2026
Talent Attraction Summit

Placemaking and talent attraction are two sides of the same strategy: creating environments where people can forge meaningful connections, build careers, and genuinely belong. Discover how strengthening your sense of place improves quality of life and drives economic vitality by giving talent the reasons and relationships they need to thrive and become rooted in your community.

You'll walk away with ideas to invest in your sense of place as soon as you get home.

Brandye's bio:
Brandye Merriweather is President of the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation (BUDC) - making her the first black woman to lead an economic development agency in Western New York. BUDC leads
several development projects and initiatives that are furthering Buffalo’s resurgence. Some of BUDCs major initiatives include the Buffalo’s Race For Place effort which focuses on talent attraction through placemaking, vibrant streetscapes and improved accessibility, walkability with Buffalo’s downtown and
waterfront area while enhancing connections of adjacent neighborhoods to the East and West of the city center. Brandye also created the Queen City Pop Up Project, downtown’s first pop up retail program. This program encourages retail in downtown Buffalo by transforming vacant spaces into vibrant retail shops that feature local retailers -- with over 85% of participants being minority or women owned businesses.

Tired of fighting the “war for talent”? Good news — the reinforcements have already landed.

This session takes a light-hearted but data-driven look at how transitioning service members can become a community’s best workforce strategy. We’ll connect the dots between military precision and Main Street prosperity, showing how veteran relocation, housing, and employer engagement can turn bases into boomtowns. Expect less jargon, more laughs, and plenty of actionable takeaways — including how to translate “mission readiness” into “market readiness.” From DD-214s to GDP, this session breaks down how veterans bring skills, families, and paychecks that strengthen the local economy. You’ll leave ready to deploy your own pipeline strategy — and maybe retire a few acronyms while you’re at it.

Steve's bio:
Steve is a recognized subject matter expert in Military/Veteran talent attraction at the national, state, and local level. Plus he likes to dance when no one is watching and love like he has never been hurt.

When you’re trying to reach Gen Z and younger millennials, talent attraction marketing can’t just show up; it has to show out.

In Greenville, North Carolina, the marketing and talent programming team at Invest Greenville, decided to level up with influencer-driven, short-form video storytelling… and the ROI seriously slaps. Through a strategic partnership with Salary Transparent Street, a social media advocacy channel with 3+ million followers, Greenville’s digital talent campaign pulled more than 17 million views in just three months: big numbers, no cap. The videos highlighted over 30 professionals living and working in Greenville-Pitt County, giving attendees the real tea on salaries, earning potential, career pathways, and quality of life.

In this session, you’ll learn what works, what’s worth the hype, and how your community can tap into creator-style content to attract the talent of tomorrow.

Maria's bio:
Maria Satira is an award-winning communications leader who knows how to make communities stand out. As vice president of marketing and talent programming for Invest Greenville, she leads bold, data-driven campaigns that showcase the area as a fast-rising destination for business growth, career opportunities, and exceptional quality of life. Since joining the organization in 2020, Maria has transformed local storytelling by blending her decade of experience as a morning news anchor with innovative marketing strategies. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, she now lives in Greenville with her husband, two daughters, and two rescue dogs.

The 43North Foundation knew they wanted to create a storytelling engine that was distinctly Buffalo, based on their observation that most successful innovation economies have a central narrative engine that creates a sense of movement and progress. The result was Series B(uffalo), an omnichannel digital platform that combines elements of journalism and marketing.

Series B editor-in-chief Dan Miner will take us behind-the-scenes of the creation strategy for the platform, a process which included identifying the key places where social-cultural-political conversations are happening, analyzing Buffalo's innovation story on those platforms, choosing key audience groups, engaging locally-based stakeholders as believers and content creators, developing KPIs and finally in crafting a diverse editorial calendar that incorporates all the elements of New Buffalo.

Dan's bio:
Dan Miner is the VP of storytelling for the 43North Foundation and editor-in-chief of its media platform. That platform, Series B(uffalo), features stories about progress and momentum in Buffalo across its website, social channels and newsletter. Dan is a former award-winning business journalist who specialized in covering startup companies and venture capital. Following his journalism career, Dan spent three years on the Univeristy at Buffalo's Startup Ventures team. Dan joined the 43North Foundation in June 2025 and officially launched Series B in January 2026.

Media coverage is one of your most powerful talent attraction tools. Learn how to pitch stories that resonate with reporters, secure coverage that builds community credibility and pride, and leverage positive press into sustained momentum for both attracting and retaining talent.

April's bio:
With 30 years of experience marketing places and a talent for crafting compelling narratives, April founded Violet PR in 2010. Passionate about working with civic leaders, economic developers and entrepreneurs, she is dedicated to helping communities thrive and grow.

An expert in economic and real estate development, April has led public relations campaigns for states including New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Georgia and North Carolina, as well as metro areas such as Newark, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Savannah and Kansas City. She has orchestrated hundreds of media interviews for governors, mayors, CEOs and industry leaders, elevating the profiles of cities, states, developments and organizations.

Media coverage is one of your most powerful talent attraction tools. Learn how to pitch stories that resonate with reporters, secure coverage that builds community credibility and pride, and leverage positive press into sustained momentum for both attracting and retaining talent.

Whitney's bio:
Whitney Martin is the Program Director of Made for Rockford, a high-touch talent attraction initiative under the region’s tourism bureau. An Emmy-nominated and multi–Associated Press award-winning journalist, Whitney built her career uncovering the stories that shape communities. Today, she applies that same storytelling expertise to help Rockford attract, retain, and connect talent in meaningful ways. Known for her deep understanding of narrative, human behavior, and place-based marketing, Whitney bridges media and community development with authenticity, strategy, and purpose, helping others see that talent attraction is ultimately about connection.