Featured photo: Attendees of the inaugural RoleCall Talent Attraction Summit listen to a
guided mural tour of downtown Flint. Summit attendees included economic development and convention and visitor’s bureau staff from 16 U.S. states.
Written by Tanya Terry
Flint is embarking on a bigger resurgence than has been seen in a quite a while, according to Briana Mosier, director of Organizational Development at the Flint & Genesee Group.
“I think people are taking a look at Flint and Genesee County in a way they haven’t in quite some time, and I think it’s really exciting not only for our workforce and our residents, but people who might be looking to make a change by coming into our community and being part of that energy,” Mosier added.
Fittingly, Tim Carty, co-founder of RoleCall, said at a recent summit held in Flint economic developers talked about things that affected individuals’ decisions about where to relocate. Topics included childcare, housing, diversity and community inclusion and military and veteran retention and attraction.
“There’s major conference cities: Vegas, Orlando, Dallas, New Orleans; people go to places like that all the time for conferences,” Carty said. “We wanted to have a place where people were like: ‘Why Flint?’ So we had an opportunity to really talk about all this great stuff that’s going on here. We absolutely love it. It deserves to have the story told in a different way from people all over the country.”
The summit pumped thousands of dollars into Flint’s regional economy with attendees shopping and dining out at more than a half dozen local businesses, including Cafe Rhema, Churchill’s Food & Spirits, Mad Hatter, Sauce Italian American Kitchen and Torch Bar and Grill.
RoleCall, an Iowa-based talent attraction and community and economic development agency, helped organize the conference. RoleCall’s work across the county is focused on how to bring in new residents, get them connected with jobs and get them connected to the community The Flint and Genesee Group, a community organization committed to developing business, talent and place, also partnered with RoleCall to make the summit possible.
The summit took place in downtown Flint from June 11-14.
“We really wanted to showcase Flint and this area and this special community,” said Winona Dimeo-Ediger, the other co-founder of RoleCall.
“This is a place that is really doing the work in a really innovate way, and a place we think deserves a deeper look and helping people understand it in a deeper way,” Dimeo-Ediger added.
the inaugural Talent Attraction Summit on June 13, 2023, in Flint.
Speakers with expertise in the areas highlighted were featured to talk about things they do in their work that impacts attracting talent. There was a mix of large groups, panel discussions and breakout sessions. Participants were stationed at the Hilton Garden Inn. Events were also hosted at the Flint Institute of the Arts, Durant-Dort Factory One and The Flint Farmers Market, as well as other locations throughout the city. This allowed participants to mingle with residents and people working downtown.
Approximately 50 attendees came from 16 states, including Michigan, Iowa, California, Illinois, Alabama, North Dakota, South Dakota and Maine. According to Carty, applicants were selected who are passionate about economic and community development and are trying to do things in new and innovative ways.
Mosier said she was excited that attendees will become community ambassadors for Flint, able to go back to their own communities and share the experiences they had in the area.
Last year the State of Michigan said they would invest $10 million into talent attraction. Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II announced in March that the Great Lakes State was kicking off the nation’s largest-ever campaign to promote careers and recruit talent to fill jobs in Michigan’s surging electric vehicle (EV) and transportation mobility sector. According to information made available by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan has more than 3,000 jobs available this year in the EV and mobility sector alone.
“For us it’s really exciting for us to have such a focused conference,” stated Mosier. “Typically at economic development conferences, people run the gamut of all topics that go into the work. But to have a place where we come together and talk solely about talent attraction is special!”
Mosier pointed out that this month Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the appointment of Hilary Doe as Michigan’s chief growth officer, the first chief growth officer in the nation. Doe will address the challenge of population loss within Michigan.
The Flint and Genesee Group, in partnership with the City of Flint, launched Forward Together. The vision of the project is for Flint to become a top-five community in the state by the year 2040.
Mosier is actively engaged in the community serving the Friends of Berston Fieldhouse and the Flint & Genesee Young Professionals.
“Not only are we trying to get people connected to jobs and connected to their community, but we’re trying to get them involved in their community,” Mosier explained. “We’re trying to talk to professionals around the county and say: ‘These are the ways I am involved in my local community.’ These are the things you might want to encourage incoming residents to do as well. Board service has been a huge part of that to me-not only in growing my network, but helping to give back to a community that I care so much about!”
This was the first time the national summit was held. The representatives from RoleCall said it will likely become an annual event, which will move around the country.
