West Virginia has faced population decline for decades, but Ascend WV is showing how storytelling, community connections and a deep understanding of what talent values can help reverse the trend. Their approach proves that incentivizing new residents takes more than offering financial perks.

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother Wallace speaks with Danny Twilley, assistant vice president of economic & community development at West Virginia University, and Emily Huguenin, director of Ascend WV, about how West Virginia's nationally recognized remote worker program is helping reverse population loss by leveraging the state's outdoor assets.

Danny shares how years of research led his team to view outdoor recreation as an economic development strategy, not just a tourism asset, while Emily explains how Ascend has evolved into a six-community initiative with more than 660 members and a remarkable 96% retention rate. Together, they go over how the program's high-touch approach, local partnerships and focus on belonging have become far more valuable than the $12,000 relocation incentive that initially grabs applicants' attention.

Throughout the conversation, we explore how data shaped the program's community selection process, why they call Ascend a "trust exercise" and how new initiatives like First Ascent WV and Ascend Heroes are expanding the model to retain college graduates and attract veterans.

Tune in to learn how communities can turn their unique assets into a long-term population strategy and why authentic experiences, strong partnerships and a sense of belonging often matter more than financial incentives when attracting and retaining talent.

Finland consistently ranks as the world's happiest country, but Helsinki's talent strategy goes beyond that narrative. Instead of promoting perfection, it focuses on authenticity to better connect with international talent.

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother Wallace speaks with Anita Lankinen, marketing manager at Helsinki Partners, about how Helsinki competes for global talent through authenticity, quality of life and focused targeting.

Anita shares her personal journey from Russia to Finland and how that experience shapes her lens and strategies for attracting talent. She digs into how Helsinki Partners brings visitor, talent and investment promotion together under one roof to align messaging and share insights across teams.

During this episode, the conversation explores how Helsinki translates its "Happy Helsinki" narrative into practical messaging around "life-work balance," short commutes, childcare and healthcare, while also being transparent about taxes and climate realities. Anita also breaks down the "Hire Helsinki" campaign which positioned the city as a job candidate competing for talent and delivered more than 71,000 job application clicks in three months, and shares the story behind the Pamela Anderson campaign, which generated more than 500 million impressions.

Tune in to hear how Helsinki is redefining place branding through focus, data driven targeting and honesty about what life and work are really like in Finland.

Detroit's story has always been one of reinvention, and Global Detroit is building on that legacy by championing the idea that immigrant inclusion is not just a social good. It's an economic development strategy.

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Dr. Alaina Jackson, managing director at Global Detroit, to explore how immigrant-inclusive strategies can help regions strengthen talent pipelines, support entrepreneurship and drive long-term economic growth.

Dr. Jackson explains how skilled immigrant professionals are often underutilized, despite having the experience and expertise employers need. She shares how Global Detroit works to connect employers, universities and communities with international talent while helping newcomers build careers, launch businesses and put down roots in Michigan. The conversation explores why international migrants should be a key part of any region's talent strategy, why retention matters just as much as attraction, how belonging influences talent decisions and why economic development and community development must go hand in hand.

Tune in to hear why regions that invest in welcoming strategies, cross-sector partnerships and the talent already in their backyard will be better positioned to compete in the race for talent.

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother welcomes back Josh Wright, head of growth and strategy at Lightcast, to unpack the three forces redefining the future of the talent landscape: AI disruption, geopolitical instability and demographic decline. Drawing on research from Lightcast's Fault Lines report, Josh explains why these trends are not happening in isolation and why their convergence is creating a fundamentally different environment for communities, employers and economic developers.

Josh explains why AI is accelerating disruption in white-collar work while doing little to address the most acute shortages in healthcare, construction and skilled trades. He also breaks down how immigration slowdowns and an aging population are accelerating a talent scarcity era that's arriving faster than most regions are prepared for.

At the center of the discussion is a clear message: this is not a moment for communities to scale back talent investment. It is a moment to better understand the forces reshaping the labor market and prepare for what comes next.

Tune in to hear why the regions that stay proactive, data-informed and talent-focused will be the ones best positioned for the decade ahead.

The labor market is changing faster than ever, but most decisions are still being made with outdated information.

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Cary Sparrow, founder and CEO of WageScape, to explore what real-time labor market data reveals about hiring, pay and workforce strategy today. Cary draws on data from roughly 800,000 career sites, offering a live view into how companies are actually competing for talent.

The conversation centers on a core shift: the labor market is moving too quickly for traditional data sources to keep up. Factors like AI and the rise of wage transparency are reshaping expectations for both employers and job seekers, creating a growing gap between what companies think is happening and what is actually happening in the market.

For companies and communities that have historically relied on lagging indicators like surveys and annual benchmarks, Cary makes the case for a new approach built on real-time insight.

Tune in to hear why the future of talent strategy depends on seeing the market as it is, not as it used to be.

Most talent attraction strategies start with marketing. In Cleveland, they start one step earlier—by building the infrastructure to support what comes next.

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Sara Greicius, director of the Cleveland Talent Alliance, to unpack how a 14-partner regional collaborative is working together to grow Greater Cleveland's population. From breaking down silos across economic development organizations to leveraging the power of tourism marketing, Sara shares what it takes to align stakeholders around a shared mission.

Patiance and Sara explore the Alliance's "faucet and sink" approach—why turning on marketing without the systems to capture and support interested talent leads to missed opportunities—and how Cleveland is building a full relocation pipeline, from first impression to long-term retention.

Tune in to learn how Cleveland is improving perceptions as a place to live and work, why human connection still plays a critical role in relocation decisions and how intentional programming is helping the region retain more of its college graduates.

Season 2 of Talent Wars: A Podcast by DCI took us from Maine to Michigan, Baton Rouge to Kansas City and beyond to Canada and Europe, uncovering how communities are tackling today's complex talent challenges.

In this bonus episode, host Patience Fairbrother steps back to highlight the biggest insights from the season and what they mean for talent strategies in 2026. From the rising importance of retention and inclusion to rethinking who qualifies as "talent," these conversations reveal the fundamental shifts that will shape how communities attract, retain and grow their workforce in the year ahead.

Tune in to uncover a roadmap for navigating demographic change, economic uncertainty and evolving workforce expectations.

What happens when a viral pop-culture moment suddenly puts your region on the national stage? On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Danielle Hilton, managing director of TeamKC, to unpack how her team moved at lightning speed to turn the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story into a full-fledged talent attraction strategy.

From recognizing the moment to aligning stakeholders and crafting messaging on the fly, TeamKC managed national media pressure and translated fandom-driven buzz into long-term market awareness, and Danielle is here to share how other talent leaders can do the same by moving fast, staying authentic and building a strategy when the moment chooses you—not the other way around.

Join Patience and Danielle as they break down the 300 million impressions this campaign generated, how TeamKC built a media strategy around "the epiphany of the visit" and the playbook they're now using to prepare for an even bigger moment, like the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Whether you're preparing for your region to be in the spotlight in 2026 or just waiting for the right hook, this is an episode you won't want to miss!

Canada has long been recognized as a global leader in attracting top talent and building economic strength through immigration. With its population on track to reach 100 million by 2100, the country is now tackling an important question: how do you ensure that growth is not just rapid, but smart and sustainable?

On this episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother sits down with Muraly Srinarayanathas, serial entrepreneur and board member of Century Initiative, which aims to grow Canada's population responsibly to 100 million by the year 2100. Patience and Muraly explore how companies can leverage international perspectives to drive innovation, what it takes to balance population growth with housing and infrastructure needs and how to maintain public support for immigration during periods of rapid change.

They also examine the Century Initiative's framework for responsible growth, share examples of places successfully managing population expansion—from Tasmania to South Korea—and discuss what American cities and regions can learn from Canada's approach.

This conversation offers practical insights for economic developers, workforce professionals and business leaders navigating the intersection of growth strategy, immigration policy and talent attraction.

From "Peak 18" to AI transforming work itself, communities are realizing they need to pivot and rethink how they attract and retain talent.

On this special episode of Talent Wars, host Patience Fairbrother captures insights from some of the top workforce leaders and experts in the U.S. at the 2025 Young Smart & Local Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through conversations with leaders on the frontlines of the talent wars, this episode uncovers how communities are pivoting to meet demographic challenges, embrace skills-based hiring, leverage real-time data and use AI as a strategic tool—all while keeping authenticity and human connection at the center of their efforts.

Tune in to learn how regions are experimenting with bold approaches, learning from peers and redefining what it means to win the talent wars in today's rapidly evolving environment.