Press Release
The Norfolk Area Recruiters’ efforts are starting to pay off.
Though less than a year old, the volunteer-driven group, which aims to convince former residents of Northeast Nebraska between the ages 27 and 33 to return to live and work, has already succeeded in bringing back four people to the area.
That was the report Monday to members of the city council’s Finance Committee by Jay Knobbe, the insurance agent who helped start the venture.
The group sent out its first recruitment letter in July and originally set a first-year goal of bringing back three families, he said, so it’s already ahead of pace. The recruiters also are in touch with another five to seven families.
In 30 days, the organization’s Web site has recorded 1,110 hits, another indication of interest.
The city council has provided funds to enable the recruiters to hire a full-time director, Kim Wilcox. She works with 13 teams of 55 volunteers who have jobs ranging from sending out letters to visiting one area town once a month to spread the word of the effort.
A goal of establishing partnerships with colleges and other groups has paid off in contacts with the Peter Kiewit Institute in Omaha. The institute has committed to providing 10 to 12 internships annually in Northeast Nebraska, Knobbe said, which could prove to be attractive to former residents looking to move back.
A representative from the institute will meet Thursday, Sept. 29, at Northeast Commu-nity College to explain the benefits of its internship program to 36 businesses and industries that have been invited to a luncheon. Knobbe said such internships usually have resulted in two or three job offers in other communities.
Harvey Perlman, chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, asked what the university could do to help. As a result, Norfolk Area Recruiters job listings and internships now also will be posted on the UNL Web site, Knobbe said. And Wayne State College has asked the recruiters to send a representative to its job fair.
He invited area businesses and groups to post their job listings on the Norfolk Area Recruiters Web site at www. norfolkarea.org.
Businesses also are helping with costs. Affiliated Foods, for example, covered the $5,000 expense of the first mailing to former residents, Knobbe said.
“We want to bring back future leaders . . . with new, fresh ideas,’’ he said.
He also said word is being spread to area towns, with particular interest being shown by Albion and West Point.
During the meeting, the recruiters heard encouraging words from city officials. Councilman Dave Fauss commended Knobbe and the other organization volunteers, while Mayor Gordon Adams said the volunteers are demonstrating a high level of enthusiasm.
- Story Courtesy of the Norfolk Daily News
