Come back to Vermont, state tells grads

BYLINE: Dan McLean Contact Dan McLean at 651-4877 or dmclean@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com

Many want to return,

but money's an obstacle

Come back to Vermont, state tells grads

SOUTH BURLINGTON -- Rose Thompson, who grew up in Fairfield and lives in Montpelier, returned to Vermont after discovering Texas was not the place for her.

"I wanted to see what else was out there," said Thompson, 28, who works at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. in Waterbury. "After being in Dallas for a year, I knew I wanted to come back to Vermont. That was my goal."

The state is hoping it can persuade more people to return to Vermont to help replenish the state's aging work force.

More than 1,200 alumni from Vermont's colleges and universities who are living in other states said they have considered returning to Vermont, according to a study conducted for the state; about 2,000 of the 2,776 surveyed live outside Vermont.

"My message is: 'You spent some time in Vermont. You were part of our community at one point of your life -- and we'd like you to come back." Gov. Jim Douglas said in a phone interview Thursday.

Rebecca Ryan of Next Generation Consulting of Madison, Wis., discussed the findings at the Doubletree Hotel Burlington on Thursday. The report is titled "Growing Vermont's Next Generation Workforce."

"Vermont has a brand in the minds of these folks that have left," Ryan said, adding that is not typical for most cities and states. "Use that as a hook."

Mike Quinn, Vermont's economic development commissioner, who moved with his family to Essex Junction when he was 34 to escape the hassles of commuting into New York City, agreed.

"Young people think Vermont is a great place to live," said Quinn, who also attended the news conference.

Barriers

The report found barriers preventing people from returning to Vermont are uniform among respondents: cost of living concerns and job appeal.

Those surveyed felt that a "double-burden" of the high costs and lower wages were "formidable," the report said. Just 33 percent of the alumni living in Vermont said the state offers a cost of living that allows for work and play. Even fewer -- 23 percent -- of those living out of state thought Vermont offers a range of earning options.

Rich Gardner, 23, attended Vermont Technical College and decided to stay in Vermont because he was able to tap family connections. His family owns Gardner and Sons Development Corp., Gardner Construction Inc. and Gardner & Gardner Realtors, based in Colchester.

"I was able to stay in Vermont because my parents made a job for me," he said. "Without that, I probably would have moved out of state, as well."

Some of Gardner's friends plan to earn money elsewhere and return to Vermont to raise a family, he said.

The earnings issue is either a "huge misperception" or it must be addressed by Vermont employers when recruiting, the report said.

Marketing

Knowing former college students are considering returning to Vermont is a "crucial finding," the report said.

"A marketing effort that triggers the decision-making process ... would have a high likelihood of success," the report said. "These 'deliberators' should be among the highest priority for any marketing effort."

Most of the responses came from women living in Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C., Ryan said. The top reason cited to return to Vermont was a perception that Vermonters are active and live in a healthy community, the report said.

Vermont's college graduates were targeted by the survey, conducted from mid-September to mid-November, because they are familiar with the state. The bulk, 81 percent, said they would be "likely" or "highly likely" to recommend moving to Vermont to family and friends.

Bringing people back to Vermont -- even a few hundred at a time -- would make a difference, Quinn said. Vermont has 623,000 people, according to the U.S. Census' 2005 estimate.

In Iowa, Ryan said, a successful campaign encouraged hundreds of alumni from Iowa's colleges to return to the state.

Good first steps for Vermont, she said, are connecting college students with local employment opportunities and establishing young professional groups to create opportunities for young professionals to connect with the community.

The state hired a team of three consultants, led by TIP Strategies Inc. of Austin, Texas, to examine problems facing Vermont's work force. Aside from Next Generation Consulting, the Vermont State Data Center at the University of Vermont participated in the effort.

The consultants' work, which cost the state close to $164,000, has created a list of 700 e-mail addresses of people who indicated interest in returning to Vermont. The list can be used to "form the kernel of a marketing campaign," the report said, suggesting the slogan "Make a difference in Vermont."

No decisions have been made on how the 700 addresses will be used, said David Mace, spokesman for Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

The way to proceed, Quinn said, is a mixture of encouraging the governor's "affordability agenda," building thousands of new housing units and through recruitment campaigns.

"We're not going to get everybody, but if we can encourage more people to come to our state or to stay here, we'll make a dent in the problem of maintaining and retaining our work force," Douglas said. "A number of people retire here, but our goal is to get them to come back sooner."

Contact Dan McLean at 651-4877 or dmclean@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com