May 31, 2019 - Sarah Lubeck
Genomics, defense, tech, and software that's changing the way people around the world live - San Diego is known for a lot of different things. So how do we ensure we stand out among other regions around the world, while simultaneously being known as a good region to live and work?
To answer this question, we went straight to the experts: the brand alliance. The San Diego Brand Alliance is a group of HR & marketing folks at San Diego's tech and life sciences companies that meet quarterly to advise on the San Diego: Life. Changing. campaign.
During a panel at San Diego Startup Week, they spoke directly to the strengths and challenges of attracting and retaining talent in San Diego.
Here's what we learned from them:
"When I first considered moving to San Diego… it was about beaches, boards, and burritos. Ten years later, it is about brilliance, bravery, and balance," said James White, who described himself as a 20 year veteran of strategy, UX, and design thinking, and now leads marketing at LunaDNA.
We know what you're going to say - this one is obvious, but it's something many other regions have missed.
As moderator Mark Cafferty pointed out, "When we sat down with Qualcomm and asked them what we could do to help, they told us we needed to tell people about the other companies and startups here."
"From a marketing perspective, we're trying to convince people that this is not just an opportunity at our company, but that their career doesn't necessarily end here," said Michele Maley, marketing manager at Shield AI
Simply put, more companies mean more opportunity, and people need to know about them. That's exactly why we created the San Diego: Life. Changing. company map.
"We have some of the finest universities in computer science, computer engineering, and hardware engineering," said Charles Logston, director of engineering Aira, a tech company that empowers the blind and low vision community. Charles was also able to leverage his connections at previous employers including Walmart Labs, Intuit, and Northrop Grumman to find skilled individuals that were looking to pivot to a meaningful startup.
We've come a long way as a region, but we still have a ways to go. And we're okay with that. From mobility to cost of living, we have some challenges that we're focusing on to make the region and even better place to live and work.
Thank you to our panelists and to Startup San Diego for giving us a platform to tell the #SDlifechanging story.
Leave a Reply