Insights from the Site Selectors Guild Fall Forum: Workforce and Attraction Strategies
Aspire recently attended the Site Selectors Guild Fall Forum, an event that brings together top site consultants and economic developers from across the US to discuss trends shaping corporate investment and community competitiveness.
Site selectors play a critical role in helping companies identify ideal locations for expansion or relocation decisions. Their analyses consider workforce availability, transportation accessibility, supply chain proximity, business climate, financial incentives, and real estate readiness, all factors that position communities like Johnson County for potential investment.
A key session presented by Lightcast, titled “The Rising Storm: Building a Future-Ready Workforce to Withstand the Looming Labor Shortage,” provided a look at labor force challenges ahead. The U.S. labor force is projected to grow by only 6.4 million workers between 2022 and 2032, the smallest increase on record. Factors such as Baby Boomer retirements, addiction and incarceration, and the impact of automation and artificial intelligence will significantly affect workforce participation across the nation.
These findings reinforce the importance of upskilling and reskilling current workers, competitive benchmarking of pay rates, and early engagement through programs like Aspire’s School to Work initiative. Connecting students and employers not only builds awareness of local career opportunities but also strengthens the long-term pipeline of skilled talent Johnson County needs to remain competitive.
Panel discussions also spotlighted innovative approaches communities are using to strengthen their workforce, ranging from high school internships and veteran recruitment to childcare access programs that help more residents participate in the labor force.
Another valuable session focused on how communities can stand out during site selection. Speakers emphasized the importance of telling your story effectively showcasing local assets in ways that align with company needs. Maintaining an up-to-date, data-rich website with clear differentiators, workforce statistics, and regional insights was highlighted as a key strategy to remain top-of-mind with consultants and corporate decision-makers.
The insights gleaned from this conference will provide a foundation for our strategic plan update action items. From asset identification and cluster mapping to developing strong marketing materials to tell our Johnson County story, these will all play a key role in the next chapter of Aspire’s economic development strategy moving forward.
For those interested in diving deeper, the full Lightcast report can be accessed here: The Rising Storm – Lightcast Report.