(WNY News Now) Chautauqua County’s Live CHQ branding effort gives local companies additional tools to draw in talent and fill openings.
In mid-November, an estimated 70 employers from throughout Chautauqua County attended a luncheon at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel that focused on the Live CHQ program. The event, which was hosted by the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) and the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), gave local employers more details about Chautauqua County’s new branding initiative and how it could support their efforts to hire people from outside Chautauqua County to fill available positions.
The Live CHQ talent attraction and retention campaign was started in April 2024 with the goal of promoting Chautauqua County as a great place to live, work, and conduct business by emphasizing the advantages and good things about living here. These advantages include our cultural and entertainment attractions, employment prospects, affordability, and a large selection of outdoor recreational experiences. The website LiveCHQ.org contains a large portion of the campaign’s messaging, and both traditional and digital media platforms are used to promote the website.
Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CEO of CCIDA, stated that while the main goal of Live CHQ is to promote our county to individuals outside of the Chautauqua Region, there is also an emphasis on encouraging local employers to use and benefit from the program for their own hiring efforts. We want every company, no matter how big or little, to know about the program and apply it in their own hiring practices, particularly when it comes to employing people from outside the area.
The CCIDA and CCPEG staff hosted the Live CHQ Workforce Development Luncheon on Nov. 18 to help local businesses and organizations better understand the campaign and all the resources available. The event was attended by many of the county’s largest employers as well as smaller professional businesses that frequently hire from outside the county. The newly formed CCPEG Workforce Ambassador program, the recently renovated Chautauqua County Relocation Guide, and several elements of the Live CHQ website were also covered at the luncheon. Copies of the Relocation Guide and other promotional materials were also given to them to help with job fairs and other recruitment-related activities.
To fill open positions, numerous area NGOs and companies require more experienced, talented, and qualified workers. Nate Aldrich, Chautauqua County Economic Development Coordinator and CCPEG Manager, stated, “We are urging the business community to use Live CHQ to help with their recruitment efforts, particularly for talent located outside of the area who may not be familiar with what Chautauqua County has to offer.”
Geise stated, “We were happy to hear from a number of attendees after the luncheon that they found it very beneficial and they plan to implement Live CHQ with their current recruitment efforts.” Additionally, we would be pleased to help individuals who were unable to attend with their recruitment efforts and to give them additional information about Live CHQ.
Employers can visit the Recruitment page at LiveCHQ.org or call the CCIDA office at 716-661-8900 to find out more about the resources offered by the Live CHQ program.