They call it the Rhody Revolution, and the people leading the charge are young people trying to make Jefferson County a welcoming place for creative entrepreneurs.
An outgrowth of Washington State University's Team Jefferson, the idea is to attract and keep 18- to 40-year-olds in Jefferson County by creating an environment where their entrepreneurial spirits can thrive and grow.
Central to this effort is a social networking website at RhodyRevolution.com, created by bright young staffers at WSU who are bringing a lot of optimism and positive energy to the project. They are calling this a do-it-yourself revolution, and they hope it will connect young people with great visions with each other and some of the more established business people in the county.
There's no question that everyone needs to take a fresh look at the way we think about economic development. If you need an example of how new technology is reshaping the landscape, one need look no further than the presidential campaigns. Barack Obama's campaign in particular appears to have tapped in to the way young people network and communicate, and the result has been what appears to be an almost inexhaustible supply of cash. This is quite a revolution in politics, and there's no reason why the same principles can't work for an economic development campaign.
That's not to say that a website and good ideas will immediately or magically overcome the obstacles. For many years now, young people have left Jefferson County for the more generous banquet of opportunities in major metro areas. The number of big jobs you can land here are limited, and recent explosions in the cost of real estate have made owning a home and raising a family here more difficult.
But all over Jefferson County, you see young people beating the odds and triumphing in spirit and enterprise. They are new business owners, artists, musicians, farmers and craftspeople and tradespeople. They run businesses out of their home, or reach out through the web to more distant markets. They are fueled by a passion for what they do, are willing to work hard and are optimistic about their chances. It feels good to embrace that kind of enthusiasm. The world is shifting beneath our feet and the opportunities are endless.
It doesn't matter if you are young or old, you can participate in this latest effort to support the entrepreneurial spirit by visiting RhodyRevolution.com or by stopping in at WSU in Port Hadlock. The staff includes Kris Raikes, Kai Wallin, Shelby Smith and Tyler Lappetito.
The more you learn about this effort, the more you will be infected by the enthusiasm, and that's a very good thing.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, March 04, 2010
Article comment by:
Cody Hewitt
I am doing a paper for my college english class about the lack of jobs and job growth in Jefferson County. I was doing research and came across this program which seems to be a good idea for getting young adults involved on this topic but seems to have kind of fizzled out. If anyone has any info regarding this topic and would like to help me out please email me at cody_hewitt@hotmail.com
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