By Nan Price, Content Manager, MetroHartford Alliance
Kim Bishop is Executive Director of Talent Attraction & Retention at the MetroHartford Alliance and a huge fan of all Hartford has to offer both personally and professionally.
Why Hartford?
KIM BISHOP: I fell in love with Hartford when I was in college. I went to the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and I had an internship during my junior and senior years that brought me to working with some of the South End schools. I just fell in love with the community. I fell in love with the city. I felt like I could really make an impact here. I felt like it was welcoming. There was such a great sense of comradery and people coming together to better our capitol city. I knew it was the place I wanted to be.
How have you become a part of Hartford and how has Hartford become a part of who you are?
KIM: When you have a job like I do, you become one in the same with the city. Hartford has become a part of me in that it’s what I’ve done every day with my life for the last 15 years in one capacity or the other, whether it’s been serving on local non-profits, being engaged in youth development, or even now in my role at the MetroHartford Alliance and with HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs). Being a champion for the city and for the people in the city and the organizations in the city is just what I do. It’s a part of who I am.
And Hartford has given just as much back to me. I’ve met so many wonderful people. I’ve had amazing experiences. I’ve been able to grow a really fantastic career that I love and it’s been really rewarding to see such amazing changes in the last five to seven years with everyone who really believes in the city coming together to make it a better place.
What makes Hartford unique?
KIM: Definitely the people. We’re a small, tight-knit community, which is one of the things I love. In such a small city, there’s so much diversity. There’s so much to do—there’s arts, there’s culture, there’s sports, there’s amazing food. And everyone comes together to make this really vibrant mid-sized city.
Hartford also has a lot of green space with beautiful Bushel Park, which I think is really unique in a city. You’ve got your downtown core, and 17 neighborhoods that are all very different with their own sense of identity.
Everywhere you go, there’s a little bit of something different. There are hidden gems all over. There’s always something new to discover, always something new to do. It’s ever-growing, it’s ever-changing, and it’s a great place to explore.
How do we tell the story of Hartford?
KIM: We tell the Hartford story through the people who love it and through the people who live and work here. We have a great story to tell about a wonderful community that supports one another, that is looking to grow and make the city an even better place for its residents, visitors, business and not-profit community, and everything in between.