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To the Editor,
A story appeared in the
Dec. 5, 2022 edition of the Lewistown Sentinel titled "Seminar aims to boost retention in the workplace." This is a welcome event since the 21st century has changed the way we work with the advent of the internet and fast growing technology.
Twenty-first Century economic development focuses on what a community has, rather than what a community doesn't have. Too many communities spend all their time and money on business recruitment. They build an industrial park out by the airport and they try like crazy to attract a plant, factory or distribution center to move there. The few communities that are "successful" at this strategy usually accomplish this by giving away the store.
Communities must use a smart and vigorous plan to 'future proof' the lives of all its citizens. The truth is, failing to plan, simply means planning to fail. It is difficult to name any successful individual, organization, corporation or community that doesn't plan for the future.
We live in a rapidly changing world. The post-recession economy is reshaping the way we live, work, shop and move around. Communities that plan for the future will prosper. Those that do not will decline. Today, people and businesses can choose to live and work anywhere. Communities that can't differentiate themselves will simply have no competitive edge. This means that quality of life is more important than ever. Successful communities set themselves apart. They know that communities that choose their future are always more successful than those that leave their future to chance.
The information I provided, "Breaking Out of the Resource Trap: An Economic Plan For Resource-Based Communities," is a blue-print for stability and prosperity in small American communities and was provided to community leaders on Dec. 13, 2022 and no response was received
Note: Without fiber in the 21st Century, our towns are going to disappear one obituary at a time because our young people cannot stay in a community with 20th Century communication infrastructure.
To the future,
Ken Schucht
Lewistown