We’ve posted several times about the need to re-stock our talent pipeline with new economy-savvy workers and entrepreneurs. It’s a very tough chicken-and-egg dilemma. How do you attract talent without the jobs, and how do you build companies without the talent?

One low-hanging fruit tactic of course is to lure people who already have a warm place in their heart for West Virginia to move here. Namely, people who grew up here who have that odd WV DNA thing where we naturally yearn to come back.

The West Virginia Dept of Commerce has been doing their part to get this going. They have launched the Come Home to West Virginia campaign and a related contest to spur interest and awareness. If you’re a raving fan of West Virginia and are always selling the state to your distant relatives and friends, why not jump in and win? 

Join the Search for West Virginia’s “Come Home” Spokesperson

People who have left West Virginia always have someone at home encouraging them to come back. Now you have the chance to nominate the best person to take that message nationwide and become the official spokesperson for the “Come Home to West Virginia” campaign, sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Commerce.

“There has never been a better time to come home to West Virginia,” said Gov. Joe Manchin, who announced the “Come Home to West Virginia” initiative during his 2008 State of the State speech. “New jobs are being created. The cost of living is low. Housing is affordable. And you can enjoy great weekend activities in your own backyard. With this contest we’re looking for the mom, dad, relative or friend who has an enthusiasm for West Virginia and can help us encourage others to come home.”

·         Here’s how to nominate someone as “Come Home to West Virginia” spokesperson:

• Go to www.hometowv.com to download the official entry form and read the complete rules, or you may call (304) 558-2003 to request an entry by mail.
• In 100 words or less, share your nominee’s reasons to come home to West Virginia. (Nominee must be a current West Virginia resident).
• Include a full-color photo (non-returnable) of the person you nominate.
• All entries must include a signed entry form, which includes a photo release.
• Send the photo, the 100-word essay and entry form to: Come Home to West Virginia Campaign, West Virginia Department of Commerce; 90 MacCorkle Avenue SW; South Charleston, W.Va. 25303.
• You also may submit entries and photos electronically by e-mail to [email protected].

There is no entry fee. Entry deadline is January 2, 2009. A panel of judges will review all the entries and choose a winner by February 15, 2009. The person who submits the winning essay will win a free family vacation package for six at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.

“We know there are lots of people out there who have compelling, personal reasons why their friends and loved ones should come back, and we want to give them a platform to share their love of West Virginia with a wider audience,” said Kelley Goes, Secretary for the West Virginia Department of Commerce. “We want to encourage West Virginians who have left to take another look at how the state has changed for the betterin the past few years. We want them to see their home state as a great place to be successful and to have a better life. And we want them to come home to stay.”

There are many West Virginians who already have come home to start their own businesses, pursue careers in the state’s expanding industries or discover the balance they’ve been seeking in their lives. Excerpts of 40 of these stories are told in a special edition of Wonderful West Virginia magazine, titled “Home for the Holidays…to Stay!” Expanded versions of these and more profiles are available online at www.hometowv.com. Chances are good that some of these success storiesare from your area of the state, and may even be your neighbors.

The Web site also provides a place to post both job opportunities and resumes that will be circulated to Workforce West Virginia and to appropriate West Virginia businesses.

“We hope to receive hundreds of entries in this contest to help promote the campaign,” said Secretary Goes, who herself is a “Come Home” success story. “When I lived in Texas I missed West Virginia’s mountains and its green trees. I missed the people from home. Now we hope to remind thousands of other former residents of the beauty, the quality of life and the opportunity that’s here, awaiting their return.”