In a world of global competition, we need to show any prospect that we are much more than a bunch of stand-alone communities, who compete with each other, and that we can provide more resources as a region than what each community has to offer individually.
So EXACTLY what does that mean? Our county has a population of over 72,000 and on any given workday, we have around 15,000 of our residents commute out of the county to earn their living. At the same time, around 8,500 people commute into our county to earn their living.
We live in a world where commuting to a place of employment is now commonplace, and to someone who is considering an expansion or locating a business here, the travel times and population information is VERY important. It should not be a startling fact that we are a mobile society, and our workforce is as well.
Our county is typically #9 each month out of 77 counties in the state, for the total highest number of people employed. This isn’t anything new, as we have been in that position month after month and year after year. That is a good statistic for us, when we tell our story of Why Shawnee is a place someone should live, work or make an investment.
To a prospect that needs to hire more people, products and services faster, all of this movement matters. Moving all of those things from here to the world and from the world to here is part of what we can offer. Our area is part of the movement and our economy will move right along with it.
For now, please keep in mind that as we grumble about the hassles of dealing with the roadway improvements, remember that you can repair a road without first tearing it up.