The end of March marks the one-year anniversary of the Roanoke Connect database we created to assist people wanting to be in the region with employers who had jobs available.

The demographics of the list are typically members of Generation X and Y, with some form of higher education, who want to be in the Roanoke region.

During the first year 1,664 have submitted profiles from 40 states. We are aware of at least 30 success stories coming from our bi-weekly eNewsletters and a newly created search feature for employers.

Again, what separates this database is it consists of people WANTING to be in the region. They sought us out typically through Google searches.

In fact, today, March 27, we had six people submit profiles and they came from the following locations: Mount Laurel, NJ; Nanuet, NY; Christiansburg, VA; Broken Arrow, OK; Holiday, FL; and Cuba, NY.

I would think that a person is not going to complete a profile unless he/she wants to be in Roanoke. I know I am not going to a similar site in Holiday, FL and reveal my personal information about jobs there. These people have sought us out through Google searches and want to move to Roanoke. The next step is connecting them to a job.

We are pleased with the success of this channel to connect people to jobs and to our region. We are continuing to modify the site to create more success stories. A big thank you goes to the City of Roanoke’s IT staff for their work, especially Justin.