WORTHINGTON - Katie Kouba recently began as Worthington’s Community Concierge, a new position created through the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce meant to keep families and young professionals in town.
Whenever a prospective employee is considering a position in Worthington, or a new hire arrives from out of town, businesses that are Chamber members can request that Kouba give them a tour of the community.
“It’s to familiarize them with different opportunities, organizations, community involvement, the gyms, the hobbies,” Kouba said. “Everything they need to know about Worthington and what it has to offer.”
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A California native, Kouba, 33, moved to Worthington two-and-a-half years ago with her husband and three kids when her husband got a job offer in town. In researching and learning about Worthington, Kouba made sure to figure out everything she could about the community.
“I wanted to get acclimated to the community and get plugged in as much as I could, even though I didn’t have a work role that was bringing me here,” Kouba said. “I think that drive in me, that’s what this job is. I’m helping new families get acclimated, so my drive and excitement in doing that for our family, this is an overflow of that.”
Kouba said she does her best to personalize the tour for the person or family, based on their situation and interests, and they’ll be able to contact Kouba at any point with questions or inquiries. In the future, Kouba hopes to compile and make public some of the information she shares with new families.
The position is meant to give Worthington an edge in both attracting and retaining employees. Kouba helps those new to the community find the things they enjoy, and make connections that could ultimately help keep them in town.
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“It’s twofold in that the Chamber wants the town to thrive economically, and they also want their members to have the benefit of not always having to look for new hires and train new people all the time,” Kouba said.
Kouba said Chamber members would have a chance to sponsor the program. Different levels of sponsorship can get businesses marketing on concierge materials and tours.
