After Stephanie Simeon received a master's in urban planning from the University at Buffalo, she didn't return to her native Brooklyn. The Buffalo Niagara region's cost of living and better job prospects kept her here. And signs that she made the right decision appeared almost instantly.

Simeon landed a job in her field right out of grad school and could afford an apartment of her choice. In a year's time, she was named executive director of Heart of the City Neighborhoods, the housing development agency where she worked.

But as her career soared, her social life stalled. Simeon's weekends were lonely, marked by solo outings to Western New York's attractions and events.

"Concerts, museums, festivals, you name it, I went by myself," she said. "I would jump on a bus and just go; I didn't care. I didn't know anybody. Meeting people was kind of tough my first couple years."

Simeon's experience isn't unusual for a young, single professional starting out in any new town. But in Western New York, where many people know each other from childhood, it can be especially difficult.

And while not developing a satisfying life outside of work may seem like a personal problem, it becomes a larger economic issue for area businesses when unhappy new hires jump ship.

"Employers in many Great Lakes cities struggle to recruit younger workers from out of town, and once they bring talented young professionals to the area, there can be some difficulty making personal connections," said Tom Murdock, senior director at Buffalo Niagara Partnership. "There's a real business cost there, as turnover is expensive for any business."

The cost of recruiting outside of the area is significantly higher than hiring locally, but companies often seek outsidecandidates for new perspectives and skills.

When Independent Health relocates a new employee to Western New York, "we need to keep them happy," said Sandra Calandra, the company's director of talent management. "They are truly an investment, an investment we want to keep here."

American companies this year spent an average of $3,500 per hire, a 6 percent increase from 2010, according to the Bersin & Associates Talent Acquisition Factbook, released last month.

But when Western New York firms recruit from out of the area, it can be even more expensive because smaller and midsize business often don't have employees focusing on recruitment and therefore may need to contract with agencies.

While larger companies with 10,000 or more employees paid almost $2,000 per new hire, smaller organizations, with 100 to 999 workers, spent $3,665.

"Recruiting is more costly for smaller companies because they do not have the economies of scale to spread costs over larger employee populations," said Karen O'Leonard, principal analyst and director of research methods and analytics at Bersin & Associates. "Smaller companies also are less likely to reduce staffing costs by automating processes for sourcing, screening and tracking candidates."

To hold on to talented workers and make good on recruitment investments, some companies steer new hires to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership's program called "Buffalo Niagara 360." It provides young professionals socializing and networking opportunities through leadership development, business networking and community involvement. The program started in 2008 to assist the Partnership members in attracting and retaining the area's young professionals and newcomers, said Christina Lopez, manager of workforce development and coordinator of BN360.

"It's a part of our workforce development initiative to retain talent and work on grooming the leaders of tomorrow," Lopez said.

Simeon is one of the BN360's members. She joined in the program's first year and was named a "Spotlight Professional." Along with her involvement and relationships developed through work, her free time is no longer free.

"Now I'm too social," she said. "I volunteer and work with groups dealing with women's issues.

I've broken into many social circles and made a lot of friends. It took time and it was a lot of work. I had to make the effort."

Daniel Edgell, a Canton, Ohio, native, moved to Buffalo in June and started his home-based architectural firm. In a few months, he managed to jump start his social life and business through networking. Edgell has joined BN360, Urban Land Institute and various community and professional groups.

"But I had to take the initiative to find out what's available by searching on the Internet," said Edgell, 33. "Finding what Buffalo has to offer was very important for me because a lot of what you can appreciate about a place is being involved in the community."

Leah Oleski, an auditor at Ernst and Young, has been here 11 months but continues to carve out a social life.

"I've been here since January, and I've made efforts but I still don't know many people," she said. "I'm still trying to network so I can get to know Buffalo better. That way I'll be able to enjoy the city more."

A stuck-up city?

Is the "City of Good Neighbors" stuck-up? No, some say. Relocating to any new city brings frustrating delays in building social and networking circles.

Edgell, who moved to Buffalo from Rochester, said his experience in Rochester was similar so he was prepared when he got to Buffalo.

Being new anywhere can be a challenge.

"It's always been an issue when you move to a new area; it's not just in Western New York," said Dan Boscarino, senior vice president of human resources at M&T Bank. "You have to figure out "how do I meet people? How do I know what's going on?'"

"Anytime you move to a new city, you have to start your life over, especially when you don't have family here," said Christopher Choi, director of the drug-production facility that's part of Roswell Park's Center for Immunotherapy.

Although Buffalo is a midsize city, it has small-town sensibilities, where relationships and connections have deep roots. Choi, a 36-year-old from Los Angeles who took the job at Roswell Park last fall, quickly picked up on the close ties that already existed among Western New Yorkers.

"People seem to know each for a long time and have established friendships," he said.

The region's close-knit nature can be difficult for newcomers to penetrate.

"It's more difficult to meet people because most people are from here and already know each other or they've been friends since middle school," Oleski said.

M&T Bank does heavy recruiting on local and out-of-the area campuses, bringing about 50 college and MBA graduates from top-tier schools to Western New York each year.

"The key is making them feel they are a part of the community," he said. "That's why we get them board seats, volunteer work in areas that they are interested in."

Boscarino said the bank has in-house initiatives to get newcomers acclimated and connected to the area, including the employee-developed, company-supported "Welcome to Western New York."

"This group is for people who just moved or had moved sometime ago and felt the need to have that connectivity to the community," he said. "They felt there was a need to help people integrate and develop social circles."

Independent Health and other area businesses have informal programs, where employees mentor new hires. The company is also a sponsor, and Calandra is an advisory board member of BN360. Calandra said the program offers personal and professional benefits, and Independent Health tells candidates about it as a way to sell the area.

"It gets them more familiar with Buffalo, some things you can't learn about from reading articles," she said. "We want them to feel they are part of Buffalo and the culture here. Getting them more acquainted will keep them here. We don't want to recruit them and have them leave two years later."

BN360 hosts happy hours and networking events, pairs members with at-risk youth and organizes lectures and workshops featuring elected officials and young entrepreneurs.

The group includes more than new people to the region. More than 1,000 people, generally between ages 20 and 40, have joined.

"As a local firm, we try to find new ways to locate talent and retain the talent we already have and make them stay with us," said Emily Burns, e-marketing and communications specialists with Freed Maxick & Battgalia CPAs, a company with 20 active BN360 members.

The group kicked off its fourth year last month with a celebration in the Larkin Center of Commerce on Exchange Street. More than 300 young professionals attended, including Edgell, Choi, Oleski and Simeon.

"It's just another social avenue," said Choi, who is also part of the Leadership Buffalo Class of 2012.

Choi said he's been lucky. His introduction to the region has come through supervisors and co-workers who've invited him to outings. Choi said the opportunity to work at Roswell Park is a career high. His social life is now living up to that standard.

"I can see myself building a life here," he said.

esapong@buffnews.comnull