Milwaukee companies including Northwestern Mutual, Harley-Davidson, ManpowerGroup, Direct Supply and Wantable have hired a local podcast company to help with employee hiring efforts.
Experience Milwaukee LLC is highlighting these and other local employers through a new podcast and video series called "Work in MKE" aimed at recruiting and retaining talent in the city, according to a Wednesday announcement.
In producing each company's video and podcast episode, Experience Milwaukee collaborates with the human resources and marketing departments at each firm to craft content that matches the company's brand, Experience Milwaukee co-founder Steve Glynn said.
Each company will be featured on the Work in MKE website, which will link back to the company's hiring page. As part of the service, Experience Milwaukee is also running paid social media promotions for the companies, Glynn said.
The first episode in the new series highlights Wantable, a fast-growing e-commerce fashion brand founded in 2012 that has around 400 employees, about 300 of which are in the Milwaukee area. The video highlights the company's culture, workplace and perks, including the cafe at its headquarters in Walker's Point that serves free food and beverages to employees.
"We're passionate about making MKE a stronger community and a city that attracts strong talent from across the globe," Wantable chief marketing officer Tiffany Cooley said in a statement. "The podcast is an amazing way to showcase the talent, technology and innovation in our city."
Glynn and co-founder Adam Derus started the Experience Milwaukee podcast in 2018 and have since released nearly 200 episodes highlighting local events, restaurants, artists, musicians, community organizations and more. The show has listeners in 40 U.S. states and 30 countries, according to Experience Milwaukee.
Past podcast guests include former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Milwaukee Downtown BID No. 21 CEO Beth Weirick and local entrepreneur and restaurateur Omar Shaikh.
Adding a series focused on work was a "natural evolution" of the long-running show, Glynn said. It also represents a new revenue stream for Experience Milwaukee, which also has local sponsors including Koss Corp., Bittercube, Indeed Brewing and Transfer Pizzeria Cafe.
Glynn was one of the Milwaukee Business Journal's 40 Under 40 award winners in 2013, when he was running a digital marketing agency he founded called Spreenkler. In addition to running Experience Milwaukee, he's the chief marketing officer at a Cincinnati startup called Struxtion — a role he was recruited for by former Northwestern Mutual technology executive and current Struxtion chief technology officer Karl Gouverneur.
Derus is a senior marketing manager at the HR and workforce management software firm UKG Inc., which has headquarters locations in Florida and Massachusetts. He previously worked in marketing at Direct Supply.
Experience Milwaukee said it's seeking other local companies to highlight in the "Work in MKE" series.
