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09.15.09 - SMARTT network connects with Over 30,000 area alumni this fall
(Eau Claire, WI) - This month, the SMARTT Network will be contacting over 30,000 alumni from four of the region's higher education institutions to let them know about opportunities in Western Wisconsin. The campaign is part of the overall marketing strategy of the SMARTT Network, a program to connect people to opportunities in the Western Wisconsin region, whether it's for employment, business ventures, or advancing early-stage technologies.
"We have developed partnerships with four of our region's higher education institutions to manage relationships with talented individuals who have connections to Western Wisconsin," says Brian Doudna, executive director of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation, which developed the SMARTT Network.
Higher education institutions involved with the SMARTT Network include Chippewa Valley Technical College, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College. UW-River Falls and UW-Barron will be approached in 2009 to participate.
"This program provides a terrific opportunity for our alumni who are looking for employment opportunities in the Chippewa Valley," says John Bachmeier, director of alumni relations at UW-Eau Claire.
"[Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College] is extremely excited to be a SMARTT Network partner," says Bob Meyer, president of WITC. "SMARTT is a vital link between our graduates and the many exciting business and technology-based career opportunities that are emerging in the region."
Businesses also have a unique opportunity to reach a qualified candidate pool for their talent recruitment efforts.
"Subscribers to the SMARTT Network can really benefit from this campaign by reaching a new audience of people who have existing connections to Western Wisconsin," says Doudna. "The Web site reduces many relocation barriers for individuals and their families."
Additionally, profiles on the SMARTT Network help brand the region as a preferred place to accomplish one's personal and professional opportunities.
"By becoming part of the SMARTT Network, companies are saying 'Yes, we have great opportunities in Western Wisconsin.' Their presence provides visibility and lets people know that not only do we have great quality of life, but that we also have great companies."
The SMARTT Network is a program of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit, public/private sector partnership that facilitates the growth of quality job opportunities by working with entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities seeking to create, retain, and expand quality jobs in the Eau Claire area.
For more information about the SMARTT Network, please visit www.smarttnetwork.com.
07.28.09 - Financial Services Firm Locates in Eau Claire, Brings Jobs
(Eau Claire, WI) - RAI Stone Group, LLC, a financial services firm out of Minneapolis, is locating a corporate operations office in Eau Claire this month. The company has leased office space located at 3504 Oakwood Mall Drive.
The company's location in Eau Claire will bring an anticipated 50 jobs to the community over the next three years. The positions being hired immediately include Business Operations Analysts and Accounting Assistants.
"We plan on hiring five to seven positions immediately, and then will hire more as the company grows."
(Submit your resume here)
RAI Stone has been using the SMARTT Network, a regional program of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC), to search for immediate candidates and will continue to utilize the tool as the company grows.
"RAI Stone used the SMARTT Network to validate the available talent pool in the region prior to committing to locate here," says Brian Doudna, executive director of the Eau Claire Area EDC. "Their company profile on the network allows individuals to learn more about the business and submit information directly to the company. Individuals can also create a confidential skills profile to augment their employment search with other companies located in the region."
05.13.09 - Over 100 Technologies Available for Licensing on the SMARTT Network
Eau Claire, WI - May 13, 2009 - Over 100 technologies are now available for licensing on the SMARTT® Network (www.smarttnetwork.com). Visitors can browse through a variety of innovative technologies; the list of technologies covers bio-agriculture, bio-energy, medical device, chemicals and others. Possible applications for these technologies include cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, building materials, and food additives
The SMARTT Network is a program of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC) that connects people with economic opportunities in Western Wisconsin. The EDC has an agreement with the Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation (CATI) of Racine to list their 300+ technologies on the SMARTT Network by June 2009.
"One of the biggest impediments to economic growth is often the ability to bring together the three components of value-added business development: capital; talent; and ideas," says Matt Wagner, Executive Director of CATI. "The SMARTT Network provides the forum to bridge those three elements in an accelerated fashion."
11.25.08 - New online talent management tool launches
Eau Claire, WI, November 25, 2008 - The Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC) launches the SMARTT NetworkTM today, an online network that connects people to career, technology, and business opportunities in Western Wisconsin. Development of the SMARTT Network was funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce Community-Based Economic Development (CBED) program.
The SMARTT Network (a Strategy for Marketing and Recruiting Top Talent) was designed with the help of businesses and individuals who have experienced the limitations of existing services. HR professionals from companies like Realityworks, Xcel Energy, Manpower, Luther Midelfort, KRM Information Systems, Phillips Plastics, and Hutchinson Technology, as well as representatives from UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, and CVTC, participated in product development to ensure that the tool would be usable and efficient for their recruitment efforts.
For Teresa Ritzinger, HR Director at HTI, the SMARTT Network fills an unmet need. "The connection to the community, the ability to build relationships and the ability to act when the opportunity is right are the key things to me," she says. Ritzinger notes that her greatest recruitment successes have been with people who have previous ties to the community. The SMARTT Network will allow area employers and the region to build relationships with individuals through monthly communications.
Another element of the Network that appeals to her, says Ritzinger, is the ability to connect with passive candidates. "I want to attract people who are already employed," she admits. "But how do I even know they're looking?" The SMARTT Network helps candidates find opportunities while maintaining confidentiality. The ability to create profiles that focus on specific skills, rather than personal details (e.g. name or employer) allows candidates to explore new options without risk.
"Having been a Chamber and EDC director in other areas and having heard the recruitment needs of businesses this region, I've seen the limitations that existing tools have," says Doudna. "The SMARTT Network is really focused on relationship building," he says. "In addition to current residents, we're reaching out to individuals who grew up in Western Wisconsin, went to college here, or have some other personal connection. Those are the people most likely to return and stay for the right opportunity when it becomes available."
The SMARTT Network includes a statistics-driven relocation section, providing a wealth of information for those who want to come back to the area. Scott Hodek, with the Department of Workforce Development, says this would have been a great tool for him not that long ago. "I moved to Oregon and worked there as an economist for a couple of years and then decided to come back," he says. "If I had had a resource like [the SMARTT Network] it would have made coming back to the Midwest a lot easier."
Area educational institutions will play an important role in informing people like Hodek about the SMARTT Network by providing a connection to alumni and students.
"We have had great support from educational institutions, who are helping us reach out to alumni and students," says Doudna. "We are also currently working on developing marketing campaigns and building relationships with talent."
In addition to talent recruitment, the SMARTT Network also provides numerous technologies that are available for licensing, as well as a section for listing/viewing business opportunities, such as franchises and new/next generation ownership. These tools are designed to spur growth of early-stage and existing companies in the region.
The SMARTT Network serves a 60 mile radius of Eau Claire, the region's employment hub.
For additional information about the SMARTT Network, please contact Erin Trowbridge at 715.834.0070 or go online to www.smarttnetwork.com.
Regional news about the SMARTT Network
July 2009
Three Local Programs You Must Know
Local and regional services for job hunters and entrepreneurs
1. Career Services at UWEC...
2. Jump Start Downtown...
3. SMARTT Network
When it comes to looking for a job, there are several ways to get your name out there. One new option is through the Smartt Network, an online talent recruitment database that connects talent to career-, business-, and technology-based opportunities in Western Wisconsin. "It's a confidential skills database, where you can market your skills," said Brian Doudna, executive director of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation. "So if you think you are underemployed or are looking for that next opportunity or seeking advancement, you can market your skills on the Smartt Network through a skills résumé."
Read full story from Volume One
January 2009
MAKING SMARTT CONNECTIONS - A new tool links talent with area businesses
Somewhere, there is a Chippewa Valley native who wants to come home. And all around the Chippewa Valley are companies that want to fill key positions with someone who is likely to stick around for a while. To bring those people together is one of the goals behind the Smartt Network, a new online talent management tool developed by the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation.
The project is in its infancy, being launched in November 2008. The ultimate goals are to help companies meet their needs to recruit new talent and at the same time provide an avenue by which talent can return to or stay in the Chippewa Valley.
In this way, the program can stimulate business growth, help early-stage businesses, and build connections between businesses and talent outside the area.
December 2008
From The West Side on Wisconsin Public Radio: Western Wisconsin businesses have a new way to attract talent to the region. The SMARTT Network is an online, anonymous, searchable database of people with needed skills who might be interested in moving back to where they were educated. Guests include Executive Director of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation, Brian Doudna; Regional Economist with the Dept. of Workforce Development, Scott Hodek; and President of Realityworks, Inc., Timm Boettcher.
Listen
November 2008
From the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram: http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-business.asp?id=BIFR1FQUGUN
From WEAU.com: http://www.weau.com/13newsatnoonand5/headlines/35089429.html
From Volume One Magazine: http://volumeone.org/magazine/articles/225/Get_Smartt.html
October 2008
From the Stoutonia (UW-Stout): http://media.www.stoutonia.com/media/storage/paper1199/news/2008/10/30/News/The-Smartt.Network-3515059.shtml
From the Spectator (UWEC): http://media.www.spectatornews.com/media/storage/paper218/news/2008/10/02/News/Graduate.Smartt-3465962.shtml
Media Kit
Members of the press/media can contact Caitlin Conley regarding any inquiries about the SMARTT Network.
800.944.2449 or email: talent@smarttnetwork.com
Request hard copy of media kit
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