Encouraging relocation through authentic talent attraction

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

August 10, 2026

FOND DU LAC – Envision Greater Fond du Lac is looking to bring 32 new families to the county through a partnership with MakeMyMove, a nationwide relocation marketplace.

Envision President and CEO Sadie Howell said the initiative aims to address ongoing workforce needs by attracting new residents to the area. 

“We have known for years that talent attraction has been an issue for our employers,” she said. “Population growth [has been] steady, but nothing that would really give employers a great feeling that we’re going to have a big enough workforce in the future.”

As talent attraction and workforce retention challenges continue to impact employers across industries, Howell said Fond du Lac County’s declining birth rate adds another layer of concern for area companies. 

“Our birth rate was not really contributing to the growth,” she said. “It was really net migration – people moving into Fond du Lac County.”

Though its partnership with MakeMyMove is new, Howell said this isn’t the first time Envision has attempted to market Fond du Lac to individuals or families interested in relocating.

“Five years ago, we actually launched our worker relocation incentive program,” she said. “That was a partnership between Fond du Lac County and us. Employers could offer up to $15,000 to somebody to come and live and work in Fond du Lac County… for a year – [and afterward], we would reimburse [the employer] half of whatever they offered… using some sales tax dollars.”

Fast-forward to roughly one year ago, Howell said MakeMyMove reached out to Envision – asking how the program went.

After telling them that, unfortunately, it “never took off the way” they had hoped, Howell said MakeMyMove offered their expertise in marketing and advertising relocation programs.

“They said, ‘This is what we do…, what you’re missing is us,’” she said.

By way of introduction between MakeMyMove and Fond du Lac County’s Wisconsin State Representative, Howell said discussions ensued with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to secure funding.

“Fast-forward again, the State Legislature put $5 million into WEDC as a grant program, then we applied for it and received $346,000,” she said. “Envision matched $100,000, and then – with our local businesses being in-kind contributors for the experience packages – it [comes to] a half-million-dollar talent-attraction campaign.”

Though a lofty ticket price, Howell said results of the program’s application period are encouraging, with the ultimate goal being the relocation of 32 families to Fond du Lac County.

“It’s crazy how much this has blown up and [has received] national attention,” she said. “[When the application through MakeMyMove went live] May 14, we had 1,700 people who have expressed interest in [moving to] Fond du Lac County.”

Encouraging confidence

At the time of her interview with The Business News, Howell said 900 of the 1,700 interested parties submitted applications, and 700 came back as meeting the program’s eligibility criteria.

“Some of those eligibility requirements [are] $55,000 or more income outside the State of Wisconsin, and then they do have to pass the criminal background check,” she said.

Out of the 700 eligible applicants, Howell said Envision began “actively engaging with” roughly 50 of them daily. 

“They’re not coming with a remote position, and they need to secure a written job offer [as well] to be eligible, so they are actively looking for jobs,” she said. “We’re matching them with employers. They’re interviewing. We’re introducing them to realtors to look for either a rental or to purchase a home, and that is all being done by Netalya [Challoner] on our team – and she is really busy.”

Because Envision’s first iteration of a relocation program received next to no attention, Howell said she was “shocked” the rollout of its MakeMyMove application “blew up locally.”

“That was surprising, but our members and our investors in Envision have been very supportive,” she said. “This is what Envision was built for. We are here to tackle the large issues that face our entire county that one business alone can’t solve. We bring people together to do it, so [we’ve received] no negativity and real excitement from our members.”

Local businesses and organizations’ enthusiasm for contributing to the new community member experience packages, Howell said, has also been reassuring for Envision amid some community backlash.

“When we were building the experience packages and [asking], maybe the YMCA [to donate] membership, or a dinner out at The Forager, or giving tours on your bison farm, we overwhelmingly heard, ‘Absolutely, [we] want to be the first people to welcome new families here – rolling out the red carpet and showing people why this is a great place to live,’” she said.

Howell said she hopes businesses with concerns regarding Fond du Lac County’s talent pool will see Envision’s efforts with MakeMyMove and understand their voices have been heard.

“As the economic development organization, as the chamber, if we start thinking longer term…, when a business is deciding, ‘Am I going to make a multi-million dollar investment here [that’s] going to take 10-20 years for it to pay off?’ – these are long-term decisions they’re making,” she said. “We need to make sure they can feel confident they will have a workforce in the future [so] they say, ‘Yes, I want to continue to grow my business here.’”

‘Doing a little bit in different ways’

Howell said the program has already drawn interest from individuals and families in states including Illinois, Texas and Arizona – with local media coverage helping build awareness during the early application phase. 

“It was a lot quieter rollout in the beginning,” she said. “Then, as we and [MakeMyMove] started to advertise it more…, one [media outlet] picked it up, and then it was like this domino effect. All of a sudden, we were getting called and emailed [by] all these news stations, radio stations, newspapers. Homes.com [even] reached out to interview us – it was so awesome.”

During an informational session in early July, Howell said Envision presented some preliminary media coverage data from MakeMyMove – boasting a potential reach of more than 710 million unique visitors to the Fond du Lac program page.

“The people who founded MakeMyMove are some of the same folks that helped found Angie’s List,” Howell said. “They have the expertise, and cracked the nut of getting our information in front of the right people.”

By creating authentic community experience packages for potential new residents, Howell said MakeMyMove was able to discern and target those who would enjoy what Fond du Lac has to offer.

“They use all of that [information] and say ‘here’s your target audience,’” she said. “I honestly don’t know, but somehow they know that Lily Smith in Kentucky – based on what she searches for in [and] her persona – fits with Fond du Lac County. Then, Fond du Lac County pops up on her news feeds, and she clicks.”

The organic nature in which interested parties discover Fond du Lac County, Howell said, leads to their genuine interest in relocation.

“The people who have come through the pipeline who we are interacting with are all genuinely excited,” she said. “They’re saying, ‘This is what I’m looking for in my new home.’”

Though 32 families relocating to Fond du Lac County won’t “solve everything,” Howell said the program and its resulting exposure for the area is a step in the right direction.

“This is part of doing a little bit in different ways that will bring more people [to Fond du Lac] overall,” she said.