In this issue . . .
AUGUST 2019
Ambassador Profile Member News Calendar of Events New Members Ribbon cuttings
Talent Attraction and Retention in the Digital Age By David Eckmann, President/CEO
F
or the foreseeable future, attracting and retaining talent will be a persistent challenge for all organizations, large and small, throughout every industry sector. Like most of Wisconsin, the greater Wausau region faces a significant demographic shift in which we are not replacing working age cohorts, losing significant numbers of our younger generations, and facing increasing retirements of baby boomers. This will be a decades-long challenge. In today’s digital age, our communities – our businesses – require a tool to assist their efforts in attracting and retaining people. As we moved through the construction of the Greater Wausau Region Economic Development Strategic Plan, and with input from many business members, it became very clear that our community was not positioned with a strong central website to promote the high quality and value that our diverse communities offer, including educational assets, arts, culture, entertainment, and the abundance of activities that are found both in the metropolitan and rural areas of Marathon County. Tactic 1.2.1. of the Greater Wausau Region Economic Development Strategic Plan calls for a ‘comprehensive new talent attraction-retention website that is positioned
to market and promote the Wausau region as a desirable destination …’ In the spring of 2019, through a request for proposal (RFP) process, Amperage, a local marketing-website development firm, was hired to construct such a website. As we approach the latter part of 2019, Amperage is nearing completion of a comprehensive website that will be available to businesses for recruiting purposes and also available to those who are new to the area and looking to plug-in and connect with others in the region. The site will also offer useful features for the community at large. While the Greater Wausau talent attraction-retention website is designed to primarily serve our employers and communities by providing in-depth information about the area, the website will also serve as a platform for a comprehensive marketing and talent attraction campaign. If we are to compete for knowledgeable and skilled workforce in the age of talent scarcity, we, as a community, must begin to tell our story and promote the rich value that we offer. It is anticipated that the new website will be tested and introduced early this fall. The website will offer many points of engagement for businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and communities. Brian Otten, Marketing Director at the Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce, has been and will continue to communicate these opportunities for engagement and sponsorship placements.
www.wausauchamber.com