An event was held last month to help bring young professionals, who lived in Galesburg before moving away for employment or school, back to town to showcase the city and all it has to offer.
Re:Connect was put together by the Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development and the Galesburg Area Chamber of Commerce and held at the Orpheum Theater on November 21st.
Jessica Linder, Executive Director of the Chamber, tells WGIL that Re-Connect was created in response to the battle for talent across the U.S.
“Both of our organizations strategically are really pivoting ourselves and focusing on helping our companies that are here to recruit those folks and help them retain,” Lindor said. “This is just an extension of that. That we created this program to connect people that are here and coming home for the holidays, back to their community. Kind of a ‘hey, while you were out, welcome home.'”
Linder, tells WGIL that feedback from the young professionals returning to Galesburg was really good.
Speakers at Re-Connect, which operated like a casual happy hour style event, included Knox County Brewing Company co-owner Matt Hansen, Carl Sandburg College President Dr. Seamus Reilly, and Knox College’s Director of Government and Community Relations Karrie Heartlein.
Linder says that the Chamber’s Young Professionals Network was there as well to greet those returning to town.
