MBU Hosts Tricia Braun, COO of the WEDC
On Thursday morning, September 13, MBU hosted a Business Community Breakfast featuring Tricia Braun, deputy secretary and chief operating officer for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation(WEDC). WEDC is a public-private agency whose mission is to advance and maximize opportunities in Wisconsin for businesses, communities and people to thrive in a globally competitive environment.
The event brought Watertown community members, local business professionals, MBU students, faculty, and staff together in the Maranatha Baptist University Dining Complex.
UW-River Falls graduate, Tricia Braun, employs her 20 years of experience in economic development leadership to help guide and oversee the marketing strategies of In Wisconsin. During Braun’s presentation, she specifically discussed how her team plans to market Wisconsin and bring people and businesses from other states to join the growing workforce and economy.
Think-Make-Happen
After discussing the stereotypical challenges that Wisconsin faces when retaining and attracting individuals and businesses, she explained the need for a brand platform that could showcase what Wisconsin really has to offer.
Braun stated, “…we haven’t done a good job talking about ourselves and talking about all the really great things that Wisconsin is and should be known for. This need led to the creation of In Wisconsin, a platform for everyone to start showcasing the assets that make Wisconsin a good place to have your career, have your life, or your business.”
She went on to describe that of this challenge, the slogan ‘Think-Make-Happen’ was born. “The idea is, it’s not just a WEDC brand platform, it’s not just a Wisconsin brand platform, but it could be said about Watertown…all of the elements that are going into this are true, credible and meaningful, and so it’s something that could be shared.”
In Wisconsin’s website reads, “In Wisconsin, you’re free to think bigger, encouraged to make your mark, and poised for great things to happen. Our culture and traditions fuel discovery and create opportunities for personal and professional fulfillment.”
Braun then explained the three target markets that In Wisconsin pursues to grow the workforce and economy. Those target groups include Midwest Millennials, Wisconsin Alumni, and Transitioning Veterans.
“We focused on those individuals that are in these phases of life where they are making decisions about where they want to have their careers, where they want to put their roots and get invested in their communities…”
Targeting Midwest Millennials
Braun explained that brand messages, campaigns, and ads are in the process of being planned and built. Examples of marketing messages towards Midwest Millennials proclaim Wisconsin’s opportunities for education, work-life balance, high-technical careers, and affordable cultural activities. She hopes that these messages have an opportunity to make a difference in this specific target audience.
Wisconsin Alumni
Braun shared, “Wisconsin does better than most when it comes to retaining our college graduates, but we want to be our best at bringing the other ones back.” For this reason, In Wisconsin showcases alumni testimonials on their website and hopes these stories can bring awareness and show how people have found success back in the areas they went to school.
Transitioning Veterans
By targeting transitioning veterans, Braun explained that In Wisconsin has the opportunity to partner with Hiring our Heroes and attend trade shows for hiring veterans. At these events, In Wisconsin’s teams are able to talk to veterans about quality of life and job opportunities and walk them through the website that shows the different regions, schools, and companies in Wisconsin.
Braun states, “We want to show that they have the ability to be part of a community, part of something special that’s a part of our fabric and what is important to us as Wisconsinites.”
In closing, Braun shared an inspirational video that portrayed the target messages that the program, In Wisconsin, hopes to spread in order to generate traffic to their websites and programs.
The breakfast concluded with a question and answer time.
To watch the video recording of this breakfast, go here.