and interns to see their future here? Recent college graduates are a hot commodity in talent attraction, and an even harder win to get. This challenge is made even worse when your region doesn’t have the sexiest reputation. So how do you go about convincing Gen Z that they have options in your area? Step one is to show them what you’ve got!
In this session, you’ll learn about two Michigan-based summer intern programs, how to get companies in your area to see the value and get their interns to participate, and why every single interaction matters in talent attraction.
Building Your Public Relations Toolkit: Hacks and How-Tos for Meaningful Media Coverage
Speaker: Quentin Misiag, Media Relations and PR Manager, RoleCall
So, you’ve launched an innovative talent attraction program. Good for you! Now it’s time to get the word out. A thoughtful and savvy PR strategy is crucial to spreading the word about talent attraction programs, career opportunities, and quality of life in your community. This session will be packed full of actionable tactics (with a focus on free or low-cost strategies) to build your PR toolkit and hit the ground running.
Topics include:
- Reporters are people, too: How to build and maintain relationships with local reporters in your community
- It's all about the angles: No community is the same and no media relations strategy should be, either
- Influencer partnerships: opportunities and cautionary tales
- Inclusion in the era of divisive politics
Panel: Critical Issues Deep Dive: Housing, Childcare, and DE&I
Speakers:
Missie Forbes, Executive Director, 4Cs of Johnson County
Domonique Clemons, County Clerk, Genesee County
Megan Nestor, Working Family Supports Advisor, Fourth Economy
Glenn Wilson, President, Communities First, Inc.
Moderator: Winona Dimeo-Ediger, Founder, RoleCall
What are the most pressing challenges facing those of us working in talent attraction?
Say it with us now: Housing! Child care! Diversity and Inclusion!
This panel discussion will bring together experts on these critical issues to share thoughts, tips, and visions, and provide ample space for audience discussion and Q&A. Let’s tackle these issues together.
