LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 18, 2018) – Greater Louisville Inc.’s “Live In Lou” team this month officially began the city’s first ambassador program in partnership with the Bingham Fellows Class of 2017. The City Champs’ pilot program trained 22 professionals to be resources for people who have recently moved to Louisville or are considering a move to the area.
“This is an important portion of our strategy to get more people to make their homes here and stay here,” said Lisa Bajorinas, GLI’s vice president of Entrepreneurship & Talent. “We identified a gap in the marketplace for job recruiters to make genuine connections for job candidates and with the help of the Bingham Fellows, this program is now up and running.”
Research conducted by GLI’s “Live In Lou” talent attraction, retention and development program revealed that the top reasons new residents choose to stay in an area where they moved is because of ease of acclimation and fit with the city. The purpose of the City Champs program is to recruit and train a group of brand ambassadors who are diverse in background, ethnicity, industry, religion and interests, and provide an opportunity for potential and/or new residents to connect with people like them. The goal is for the program to be a resource to ease a new resident’s transition, and create a sense of fit within the city. Additionally, the program will provide an opportunity for new residents to ‘test the waters.’
“I think it says a lot about a city in that we have two great organizations prioritizing making new people feel welcome here. It’s really an extension of Louisville’s welcoming spirit,” Jeanne Hilt, inaugural City Champ, said. “I wish they would have had a program like City Champs when I moved to Louisville in 1994. I am very proud and excited to be a part of launching City Champs as I have grown to love this city, and I look forward to sharing my personal experience with others considering a move to Louisville.”
City Champs receive extensive training on the Louisville region and are then available to be contacted by people new in town with similar interests. Those interests can range from hobbies to taste in food to family status.
“The hope is that transplants will be comfortable reaching out to Champs with whom they share similar interests to ask real questions about living in Louisville and get valuable, authentic answers,” said Mike Fine, 2017 Bingham Fellow.
The first round of City Champs training is now complete. The pilot matching program will run through October. Individuals interested in becoming City Champs, promoting the program or participating in other talent initiatives promoting Louisville should email [email protected]. GLI is also actively recruiting businesses with potential new hires who would like to use City Champs to further their hiring efforts.
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