For the past few months, Envision Greater Fond du Lac has been hard at work promoting their program, MakeMyMove. This program incentivizes people from out of the state to move to Fond du Lac County.
History Behind the Program
Fond du Lac County is facing a population problem that is not unique to the county or even Wisconsin. Envision Greater Fond du Lac has heard from many businesses that there simply aren’t enough people to fill job positions. For these businesses to stay open, and eventually grow, they need to be sure that a work force is available to keep them running.
During COVID, impact modeling was used, and they discovered that about 2,400 positions were open in Fond du Lac County. Compared to the population at the time, even if every able bodied person in the county worked, there would be positions open still.
Five years ago, Envision released the worker relocation incentive program. Unfortunately it didn’t get as much traction as they hoped. Though the program is still running.
Recently, the state of Wisconsin created a grant through Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Envision received $346,000. Along with other donations, they now have a half a million dollar talent attraction campaign.
The Program
The MakeMyMove program focuses on talent attraction, meaning they are looking for capable workers and families to stay in Fond du Lac County for the foreseeable future.
“We officially launched this in May and we kind of went viral at the end of June across the country,” said Sadie Howell, President and CEO at Envision Greater Fond du Lac.
In just five months, they have welcomed 17 households, totaling 47 people. One of those families moved to Campbellsport. With the current program, they are able to move 32 households into the county.
But it isn’t just about Fond du Lac itself. Howell said, “What we have been making sure of is that when we are interacting with potential movers, we are letting them know about all of the communities in the county, not just the city of Fond du Lac.”
When people fill out an application, they mention the lifestyle, quality of life and amenities they want to have in their future home. In the applications, Howell said that they are looking for communities like Campbellsport and Eden. Many people want that small town feel and community.
While the demand is there for people who want to live in small communities, the budget isn’t always available.
“The Village of Campbellsport, the Village of Eden, would never have a budget that they would be able to use to attract this amount of people. So this is the value that Envision brings to our rural communities, being able to showcase Campbellsport and Eden on a national level,” Howell mentioned.
MakeMyMove gives cash and an experience package as part of the compensation. In the experience package, the families pick certain activities they would like to do. Abel Dairy in Eden is a common pick. Those who pick their experience enjoy a farm tour and lunch on the farm.
Howell explained, “We have had a number of individuals choose that. A lot of them are coming from Washington, Arizona, Texas, Connecticut and so they haven’t experienced a working dairy farm. So being able to go on Abel Dairy and see where your milk comes from and how it all plays into our ecosystem is super cool.”
Keeping connected with the community once they move is a vital part of the program. Envision likes to make sure they introduce them and make their new town feel like home.
Those interested in learning more can visit their website at https://www.envisiongreaterfdl.com/make-my-move/.
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