Coming Home
Explore the unique partnerships between businesses, tourism organizations, and educational institutions in the Great Lakes Bay Area.
Together, they are building a talent pipeline and making the region a magnet for skilled professionals.
In the Great Lakes Bay Area, Michigan, several organizations have been leading the charge regarding attracting and retaining talent. Our team met with Tony Stamas, President and CEO of the Midland Business Alliance.
The Midland Business Alliance is working on several initiatives including a thriving MyPros (Midland Young Professionals) group, the Alliance Awards scholarships, POWER UP Women’s Leadership Conference, job shadowing opportunities with Northwood University’s international students, ‘Talent Talks’ videos interviewing local businesses about their struggles and solutions and a video showcasing all Midland has to offer.
“None of those initiatives would have been possible without the Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention and Visitors Bureaus being a strong partner and telling the story of the region in a way that attracts new residents”, said Stamas.
Home is Where the Talent Is
Another interesting regional initiative in Great Lakes Bay Area is “Coming Home”, an effort to attract young professionals who have left the region back to the area.
With that, a website with resources branded and marketed as DiscoverGreatLakesBay.com, has been created to provide information to those individuals and serve as a platform for that initiative. The initiative focuses on networking, career coaching, and more importantly promoting the amenities and livability of the region and the wealth of opportunities.
Our team spoke with Jenee Velasquez, Executive Director of The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, who highlighted how useful the Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention and Visitors Bureaus’ materials are in assisting in recruiting talent. Velasquez told us about a recent search committee that she was part of to recruit a position for the Saginaw Valley State University and how the regional brand has helped in convincing the candidate to take the position.
Another anecdote Velasquez shared with us was about one of the Foundation’s grant partners moving to the region during the pandemic encouraged by the variety of recreational opportunities. He then moved his company and settled with his family after discovering what the Midland community was able to offer them.
The Destination Effect is a joint initiative by Destinations International and Tempest. To share your destination's success story, please email join@destinationeffect.com.
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