Loading
The brain drain story is a well-told one in towns and regions throughout the west coast of Florida, and it's particularly acute in the Sarasota-Bradenton market.
In an ongoing effort to reverse the drain, the Gulf Coast CEO Forum and a consortium of companies recently teamed up to create Gulf Coast Millennials in Motion. The main goal of the program: Keep bright, young intern talent in the area, rather than losing them to full-time jobs in bigger cities. Officials with the CEO Forum say the program is an extension of BIG: Bright Ideas on the Gulf Coast, and a good start at addressing a major workforce issue.
“With BIG, our mission is to interact with students on the Gulf Coast and connect them with companies here, and vice versa,” CEO Forum administrative director Mary Darby Guidroz says in a statement. “We thought this would fit nicely with our mission and Gulf Coast Millennials in Motion.”
The group recently held its first intern mixer, on the fourth floor rooftop patio of S-One Holdings Corp's downtown Sarasota headquarters. About 55 interns from companies in Millennials in Motion, including S-One; Sarasota-based Boar's Head; Bradenton-based Bealls; Venice-based Tervis; Bradenton-based IMG Academy; and Sarasota-based Kerkering Barberio attended the mixer. The group formed, the release states, when Kerkering Barberio recruiter Camille Norman approached the CEO Forum for ideas on how to keep young people in town.
“The idea with the rooftop tailgate was not necessarily professional development,” Guidroz says, “but a chance for the interns to get together for an event that was supported by their organization.”
The next intern mixer is scheduled for July 12 at IMG, for a lunch and learn, tour and a bit of athletic competition. Companies interested in Gulf Coast Millennials in Motion can email [email protected].
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
