Providing a connection or some helpful information – as economic development professionals, that’s what we do. Every day, again and again we support company growth and a healthy, diversified economy. That includes support for strong global leaders like Microsoft (For those who might not know, Microsoft has a large presence in Fargo with roughly 1600 team members).
Recently, Microsoft hosted roundtables with community organizations and universities to talk about recruitment and retention of employees and students to the community. The goal of the roundtables was to help “gain a greater understanding of those available resources to help people quickly and proactively acclimate to the community.”
At the EDC, we work hard to fill any gaps and support recruitment and retention. We have several programs and initiatives like our LiveinFargo.com site. We partner with companies to provide tours for their candidates. We throw two FM Welcome Parties a year to welcome people to the area. There’s more, but you get the idea.
The meeting was a great way for Microsoft leaders to hear about what we do. It also gave us an opportunity to brainstorm ways that Microsoft and our community can do more to support their employees (and of course any good ideas could potentially support other companies’ retention efforts).
The community is full of fun things to do from museums to sporting events to the FM Opera.
Workforce is a big need for many area employers and can be a barrier to growth. Finding and retaining the right talent can require thinking outside of the box, coming up with unique solutions and partnering with others in the community.
The GFMEDC is one organization happy to support and brainstorm solutions to support recruitment and retention.
We’re grateful for companies like Microsoft that lead the way bringing people together to share ideas and collaborate to connect new people to the community.
