Assistance for spouses

By Adam Harringa

Like many cities Austin’s size, it faces losing young professionals and families to larger cities, like Rochester or Minneapolis-St. Paul.

If Hormel Foods hires someone for its corporate office, or Mayo Clinic Health System — Albert Lea and Austin finds a physician, and his or her spouse doesn’t have a job or isn’t connected to the community, the family may choose to commute, or the job may not work out.

Kristen Olson wants to change that.

The Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, through its new program called AustinWorks, hired Olson last week as its Community Concierge. The position is the result of an effort by Vision 2020’s Business Friendly Environment committee, and longstanding talks with business leaders who wanted to address the loss of talented young professionals, according to Chamber Executive Director Sandy Forstner.

“Employers are very excited about this,” he said. “People choose where they live for a variety of reasons. … Chief among them is their spouse.”

Olson moved to Austin two years ago when her husband, Eric Olson, became CEO and President of KSMQ-TV here. She liked the town immediately, and before long found herself involved with Vision 2020’s Community Pride and Spirit committee, and soon was its chair.

Forstner now hopes her story resonates with newcomers, and she can help them find activities, or even a job.

“A lot of this is about new arrivals, and she’s an example of that,” Forstner said. “We were all very impressed that she learned an awful lot about Austin in a short time.”

Funding for the program comes from The Hormel Foundation, Hormel Foods and Mayo Clinic Health System, though the service is available to anyone looking for help. It’s also free.

Olson will work with companies’ human resources departments, and individuals, to help spouses of professionals find work, provide information on housing and local entertainment, and coordinate with volunteers to serve as mentors, among many other services.

Forstner said the ripple effect of more professionals in town would be tremendous, as they and their family members need housing, will buy groceries, shop retail, eat at restaurants, and enroll their children in local schools. And the service will be even more vital as Baby Boomers retire and create a void in the workforce.

“It’s a very competitive marketplace for good people,” he said. “Whatever we can do to make it easier to choose Austin.”

Olson said she is already helping some newcomers.

“I had a number of people contact me who were just waiting to be helped,” she said.

Olson previously worked for the Hermantown, Minn., Chamber of Commerce, in publishing in the Twin Cities, in real estate in Duluth and at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

She will start at part-time, but Forstner hopes to increase her hours as she gets acclimated. For more information about the service, call Olson at 507-437-4562, or email her kristen@austincoc.com.