GCC President Explains Ryan's "Live First, Work Second" Philosophy

IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP, MI - Tuesday, October 21, 2008 - Gogebic Community College (GCC) and Grand View Health Systems (GVHS) will be hosting Rebecca Ryan, a nationally known community development consultant and author for and evening discussion on October 29th, beginning at 6:00 PM in the GCC David G. Lindquist Student Center. Ryan is the author of the recently released book, Live First, Work Second, that discusses the trend of young people picking where they want to live then looking for a job, and how this trend affects communities and employers.

Ryan will speak to this "live first, work second" phenomena, the need for regional cooperation to create the "sense of community" that attracts this new generation of workers, and the importance of quality of life. The Ryan approach is different from previous generations who first found a job, then relocated to the community where the job was.

Demographics indicate that the United States will soon face a shortage of workers, and that there will be too many jobs chasing too few people. To attract and retain workers, the Gogebic Range will need to have the amenities that are valued. According to Ryan, having the basic infrastructure to support community development, i.e. industrial parks, workforce training, core employers, etc. is important, but those regions successful in offering what people are looking for in a place to live will be the most successful in attracting the new generation of workers.

Yesterday afternoon, this reporter discussed the upcoming Ryan presentation with Gogebic Community College President Jim Lorenson.

"All of us have talked about this in the past that one of our greatest exports are young people," Lorenson said, "And how can we get them back? This is kind of a beginning of an effort that we hope will get people thinking about that."

"I think the communities, by and large, have done a very good job of building industrial parks; trying to put together financing packages; looking at worker development; but every community across the country is trying to do the same thing and it's becoming extremely competitive. Somehow, I believe, we need to distinguish ourselves from what others are doing."

Lorenson went on to point out that, according to recent research, approximately 75% of people under the age of 28 said that living in the right place is more important than finding a good job. Considerations used in finding the right place include scenic beauty, safe streets, affordability, place for family, quality public schools, sense of community, low traffic, concern for the environment, close to family and friends, and walkable streets.

"We have a lot of that!" Lorenson said, "That doesn't mean we have everything. I think what this type of approach can tend to do though, is maybe refocus some the of the attention and some of the efforts that we have. If one of the things that young folks look at are good schools -- I think we need to consider whether or not we are doing all we can, as a greater community, to provide good schools. Are we doing the right things for recreational opportunities? It still going to be a competitive world but I think it gives us a different opportunity or a different way at looking at things than what we've looked at before."

Lorenson said he would like to attract as many people as possible to next Wednesday's presentation. He said he would like to form work-groups after the session that would be able to focus on developing new opportunities, and enhancing, improving or simply promoting things our area already has to offer.

"The truth of the matter is our success at Gogebic is going to be, to a large extent, determined on the success of the economy in the Western U.P. and Northern Wisconsin. So we need to be a part of this!" Lorenson said.

"For years we looked at economic development as industrial parks; putting up speculation buildings -- those sorts of things. Then after a period of time, we looked at how we try to retain jobs we have.  Then the next step was to examine the impact of tourism, and then how do we work all of these things together. It seems that the next logical step is how do we market ourselves? There are things that distinguish our region -- let's say the 'Gogebic Range' which I like to refer it as from Northern Wisconsin through Watersmeet -- that there are things that we can use to market ourselves that others don't have, and we have technology."

Ryan's presentation is being underwritten by a number of community-based organizations and employers, and is offered free-of-charge. For further information, contact GCC at (906) 932-4231, extension 201.

EDITOR'S NOTE: When I first heard of Ms. Ryan's concept of first locating a place to live and then seeking out a way to make a living there, I was very skeptical. However, I am a baby boomer. I grew up with the mining mentality -- with industrial age thinking -- where people had no choice other than to first find a job, and then learn to adapt to the new community where the job was located. Talking with Mr. Lorenson, I realized that the very medium I am currently working in has given our new graduates a freedom that has never been previously realized.  Technology now makes it possible for people to do many jobs virtually anywhere in the world. IT (Information Technology) business can be conducted anywhere on earth provided there is broadband Internet. People don't need to report to work everyday and grind out an eight hour shift to make a living. Technology makes it possible for people to do their work from the comfort of their own homes. And their homes can be just about anywhere they choose them to be. I look forward to Ms. Ryan's presentation. I still have some questions, but I believe the concept is a good one if it is properly applied. When one considers the positives our area has to offer -- our beautiful abundance of wooded land; our breathtaking waterfalls; our miles of snowmobiling and four-wheel trails; our cross-country and downhill ski facilities; the abundance of clean water; our lakes; our streams; our outdoor recreation; we should have no problem attracting new people and keeping current residents here. With new technology driving today's economy, and the fact that we have incredible bandwidth in the area, IT and computer-based companies could easily be persuaded to relocate here. By promoting the other positives this area has to offer, I believe our area could one day become a haven for IT and Internet-based business.