The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce launched a talent recruitment initiative today called Uncommon Life. The goal of the program is to help St. Joseph businesses attract new employees to St. Joseph and help retain those who are already here.
“Business success is largely driven by the quality of its employees,” said R. Patt Lilly, President and CEO of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. “Local companies often tell us they have a difficult time filling positions with qualified candidates because they’ve never heard of St. Joseph, or don’t know what the city has to offer. The new talent recruitment program gives business leaders the tools they need to recruit employees and new residents to St. Joseph.”
According to the Missouri Chamber Workforce 2030 plan, nationwide there are 75 million Baby Boomers, with 10,000 of those hitting retirement age every day for the next 11 years. This is a huge concern for employers in St. Joseph. Communities that invest in strategic workforce development and retention initiatives will win the job war. The Chamber wants St. Joseph to be one of those places.
About 50 human resources officials from a variety of companies attended the launch of Uncommon Life today at Room 108 and were introduced to the tools, which include:
— A website, uncommonlife.saintjoseph.com, that features testimonials from new St. Joseph residents talking about what they like about our city; examples of things to do; stories of uncommon amenities and information about schools, housing, employers and more.
— Community tours for job candidates
— Gift baskets of St. Joseph merchandise and information
— Positive Language Campaign, which highlights encouraging words to describe St. Joseph
— Welcome Rallies, which are fun events for new residents to learn about businesses and resources
— Uncommon Connect Icebreakers, which are social events, both large and small, to encourage new friendships and build connections between newcomes and current residents.
— New Executive Welcome, which is an annual event to honor new company leaders
— A Facebook group for new St. Joseph residents to ask questions about their new city
— A webpage that summarizes all of the tools for HR professionals
The program aligns with the Imagine St. Joseph 2040 initiative, which also was discussed. The St. Joseph School District updated the group on the importance of Strive for Five (attendance program) and Pat Modlin, downtown entrepreneur, gave a recap of downtown revitalization efforts.
The event was presented by IMKO Workforce Solutions and BMS Logistics, Inc.