People who work in Grand County usually have to live in Grand County and if they are going to stay they’re mostly like going to want to play in Grand County.

That’s the guiding mission behind changes being worked into the Work In Grand website platform that’s been functioning as an employment aid for employees and employers while doubling as a resource for the ever-so-elusive housing in the county.

Now it’s adding lifestyle and experience to its formula as it strives to be a one-stop-shop for people who want to work, live and play in Grand County.

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The Work in Grand website is a platform initially developed and planned by DiAnn Butler, the Grand County Economic Developer. It has been functioning as an online resource for employers looking for workers, for employees looking for jobs and for employees and employers hoping to locate housing.

The site has had a many as 300 jobs listed on the site and has served as a resource for people curious about working in Grand County. Now it’s going through an upgrade to Work In Grand version 2.0. The key elements of these changes are that large employers who want to use the sight to find workers are making some buy-in. 

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In the past, using the site was free. Now there’s a buy-in for those wanting to list jobs and work opportunities. But people will still get one free job listing a year.

With this buy-in it will now be easier for employers to measure the impact of their job listings on the site. There will also be added benefits for different packages made available for using the site, such as access to employee listings, social media posts and more.

Also, chamber members get a discount for their listings, with some return from that revenue to the chambers.

But there’s more. The site is now stepping out beyond just jobs, work and housing. It plans to expand to include features and content that will let future employees and current employees understand and take advantage of the lifestyle benefits of working in Grand County. 

Butler and her team of web developers and local employers know that getting and retaining workers involves a whole lot more than just giving them a job and a paycheck. It also involves giving them a life, or as some would say, a lifestyle. And not just any lifestyle — a lifestyle that is fulfilling, fun and attractive enough to make the employees want to move here and stay here.

This all falls in along the lines of that once-famous catch phrase for resident ski bums: “I came here for the winter but stayed for the summer.” The implication is that people may come here to work at the ski resort but the stay to live here when they discover how fun and pleasant the summers can be.

The thinking behind these new upgrades to the website fall along those lines. That is, the site will be incorporating a resource clearinghouse where employers who offer great amenities to visitors (think lift tickets, boat rentals, ski lessons, guided hikes etc) can also offer them for free or at substantial discounts to workers. The idea here is to broaden the vision workers may have of this diverse and fun county in which they work.

A lift op working here for the winter may have absolutely no clue that Rocky Mountain National Park is just a short drive away from the slopes. A person who has come here to work the front desk at a lodging property might not be aware that there’s lots of fun to be had on the local lakes and backcountry trails.

Expanding their perspective of these great amenities just might be the trick that keeps employees in the county so they can work, stay and play.

At a recent Work in Grand 2.0 session it was agreed to add employer-led action items to guide the website and workforce challenges in general. Specific committees have been formed to address work force development in the county.

So go to Work in Grand (WorkInGrand.com) soon and see how there’s an online resource for workers and employers that strives to convey the idea that it’s grand to live and work in Grand.

Contact DiAnn Butler at dbutler@co.grand.co.us for more information.

Patrick Brower is the Enterprise Facilitator for the Grand Enterprise Initiative. He offers free and confidential business management coaching to anyone who wants to start or expand a business in Grand County. He’s also the author of “KILLDOZER: The True Story of the Colorado Bulldozer Rampage.” He can be reached by calling 970-531-0632 or at patrickbrower@kapoks.org.