Community Concierge

The Community Concierge program promotes Austin as a great place to live, work, and play, and provides new and prospective residents the information and connections they need to quickly assimilate to the community. Community Concierge, Kristen Olson, works with more than 200 newcomer families each year to help them navigate through all aspects of settling into life in Austin. She also assists trailing spouses in finding jobs. Throughout the year, Kristen hosts a number of Awesome Austin networking and engagement events and also a book club designed to highlight different parts of SE Minnesota and Minnesota authors. Last year, nearly 400 new residents attended these events and made some new friends!

Professional newcomers receive a Welcome Bag filled with useful items from participating chamber members and a Relocation Packet filled with information about the community and more offerings from our sponsors.

• Personalized guided tour of the Austin community  
• Help with employment for a trailing spouse  
• Online assistance in locating quality rental housing or connecting with a real estate agent  
• Introduction to activities, service clubs, churches, volunteer opportunities, and more 
• Assistance with childcare options and school enrollment  
• Opportunities to attend free “Awesome Austin” events, designed to showcase the community and help newcomers make connections and meet new friends