Associated invests in social architecture strategies to attract and retain local talent

Associated Bank announced on January 29 a yearlong partnership with NEWaukee to increase young professional community engagement and development in the city of Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin as an innovative approach to talent attraction and retention.

The goal of the partnership is employee retention, increased city vibrancy and company branding. Associated and NEWaukee will use this opportunity to stimulate the Associated employee base in southeastern Wisconsin and to create a sense of community within the company’s local operations. NEWaukee, the city’s leading social architecture firm, will implement a customized process of talent engagement through disruptive, social collisions; the result of which will produce stronger connections between Associated employees and the community.

“At Associated, we invest in our colleagues and allow them to apply their talent and grow as individuals, both personally and professionally,” said John A. Utz, executive vice president and head of specialized financial services group at Associated. “We strive to develop leaders that earn the respect and admiration of communities like Milwaukee and we are confident that NEWaukee will be able to help our colleagues to network and engage with other young professionals in the community.”

“Talent retention is not an issue that is exclusive to one company or one industry,” explains Angela Damiani, president of NEWaukee. “It is a citywide reality that every local employer must face. We believe that the solution can be found through a proactive and innovative approach to talent attraction through community engagement. NEWaukee is proud to work with Associated to develop a program that will do exactly that.”

Associated and NEWaukee continue to build on a strong relationship. Beginning in 2013, Associated has partnered with NEWaukee to support a wide-range of events and community-centered priorities. In addition to supporting this year-long initiative, Associated has supported Young Professional Week, Lunar Series and the Urban Island Beach Party.

“We strive to meet our community’s local needs by becoming involved with great organizations such as NEWaukee. With over 5,000 colleagues, we recognize that our colleagues are well-entrenched in organizations throughout our footprint,” said Utz. “Our visions and values support both our colleagues and our communities.”

View the article in the Milwaukee Business Journal.