The Talent and Economic Development (Ted) Department of Michigan announced the selection of Lansing-based Güd Marketing as its agency of record to lead the state’s talent recruitment efforts as part of a three-year campaign.

“We look forward to partnering with Güd Marketing to highlight the more than 811,000 high-wage, high-demand career opportunities in Michigan,” said Ted Chief Deputy Director Jeremy Hendges. “Their work has been instrumental in telling Michigan’s comeback story in years past, and we look forward to their expertise in continuing to change the conversation around Professional Trades, while helping showcase the amazing opportunities to live, work and play in the Great Lakes State.”

Projections by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives show Michigan’s rapidly aging workforce will experience a labor gap of more than 811,000 openings through 2024. Opportunities exist in several high-demand, high-wage careers in the information technology and computer science, health care, manufacturing and other business and Professional Trades industries.

“Michigan is at a talent pipeline crossroads – our state’s employers can’t fill jobs fast enough because of the lack of a sufficiently skilled workforce, and we’re eager to get started on improving the state’s talent landscape,” said Deb Horak, who co-owns Güd Marketing with Lisa Crumley.

“From agriculture to automotive and everything in between, Michigan has high-tech and innovative career opportunities no matter your skills or passions,” Horak said. “And with our state’s rich and diverse offerings in culture, hobbies, nature and more, there’s tremendous opportunity to put an emphasis on the ‘life’ in work-life balance.”

To address the growing talent gap issue, Ted chose Güd Marketing to develop and implement an integrated marketing, advertising, public relations and social media campaign and plan that will:

• Improve the perception, public awareness and visibility of career opportunities in Professional Trades in Michigan.
• Establish a perception of Michigan as a desirable place to live, work and play to retain and attract talent in the top career fields needed in the state.
• Promote Michigan as a global leader in talent retention, growth and attraction.
• Position Michigan as a home for high-tech industry and career opportunities.

Initiatives that Güd Marketing will direct as part of the campaign include such state programs as:

• The Marshall Plan for Talent, Michigan’s historic $100 million program lawmakers approved this spring to ensure the state can compete globally in the race for the most and best talent for in-demand careers.
• Going PRO, Michigan’s campaign to fill immediate Professional Trades job openings in Michigan from five sectors: automotive, advanced manufacturing, health care, IT/computer science and construction. In addition, the aim is to highlight numerous high-paying career options, from welders, millwrights and HVAC mechanics to massage therapists, medical sonographers and web developers.
• Choose Michigan, Michigan’s talent attraction campaign to retain current and future STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics – talent and attract high-quality STEAM talent to fill the hundreds of thousands of current and future in-demand career openings.
• Experience Sooner, a new statewide effort to promote awareness about the benefits of Professional Trades and apprenticeships.

Founded in 1978, Güd Marketing is a woman-owned, full-service advertising, marketing and public relations agency specializing in social marketing with headquarters in Lansing’s Old Town district and an office in Grand Rapids.

Güd Marketing has been honored with more than 250 industry awards of excellence over the past three decades and developed its business with an emphasis on working with organizations that serve and support a greater good in their communities – local, regional and national.