A concise report aimed at constructing a framework around the current economic trends in Columbus, Georgia. We suggest two strategies. First, leveraging new multimedia platforms to spotlight the attributes of Columbus, GA most attractive to business site selectors. Second, establishing a program aimed at engaging idle youth in the community through a mixture of brief academic and experiential opportunities.
Project Amplify | Talent Aquisition & Cultivation in Columbus, Georgia
1. 1
Talent Acquisition &
Cultivation in Columbus,
Georgia
PROJECT AMPLIFY
503.780.4248
Anderson.aidan.t@gmail.com
503.780.4248
Anderson.aidan.t@gmail.com
Aidan T. Anderson
Sharvil P. Patel
July 2019
Aidan T. Anderson
Sharvil P. Patel
July 2019
3. 3
Executive Summary
Columbus has one of the strongest economies in the state of Georgia and is forecasted to sustain
growth in the short- and medium-term; however, long-term economic growth is threatened by
Columbus’s undiversified economy, prevalent skills gap, and low labor force participation rate.
To combat these trends, we propose a two-pillar plan to attract new businesses and new talent
while also growing talent locally. Specifically, we hope to leverage new data analytics tools,
marketing strategies, and workforce development programs to revitalize the Columbus
economy. Historically, these programs have created substantial benefits in other cities, and we
hope to use the lessons they teach to improve our city.
The first pillar of our proposal relates to Columbus, GA as a brand. Many talented youths within
Columbus misunderstand the opportunities and recreational activities offered in the city.
Furthermore, the national perception of Columbus is not one conducive to talent attraction.
Thus, we propose that the Columbus Consolidated Government leverage multimedia platforms
to spotlight its most optimistic features and trends. Such platforms include YouTube,
Instagram, and Facebook. Though some social media presence exists, that presence should be
intensified. Alternately, we also propose several amendments to Columbus’s website(s).
Beyond the need for an aesthetic, digital facelift, we recommend incorporating a simple and
visual dashboard highlighting the most optimistic trends here in Columbus. Such an addition
would facilitate research for potential residents and employers, as well as promoting current
residents’ pride in their community.
The second pillar of our proposal focuses on workforce development. Despite Columbus’s
positive economic forecasts, youth employment and college matriculation rates are less
optimistic. Thus, we propose establishing a workforce development program with academic
and experiential components. The academic component of this program would teach the skills
local business report are most in demand. The experiential component would mimic an
apprenticeship or internship to crystallize the academic knowledge gained in a classroom
setting. Completing this program will earn participants a certificate from a partnering academic
institution to signal career readiness—however, the ultimate goal of this program is assisting
participants in advancing their job prospects.
4. 4
Introduction
An Overview of Columbus
Columbus is an economic powerhouse in the state of Georgia with much growth still coming. A
2019 report predicted strong job growth at upwards of 1,000 jobs in the upcoming year and
strong entrepreneurial activities; however, these positive trends are not unfettered1. The report
continues to describe the main drawbacks and potential downfalls of the Columbus economy—
mainly, a lack of economic diversification. A large portion of the economy is dependent upon
finance-sector, leisure industry, and defense-related jobs. Exacerbating Columbus’s
concentrated economic state is the heavy outflow of potential workers and entrepreneurs, an
over-representation of undereducated workers, and a dearth of high-tech employment
opportunities. For example, 16% of Columbus’s 16 to 24-year old population is not in school or
working2. These trends are troubling, considering the macro-economy is increasingly being
driven by the technology sector, and if Columbus wishes to join the tech-sector bandwagon, it
is imperative to address a workforce skills gap and a staunch perception that emanates from it.
Despite the current state of Columbus’ workforce, emerging trends appear more optimistic.
Colleges and universities in our area produce about 3,600 graduates annually (a number that
has been growing) and software and IT industry growth have grown 20% in five years. We have
a growing biomedical sector and strong projected job growth3. Capitalizing on these
opportunities to diversify our local economy and modernize our workforce.
Current Solutions
While Columbus has invested a significant amount of money into developing various economic
programs, Columbus’s Regional Prosperity Initiative is our largest and most recent attempt to
promote Columbus’s growth. Guided by community public, private, and non-profit leaders, the
initiative has constructed a comprehensive Community and Economic Development Strategy
around three principles: increasing prosperity, reducing poverty, and improving the quality of
life for all residents in Greater Columbus. By 2025, Columbus’s Regional Prosperity Initiative
aims to implement strategic objectives in five areas: (1) Talented, Educated People; (2)
Targeted Economic Growth; (3) An Enterprising Culture; (4) Vibrant and Connected Places;
5. 5
(5) A Cohesive Image and Identity. While the project has not been completed, areas for
cooperation still exist, especially with local population engagement.
Preliminary SWOT Analysis
Strengths • Strong job growth outlook
• Stout university system
• Superior high school graduation rates
• Low cost of living
Weaknesses • Lack of economic diversification
• Few high-tech jobs
• Inaccurate perception of Columbus
• Net population outflow
Opportunities • Marketing Uptown’s vibrant culture
• Capitalizing on the strong k-12 education system
• Fort Benning Center of Innovation
• An Uptick in entrepreneurial activity
Threats • Low college matriculation rates
• Youth’s perception of ColGa
• Lack of advanced workers
• Crime rates
Proposal
We propose a two-pronged plan to revitalize Columbus’s image and growth plan. Our first
prong would help reinvigorate Columbus’s marketing strategy to better attract and retain
talent, and our second prong would help grow talent in Columbus, especially by targeting at-
risk and traditionally underserved populations.
1. Marketing Strategy
After a thorough examination of the academic evidence surrounding place branding, we
concluded with several takeaways. Foremost, there appears to be a divergence between what
government leaders and business leaders view as effective place branding1. Thus, we sought to
anchor our strategy in the common ground for the two groups. Such common ground is
displayed in Figure 1.
6. 6
Table A
Figure A
Figure 1. Table displaying place branding priorities between local government officials and
business employees (A). Visualization of convergences and divergences between government
and corporate place branding priorities (B).
7. 7
Our marketing strategy focuses on identifying unique benefits that Columbus has to offer (e.g.
investment in Uptown, fine dining, the RiverWalk, etc.) and on combating the negative aspects
that Columbus may have (e.g. high crime rates). To begin this process, we want to mine data
from review boards and social media sites where potential talent may look to learn about
Columbus. Then, we will apply a computer-based natural language processing techniques to
analyze and visualize the common words, phrases, and sentiments used to characterize
Columbus, GA2. Afterward, we would devise a strategy to market Columbus’s most positive
element and to address the elements receiving the most negative feedback. We have four
specific suggestions for bolstering Columbus’s marketing campaign:
1. Implement a community dashboard which highlights important growth trends and
elements of Columbus that make it a great place to work in (Figure 2)3;
2. Produce a series of YouTube videos highlighting cultural highlights of Columbus and
the population’s diversity (specific elements include incorporating local musicians, “a
day in the life'' series, and showcasing local businesses and restaurants)4;
3. Consolidate the wide array of Columbus’s websites and social media presence into one
unified front that helps convey a specific narrative5;
4. Establish a youth-operated blog that complements the video series and narrative that
Columbus wants to build6.
Our first steps would be conducting the NLP analysis process and holding a meeting for
stakeholders from various sectors of Columbus to elucidate the most impactful narrative for
this project to carry forward. An essential component of our strategy is to involve citizens,
especially young ones, in revitalizing the Columbus brand. Changes in sentiment cannot
happen without allowing them to actively participate in this process (e.g. during video design
and/or blog writing).
A.
8. 8
B.
Figure 2. Example of a community dashboard for Austin, TX with (A) showing the
overarching view of their 17 indicators and (B) showing an example of one specific indicator,
crime.
1.1. Evaluation System
To measure the effectiveness of these branding efforts’ we will gauge material engagement—
clicks, views, and likes. Higher engagement would disseminate a more optimistic and positive
outlook on Columbus, which would begin counteracting the pervasive and less optimistic views
of Columbus currently held by many demographics. Alternately, we would re-conduct
sentiment analysis at regular intervals to track any improvements in how Columbus is regarded
by the media and the public. Finally, we could track tourism trends and survey new businesses
and young professionals to see if our branding program is influential.
1.2. Benefits
Brand awareness can have a significant impact on attracting business investment, talent, and
tourism, which are all significant components of any economy. Brand awareness in business
settings has empirically been shown to win ⅓ of all business7. On a larger scale, brand
marketing in the US has had massive economic benefits including an ROI of $27.70 and a $4.1
billion increase in visitor spending for various branding targets8. Though these figures are not
9. 9
specific to Columbus, they convey that place branding expenditures are effective and
worthwhile.
1.3. Costs
The costs of our marketing strategy are contingent upon stakeholder’s preferences for which
elements of this strategy to pursue. Despite that caveat, we project the bottom line for
implementing our marketing strategy to be low. Columbus’s Regional Prosperity Initiative had
a total budget over $5 million, with $1.8 million being used for marketing purposes9. Potential
costs may cover:
• NLP software from Amazon Web Services;
• Stipends for video producers and potentially musicians;
• Payments for website management platform;
• Dashboard developer costs.
2. Mentoring Pipeline
We want to create a mentoring pipeline as the second part of our plan. This pipeline would be
tailored to currently underserved populations, a largely missed opportunity in many
educational plans10. After identifying at-risk populations, our plan (in collaboration with local
business partners) would help create a summer and/or after-school extracurricular program to
teach students hard and soft skills (e.g. designing a LinkedIn profile, drafting a resume,
preparing for interviews, etc.) that would make them more attractive candidates for jobs and
also help them be more productive members of Columbus’ economic fabric. Subsequently, we
will help these students place into apprenticeships, mentorships, or internships based on
mutual interest between the students and the participating partners. These programs may also
help identify new potential places for investment or development, such as natural sciences
research programs.
2.1. Evaluation System
This program’s evaluation would require a long-term approach, but suggested outcomes to
monitor would include employer and student survey scores, employee retention rates, and
secondary and post-secondary success (e.g. graduation rates, college matriculation, etc.).
10. 10
2.2. Benefits
The benefits of a strong apprenticeship program are consequential. While creating long-term
growth and increasing labor force participation, cities investing in strong educational programs
signal their commitment to sustainable growth policies, which can play an important role in a
business’s decision to expand into a city.11 Moreover, the economic impact of these programs is
substantial. A recent literature review identified benefits for all parties involved in workforce
development programs, including a $7,200 earnings premium and being 18% more likely to
earn professional certifications for participants; 5-25% ROI, lower recruitment costs, and
higher retention for companies; $35 total societal benefit for every $1 dollar invested.12
Moreover, municipal programs targeting underserved students have been especially helpful at
increasing graduation rates and enrollment for higher education.10
2.3. Costs
Costs for this program would depend on how exactly the pipeline is designed and what
components stakeholders want to include. Potential costs could include:
• Stipends for teachers in the extracurricular courses
• Recruiting costs for companies
• Potential scholarships for participating students
Conclusion
Our proposed program addresses two components of a highly dependent economy. For long-
term growth, Columbus must attract new talent, expand novel industries, and grow local talent.
By having a multi-faceted plan that creates a cohesive cultural and economic brand for
Columbus and then showing tangible steps towards that via workforce development, we could
create an economy that is attractive to new investors, potential residents, and current citizens.
Other cities have taken advantage of these opportunities with great success—we should as well.
11. 11
References
1. Cleave E, Arku G, Sadler R, Gillilan J. The role of place branding in local and regional
economic development: Bridging the gap between policy and practicality. Regional Science.
2015;3(1):207-228.
2. Grandi R, Neri F. Sentiment Analysis and City Branding. In: Catania B, Cerquitelli T,
Chiusano S, et al., eds. New Trends in Databases and Information Systems. Advances in
Intelligent Systems and Computing. Springer International Publishing; 2014:339-349.
3. Studer Q. 15 Tips for Attracting Business Investment to Your Community. Real Trends.
https://www.realtrends.com/blog/attracting-business/. Published May 16, 2018. Accessed
June 25, 2019.
4. Gresham T. The Importance of YouTube in Marketing. Chron.
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-youtube-marketing-28734.html. Accessed
June 25, 2019.
5. Douglas SP, Craig CS, Nijssen EJ. Integrating Branding Strategy across Markets: Building
International Brand Architecture. Journal of International Marketing. 2001;9(2):97-114.
6. Place Brand Observer. 5-Step Approach to Place Branding: Guide for Place Developers and
Brand Managers. Place Brand Observer. January 2015. https://placebrandobserver.com/five-
step-place-branding-approach/. Accessed June 25, 2019.
7. Rafferty B. The future of branding: A better way to assess brand ROI. B2B Marketing.
https://www.b2bmarketing.net/en/resources/blog/future-branding-better-way-assess-
brand-roi. Published March 24, 2017. Accessed June 25, 2019.
8. Oxford Economics. The Return on Investment of Brand USA Marketing. Brand USA; 2017:41.
9. Market Street Services Inc. Phase 4: Implementation Plan.; 2016:48.
10. Becker J. Success Boston, Boston, Massachusetts: Widening College Participation Among
Boston Public Schools Students. In: Supporting Postsecondary Student Success: An IHEP
12. 12
Tactical Guidebook. Institute for Higher Education Policy.
http://www.ihep.org/guidebook/studentsupports/chapter/one. Accessed June 29, 2019.
11. Wogan J. Can Apprenticeships Train the Workforce of the Future? States Hope So.
Governing. https://www.governing.com/topics/mgmt/gov-work-study-student-debt-
apprenticeships.html. Accessed July 1, 2019.
12. Gambin L, Hogarth T, Brown A. Review of Apprenticeships Research: A summary of research
published since 2010. Institute for Employment Research University of Warwick, UK. 2012.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275339035_Review_of_Apprenticeships_Resear
ch_A_summary_of_research_published_since_2010. Accessed June 29, 2019.
