Grant County Receives National Media Attention for Housing Assistance Program Grant for Grads
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 (Marion, IN) – Thanks to Marion-Grant County Chamber of Commerce highlighting local talent attraction initiatives during a conversation with reporter David Harrison, the Wall Street Journal published the article “How Bad is the Labor Shortage? Cities Will Pay You to Move There,” and thus, catapulted Grant for Grads—a program that provides financial housing assistance to new Grant County residents—into national media attention.
In 2012, the Growth Council launched Grant for Grads in an effort to meet local employer’s needs: a skilled, well-trained workforce. Six years later, the program continues to help employers thrive, bringing in dozens of skilled workers each year across industry sectors.
The Monday following the Wall Street Journal’s article publication, reporter Derrick Thomas from Indianapolis Channel Six WRTV visited Grant County to interview Michelle Doyle, Matt Voss and Whitney Pyle, local residents who participated in the Grant for Grads program. The very next day, WOWO, an independent Fort Wayne radio station, interviewed Tim Eckerle about the program.
Shortly after, Fox Business News picked up the story. Fox initially published an article on the program and later visited Grant County to produce four live media segments and two recorded interviews. Producer Jason Racki and Fox Business News Host Jeff Flock spent the day filming with local employers Advanced Cabinet Systems, Halstead Architects, Café Valley, and the Economic Growth Council.
The following day, Indianapolis Channel Four CBS and Linked IN reporter Chip Cutter interviewed Victoria Herring, each respectively publishing an article on the Grant for Grads program.
Grant County’s time in the national media limelight has only enhanced the success of its talent attraction efforts. A household from Sarasota, Florida watched the segment on Fox Business News channel and as a result, called Phil Bowers, owner of Advanced Cabinet Systems, inquiring about a job and expressing a desired to relocate to Grant County. A couple from Missouri, after reading the Wall Street Journal article called the Growth Council office seeking a job in Grant County, desiring to relocate to the area. A household from Crystal Lake, Illinois read the Fox Business News article and sought the Growth Council’s assistance to find a job in Grant County.
Grant County’s talent attraction efforts have received national acclaim and people across the country are noticing. As labor shortages plague communities across the nation, Grant County seeks to help its employers thrive by recruiting a skilled workforce to its community.
Featured Media Links: Media Contact Info:
Wall Street Journal article Mikayla Marazzi
Indy Channel Six WRTV mmarazzi@grantcounty.com
Fox Business News article 765-618-2786
Fox Business News interview
Indianapolis Channel Four CBS
