For a ‘Greater’ Cause: Local Businesses Team Up to Promote Regional Job Market
GFMEDC, along with eight local vendors, launch massive marketing campaign to attract healthcare and manufacturing workers to N.D.
Fargo, N.D., January 09, 2024 – In late 2022, the North Dakota Department of Commerce awarded nearly half a million dollars to the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corp. (GFMEDC) to launch a large-scale campaign aimed at attracting much-needed healthcare and manufacturing workers to the metropolitan area and adjoining counties that are part of the regional labor shed.
While the worker shortage is a regional and statewide concern, it’s also a national challenge. Our region has faced a long-term workforce challenge evidenced by a low unemployment rate and thousands of open jobs (40,000 in August 2023) in North Dakota as well as the Fargo Moorhead MSA. That, in addition to increased competition across the nation, has created a critical challenge that needs to be addressed by the community.
That’s where the GFMEDC stepped in, bringing its all-for-one mentality to overcome this (locally) universal problem. The organization has been serving the region’s economic development needs for more than 75 years. Its primary goal is to attract, retain, and expand business and job opportunities within the metro area.
With funding secured, the GFMEDC assembled a consortium of eight local and national marketing, media, and advertising agencies to work together toward the common good, with each company bringing its own unique expertise to the effort. Starting with focus groups and market research in February 2023, work continued through the rest of the year developing the “Regional Talent Attraction Campaign” to attract out-of-state workers specifically for the healthcare and manufacturing industries.
“The greater Fargo region is a great place to live, work, or start a business,” said Joe Raso, President/CEO of the GFMEDC. “Unfortunately, we’re known more for our weather than our nine multi-billion dollar headquartered companies, $5 billion of new infrastructure investments, more than 20,000 students across five higher education institutions, or arguably a top 10 market for entreprensurship. Our region punches way above its weight class, and we just need people to take a look. To achieve our goal of attracting such skilled workers to the state, we’re going to work on changing perceptions and knee-jerk reactions.”
The campaign — launched in June, running through December 2024 — uses a range of data to strategically target eligible workers from out of state with digital ads and ongoing follow-up messaging. Communication continues until a person either applies for a job or meets with a liaison or local champion who will assist them with their needs in hopes of having them relocate to the region.
To learn more about the GFMEDC’s workforce initiative, visit:
