By Aaron Gantz, Senior Director of Economic Development
At the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA), we recognize that one of our community’s most important assets are the people who live, work, learn and play here. We also recognize that our community’s ability to successfully attract and retain talent in Berks County is just as critical as the attraction, retention and growth of our business community. The success of both people and businesses are deeply interconnected.
In 2019, the GRCA established the Meet Greater Reading platform – a website, a social presence and an annual printed and digital publication that has told a story about why it is great to live, learn, work and play in Greater Reading. Parallel to talent attraction and retention marketing, we have continued to tell a story about why our community is a great place to do business.
In both talent marketing and economic development marketing, GRCA works to position the community as a desirable location for both people and businesses to grow and thrive here. And while location is critical – and we have a great northeast United States location – we have a bigger story to tell than a place on a map. Greater Reading is a community where diversity is one of our greatest assets – in industry, in people, in housing and in cultural amenities.
In addition to sharing the stories of both people and companies in the community, we will continue to tell a story through a consumable, data-forward approach. This includes sourcing data from a variety of sources to highlight industry-specific information, workforce highlights, and showcasing the lower cost of living through a quantifiable number – the Cost-of-Living Index (COLI). All of this allows both people and businesses to make informed decisions about their next steps.
We have been hard at work behind the scenes combining the digital assets of SelectGreaterReading.com with MeetGreaterReading.com – but it goes even deeper than the website. This stronger and more robust messaging represents unified strategies around workforce development and economic development. The social media messaging and annual publication will showcase all that is next and best in our community – the benefits of living, working, learning, and growing your business right here in Greater Reading.
As our community’s story evolves, we look forward to sharing it with you and people beyond Berks County’s borders – we invite you to Meet Greater Reading.
Stay tuned for the new website at MeetGreaterReading.com.