As you know, economic development is experiencing a dramatic shift. In recent years, those of us in the industry have placed most of our focus on project attraction and retention. At Brand Acceleration, we’ve been cranking out new websites at a breakneck pace, selling the business assets of communities and regions across the nation. While websites are still a big part of what we do, we find ourselves helping communities with workforce and retail attraction, now more than ever.
Multimedia, social media, and video campaigns are a huge parts of what we do. With unemployment rates at or below three percent in many places, workforce attraction, community development, and other quality of life efforts are the new norm.
A common thread that runs through most of our client communities is the need and desire for business startups. Entrepreneurs are everywhere, from maker spaces and retail, to breweries, parts fabricators, tech/engineering/bio, and countless others. These are at the core of efforts to attract and retain skilled workers, especially young professionals. Attracting and retaining millennials is a challenge we confront every day on behalf or our client communities even the nearby smoke shop.
The startup movement is impacting our company, too. Like any business, we are shifting to better serve the needs of our clients. We’ve already added new skills to our team, including videographers, social media managers, and others we didn’t have just a few years ago. Simply focusing on building websites and brochures, while still very important, is no longer enough. We’ve recognized the need to be much broader and deeper.
We’re also adding to our business attraction team. Over the next twelve to eighteen months, we expect to add several people in this category. Our challenge, just like employers in your community, is finding just the right people. We’re looking for entrepreneurs; people who have that “be my own boss” spirit and a hunger for success. Your typical sales person is probably not going to work. For the right person, we will help him or her get started, providing training, support, and systems for success. We’ll even help establish relationships with other businesses that compliment what we do, creating an even deeper opportunity for financial and career accomplishment. If you, or someone you know, fits this description, send them my way.
So, just like you and employers in your area, we are working to recruit excellent people to our team. Our ideal person may not be the most popular in the room or at the party. We don’t care about board positions or association participation that might stifle activity. For us, the mission is to recruit a team equally passionate for excellence. People with hunger and a personal desire for success. People who will serve our clients with integrity, honesty, and incredible professionalism.
