Recruitment event draws Bay Area workers, media

Bouyed by a successful effort to begin recruiting skilled workers in the Bay Area, employers from Reno and Sparks this week will talk about their next steps.

More than 100 workers in the Bay Area showed up last week at an event at San Francisco's Ferry Building to learn more about the possibilities of working for Reno-area companies.

"They were serious job seekers. They had a mission in attending this event," said Gail Conkey, director of marketing for the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. EDAWN spearheaded organization of the event at which 16 major employers from the region participated.

Many participants came from software or financial companies, Conkey said. Those are among workers that are particularly coveted by northern Nevada employers.

Lorna Shepard, whose Red Dog Consulting has provided the research that underpins the recruitment effort, said most of the attendees at the event are currently employed. That's usually a very difficult group to attract.

They were open, Shepard said, to hearing the pitch of Reno-Tahoe companies: That northern Nevada is a place where folks can grow their careers while maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Organizers provided them with data comparing housing, utility and other costs in northern Nevada with those in the Bay Area.

The event drew attention far beyond the confines of the Ferry Building.

Both Yahoo and CNN Money gave Internet coverage to the event, an Associated Press article was distributed nationally and a San Francisco television station, KPIX, planned to air a story.

In all, 15 media stories appeared on the event, said Julie Ardito who oversees public relations for EDAWN.

Most of the folks who attended, however, learned about the event dubbed "Beers and Careers with Reno/Tahoe" through social media and many were alerted to the event by an e-mail forwarded from a friend or family member.

Next up for organizers is a decision about the next event. Shepard's research has identified a handful of cities around the country with pools of skilled workers that might be targeted. Or it's possible, Conkey said, that the campaign might hit the Bay Area a second time.

At the same time, EDAWN plans to host an event this summer to help employers learn how to recruit graduates from the University of Nevada, Reno, as well as Truckee Meadows Community College and Western Nevada College.

Ardito said the availability of skilled workers has been identified as a critical concern by companies looking to relocated to the area as well as expanding companies.