Taking A Stand: We don’t realize all county has to offer
Last week I began a three-part series on what people in Warren County want by explaining we must actively recruit high-tech industries and good-paying businesses here so our children won’t move elsewhere to work.
Instead of moving on to the other two parts this week, (Warren County’s need for security and identity) I want to revisit the first week since I’ve had a lot of response from last week’s column. Specifically, a lot of people want to know what we can do as Warren County citizens to usher in a new breed of business and industry to this area.
First off, we need to play to our strengths. What are our strengths? Well, although we might not notice it since we live in the middle of it every day, we live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. The towering mountains in the background, the bright colors of our nursery-filled county and the fresh air we breathe every day are things much of our country goes without and would give an arm and a leg to have. Combine this with the departure in mass of people from the metropolitan areas and we are the perfect destination.
We are Hometown USA, the dream place where people can raise their families and enjoy a small town life away from the hustle and bustle and problems of the big cities. This atmosphere is intoxicating to those wanting to get out of the rat race. All we have to do is let them know we are here and are open to their businesses.
While years ago it would have been hard to fathom bringing a corporate presence to a place like Warren County, things have changed. Through updates in technology, much business is done in cyberspace, whereby big business doesn’t necessarily have to be in a metropolitan area. The world has become a smaller place.
As it is now, a major company can still do business, yet, at the same time, allow their people to enjoy a slower, more pleasant way of life in smaller areas such as Warren County.
However, by the same token, people also want a quality of life. This means we must offer services, both leisure and otherwise, which make people more comfortable. Just listen to part of an e-mail I received from a Warren County native who left town years ago to pursue a career elsewhere.
“I would love to live in a smaller town where we know more people, less crime, slower pace of life, etc. The reality is that I couldn’t make a living in McMinnville,” the former resident said. “Once I got out of college, the number of career options in McMinnville were just too limited.”
One thing he noted in his e-mail was the importance of civic services in attracting businesses. While our area may be beautiful and the people friends, folks want places to enjoy. Therefore it is important we build our social infrastructure for tomorrow as a way to entice new industry here. If there’s nothing here for their kids, or our kids to do, then they won’t come.
This is why things like the pool, the greenway, and other similar niceties are important. However, as we saw, many people were against things like the pool because they didn’t immediately benefit from it themselves. It’s this short-sightedness which is preventing us from reaching our potential here. We must all see the big picture. We must give ourselves tools to recruit this needed breed of business here, and those tools will sometimes cost us all. However, I say they will repay themselves many times over through higher revenues and higher quality of life brought by the new businesses they bring in.
(Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)