The Economy and Me, Part 2

Continuing from yesterday, Po Bronson’s current Fast Company starts with a hypothesis:

“…with the (post 9/11) economy in a tailspin, it was economically unsound to have millions of drones shuffling to work every day doing jobs they didn’t care about. The economy would never get a kick start if our workforce was uninspired.” And an informal survey of CEOs added, “The value in their companies came from the employees who were motivated to be there. One passionate employee is worth 10 dispassionate ones.”

Yesterday, I mentioned the industry that used to be here – the tannery, textile plant, and even the flour mills. Industry should be a contributing part of the local economy, and I think it is the key to solving a languishing 17.7 percent unemployment rate. It is not as if the people in Page County are going around asking themselves if their work is fulfilling, as if they have the opportunity to stop and ponder Bronson’s premise – it is more about structural changes to the national economy having a very specific and dire impact locally.

There are two parts to the answer – in the short term, the community pitches in to help each other out. Habitat for Humanity is very active here, and the food banks and thrift stores are getting a lot of support. At best, these are short-term patches. In the longer-term, there has to be more than this, there has to be leadership and vision to take this area to the next economic place.

Like I mentioned, I’ve heard some good ideas on the matter. There is a concept that investing in a new industrial park will attract companies and jobs here. Inevitably, Northern Virginians are coming here and investing in homes here, and development seems to be on the horizon -although that is not the most reliable source of an economic boost these days.

There is a local small business pursuing the idea of building a data center here, prospectively the anchor of the industrial park development. (Disclosure: professionally, I am in the middle of a consultation on data center requirements, which makes me skeptical of this concept.) The concept of creating jobs through the re-establishment of an industrial sector, or through bolstering a services sector is correct, because it tries to answer the burning questions: What can be done to stimulate job growth here? What should be the third leg of the stool that is Page County’s economy?

There has got to be a portfolio of ideas for making this change, because even if the data center is successful beyond anyone’s dreams, it is only going to add 50-100 jobs – the unemployment rate would hardly be dented. A share of these new jobs would frankly be filled by people coming from elsewhere, most likely.

Philanthropy, while necessary, isn’t going to get the job done either. I believe people are good hearted and want to contribute in this way, but these are always short-term efforts that really can’t be sustained, it’s just human nature.

I’ll admit that this rambling stream of thought hasn't yet moved my thinking to an answer. I’d call it more of an awakening, more like coming to an awareness of some key issues. I really like coming here, to Page County, and I really like the community and people I’ve met here. I’d like to find a way to make a contribution that leaves us all better off from the acquaintance.