Growing up in an era that preceded the smart phone, Google Maps, GPS devices, and turn by turn navigation instructions coming through your vehicle, there were these parchments of paper that were folded and kept in vehicles called maps. There was a tremendous amount of information contained on a map—interstates, roads, rivers, parks, forests, and towns.
The size of the town, and the travel amenities that might be possible there were indicated by the size of the dot marking the town’s location. The smaller the dot, the smaller the community. The larger the dot, the larger the community equaling increased opportunities to find the amenities and services you might need as you travel.
The Challenge
So, what do you do if you are a small dot in a remote area looking to grow? You get creative.
The City of Monett, Missouri is located in southwest Missouri between Springfield and Joplin, about 10 miles south of Interstate 44. The community’s resident population is 8,000, however, the community has a large industry presence and is an employment destination for many in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas. There are dozens of large industries in the community all looking to grow and add employees.
The local businesses approached the City and their economic development team to help in their efforts to find entry and mid level professionals to work in their businesses. Engineers, accountants, IT technicians, QC managers, and HR personnel were extremely difficult to attract.
Mayor Mike Brownsberger knows that the community will prosper and grow as the businesses find success. “The City and our local businesses are partners working to achieve economic prosperity that is mutually beneficial,” said Mayor Brownsberger, “and when businesses are faced with a challenge, we want to work collaboratively with them to address it so they can maximize their success in our community.”
The Solution and Results
The Location Strategies team at MarksNelson helped the community develop and launch a “Move to Monett” campaign to be used by local businesses in their efforts to attract the talent that would enable their businesses to grow. It was designed for local businesses to use as they were recruiting workers from outside the region. The campaign highlighted the benefits and value of living and working in this community.
The campaign has been used by businesses of all sizes in the community to help them attract needed talent, has spurred new residential developments, and has enabled the local companies to continue to grow.
It shows potential employees that there is a lot more to this community than just a dot on the map.
While new talent is exploring Monett, you can discover how our location strategies team can help your community thrive or how your business can find its next successful location.
