What if talent attraction looked less like marketing and more like matchmaking? On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Whitney Martin, program director of GoRockford's Made for Rockford campaign, a high-touch talent attraction program in Rockford, Illinois.  From guided tours for job candidates to custom welcome gifts and personalized text invites to community mixers, Made for Rockford takes a refreshingly human approach to helping newcomers feel at home. Operating under the tourism bureau, this program leans into Rockford's "five-to-nine" lifestyle, as much as its "nine-to-five" opportunities, by building connections through collaboration, ambassadors and authentic storytelling.  On this episode, Patience and Whitney dig into why relationships are driving relocation, how Rockford's partners have rallied around this effort, how a small team can effectively manage a talent program and why sometimes the smallest gestures, like handing a parent a list of local softball coaches, can make the biggest impact.  If you're looking for inspiration on how to keep your talent campaign personal and impactful, this conversation offers a playbook for creating programs that scale through authenticity, partnerships and human connection. 

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