Rossland Aims to Attract Nomads
By Contributor
The City ofRossland hopes to build on its frontier heritage by attracting modern-day prospectors, who troll the Internet for their ‘nuggets’. These “Nomadic Entrepreneurs” may hold the key to building its business base, according to a report issued today by the Rossland Economic Development Task Force (EDTF).
Rossland Mayor Greg Granstrom said: “Rossland has always attracted independent-minded people, from our foundation as a gold mining town to the present-day. I’m glad to see that tradition updated to entice Nomadic Entrepreneurs.”
Nomadic Entrepreneurs are people whose work is not limited by geography. They can live anywhere in the world, and choose communities like Rossland for the lifestyle it provides. These people may be small business owners with remote customers, remote employees of larger organizations or independent consultants working for a variety of clients. They tend to be ‘knowledge workers’ who contribute a great deal to their communities.
“Rossland has an incredible amount to offer people. We have a beautiful, clean environment, exceptional recreation opportunities, excellent schools and a close-knit, friendly community,” said Bob Reardon, chair of the Economic Development Task Force.
“We know these are things that location-independent workers are looking for. Our challenge now is to bring Nomadic Entrepreneurs to town, show them what we have to offer, and impress them enough to want to stay,” continued Reardon.
The EDTF is calling for a bold program designed to Attract, Impress and Retain Nomadic Entrepreneurs. It is recommending an innovative marketing campaign to attract Nomads to Rossland. As most Nomads thrive in an online environment, the campaign would be based on social media. Changes have already been made to the “Community Profile” on the City of Rossland website to emphasize elements that attract mobile workers.
Once here, it would be the job of the City and its residents, including local Nomads, to actively engage newcomers to sell the town’s benefits. A recent survey of Rossland’s Nomads confirmed that Red Mountain and the network of trails maintained by the Kootenay-Columbia Trails Society are valued amenities. Benefits under development include a business centre, with office and meeting space, a secretarial pool and services such as fax/photocopying and printing. Improved Internet access and air service, along with a support group to engage existing Nomads with each other and with the community have also been proposed.
Mayor Granstrom commented, “The Sustainability Commission and EDTF have already begun to implement solid steps to attract Nomads, and have made excellent recommendations for council and municipal staff to consider to strengthen Rossland’s economic sustainability”.
The EDTF is a Task Force under the Rossland Sustainability Commission. The SustainabilityCommission was appointed by Rossland City Council to guide the implementation of the Visions to Action Strategic Sustainability Plan. The Visions to Action plan defines where the community wants to be in the year 2030 to be economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, and outlines what actions need to be taken to realize those goals.
The Nomadic Entrepreneur report is available online at www.visionstoaction.ca.
For further information, contact:
Bob Reardon – Chair, Economic Development Task Force
bob@wspring.ca; 250 364-8894
