Aiming higher

Published 10:25 pm Friday, March 17, 2017

If Cullman wants to retain its enviable position atop the short list of small cities that consistently attract new business and industry, how should it proceed?

That’s the question industrial recruitment expert Ron Starner posed to community leaders Friday at a luncheon hosted by the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.

Starner, executive vice president of Site Slection — the trade magazine that has twice named Cullman the nation’s second-best micropolitan — shared suggestions gleaned from a combination of observation and data analysis, even as he praised the Cullman area for continuing to get so many things right.

“There are 576 micropolitan areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, and to be ranked second two years in a row is truly phenomenal,” he said.

“But I’m sure what you really want to know is — what does Cullman have to do to overtake Findlay [the Ohio city that has twice finished ahead of Cullman in the rankings]?”

The answer, said Starner, is a cocktail of attributes: a high quality of life for residents, a focus on workforce development, rewarding entrepreneurship and innovation, and diversifying the industrial and economic base — all while staying the course and continuing to do the things that have made place for many to live and work.

Devising an honest and effective way of marketing the Cullman area to the outside world is also crucial, said Starner.

“What is it that makes Cullman so unique and special? Identify that, and build your branding campaign around it, and people will take notice,” he sad. “Don’t just parrot a message that someone else is using.”

Starner placed special emphasis on the generational shift that will affect not just Cullman, but communities nationwide, as young people bring new expectations and ideas to positions of leadership.

“The rise of the ‘millennial CEO,’” he said, “is the single greatest trend that we’re tracking at Site Selection magazine, and it’s a harbinger of our future…and it will not be too long before it takes hold in Cullman, Alabama — if it isn’t doing so already.”

Access to higher education, a robust technological infrastructure for both work and leisure, a livable and active city center, quality pay commensurate with skilled work, and a continued commitment to family living all will play significant roles in attracting young people whose focus on quality of life sets them apart from their generational forebears, said Starner.

Still, he added, Cullman has a lot of assets that position the area well for continued economic success. But, he advised, it’s crucial to integrate and leverage those assets with an eye to the future, instead of merely allowing them to exist benignly alongside one another.

Sterner said Wallace State Community College — a powerhouse for workforce training and development — exemplifies that need.

“The number-one asset moving forward is going to be your community college system, because this is where a lot of the ‘new collar’ employees are being trained,” he said. “You are truly blessed to have a resource like that in your community, because many don’t. But the more you invest in those programs, the more competitive you are going to be.”

Walkable downtown with all of the key elements of live-work-play.

Access to 2- and 4-year programs in finance, tech and medical fields.

Vibrant arts, culture and music scene.

Affordable housing for millennials.

Businesses stay open after 5 p.m.

Proven track record of successful professionals firms.

Access to ride-sharing 24/7.

Parks, rec amenities, outdoor activities.

Community that embraces diversity.

Non-traditional options for office space.

Site Slection Magazine