Efforts to recruit and retain workers in Pitt County have spawned a marketing campaign that touts the area's unique affordability and amenities, economic developers told local business leaders at the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce's November Power Luncheon.

The Greenville ENC Alliance economic development partnership launched Grow In Greenville to entice talent from outside the region to move here and encourage current residents, high school and community college graduates and East Carolina University students to stay here, Maria Satira, vice president of marketing and talent programming for the alliance, said at the luncheon on November 18.

Satira said the Greenville MSA has been nationally recognized for its affordability, quality of life and career possibilities. Livability Media named Greenville in its Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. last year, and USA Today ranked Greenville among the top three places to move in North Carolina, among other recognitions.

The Alliance has put up advertisements at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport to tout the area to potential workers. The group also puts out banner ads on all ECU transit buses about the benefits of living and working in Pitt County.

Satira said those campaigns are intended to direct target audiences to the Grow In Greenville website, which uses videos to showcase things like quality of life or the arts and entertainment scene. It also includes information on housing opportunities and provides cost comparisons between metro areas people are moving from like Raleigh, Charlotte, Boston, Massachusetts, and San Francisco, California.

The site includes day itineraries to help people map out a "perfect day," in Greenville and Pitt County, too.

Satira said the initiative needs to connect with the Gen Z market, which means partnering with influencers and leveraging social media content that is entertaining, creative and informative.

Last year, the Alliance contracted with the brand Salary Transparent Street, which has over 2 million followers across social media platforms, for a campaign featuring interviews with 30 area residents about their jobs, compensation and quality of life in the area. She said the videos netted over 17 million views and continue to grow.

Grow In Greenville has also launched a community navigator program that matches people who might move to the area with a current resident in a "similar stage of life" who can guide them and answer questions about life in Greenville. Satira said the program would have been a huge help for her when she moved here to work in local news.

"As new people begin to move to the area we need to ensure that they're happy here so they stay here," Satira said.

Moving forward, Satira said Grow In Greenville aims to further connect with Pitt Community College and Career Technical Education classes at Pitt County Schools. The initiative will also increase its engagement with the area's Tradesformers program, conduct one-on-one meetings with industry professionals and host newcomer and professional social events.

The group also plans to hold out-of-market career fairs, visit college campuses in target markets and create a specialized service for applicants being considered for C-Suite executive positions by local companies.

During a question and answer session, Satira was asked what makes people want to stay in Greenville or leave it. She said a lot of people, under the impression Greenville and Pitt County are "small," are surprised when they find out what the area has to offer. That includes the numerous public art displays and free events in the area.

People unfamiliar with the area are also surprised to see the large presence of ECU and Pitt Community College, Satira said. On the other hand, Satira said a lot of feedback has asked for more family-friendly events and more things to do outside of the workplace. That includes places to go that are not targeted at college students.

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Article courtesy of The Daily Reflector
Pat Gruner, Staff Writer