Attracting Talent Starts at Home
For the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of being invited to numerous planning meetings throughout the 757 area. In almost every room, the same pressing question inevitably surfaces:
"How do we attract great minds to our region, and what is our plan to retain them?"
I will be candid: this question has always bothered me. Usually, the answers float around the idea that we need to be proud of our region and intentionally avoid building our cities to mimic major metropolises like New York. While that mindset has merit, it only addresses half of the problem.
The Hometown Dream
Whenever I travel outside of the United States and meet fellow Americans, it is incredibly easy to spot the people who carry a deep, unwavering pride in their roots. A New Yorker will simply say, "I'm from New York," and those five words carry the weight of an entire culture. Kids growing up in New York dream about working for a company in New York.
Conversely, people in our area often dream of leaving to work for a company in New York.
We need a fundamental shift in our mindset. Before we can successfully attract the rest of the world, we must first focus on capturing the imagination of the talent already living in our area. We have to build companies that people dream of working for, right here at home.
Purpose & Community
Attracting talent isn't just about offering a job; it's about offering an environment rooted in shared values. Ultimately, this boils down to two simple concepts: purpose and community.
Today’s talent wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to work alongside people who share their beliefs and their drive. We see this truth in our client work constantly—whether we are designing brand moments that serve a mission larger than the brand itself, or hosting gatherings designed to feel less like events and more like celebrations of the community.
To cultivate this locally, we leaned into our core philosophy: we believe the strongest brands behave like great hosts. For many, business is transactional, but for us, business is a practice of hospitality, which means we treat our team with the same warmth you feel at a friend’s house who always makes you feel welcome.
We anchor our community in three commitments:
Mindfulness: We listen deeply to understand the true needs of our team.
Integrity: We hold space for honest, clear communication.
Kaizen: We believe in the constant, gentle improvement of everything we touch.
Embracing the Challenge
I think it deserves to be said: genuinely nurturing talent in our own backyard is not an easy endeavor. Today’s brilliant young minds understandably hold the business community to an incredibly high standard. As great hosts, our answer isn't to run from those expectations, but to embrace them wholeheartedly.
Great talent will inevitably challenge you. But just like our commitment to Kaizen, we welcome that friction as an opportunity to grow. Yes, they will challenge you, but they will also reward you with their dedication, creativity, and trust. When we build an environment that honors that dynamic, everyone wins together.
Six Years of Hospitality
Have A Good Day just turned 6 years old. I am incredibly proud to say that building a haven for local talent is exactly what we have accomplished over these past years. Anticipation, mindfulness, and service fuel everything.
By taking the time to build a solid foundation right here in the 757, we are now experiencing a natural evolution. We are beginning to attract incredible clients and top-tier talent from well beyond our region. It serves as proof that when you bring the discipline of design and the warmth of hospitality to every project, the right people will find you.
Attracting talent doesn't start with mimicking other cities. It starts with building great companies at home and staying until the experience feels right. After all, a good day for you is a good day for us.
