The remote recruitment effort is a piece in the redevelopment of downtown Beckley and is influencing a survey by NRGRDA, Rappold said.
On Wednesday, Rotellini presented information on a number of workforce development opportunities in the southern counties to the West Virginia Senate Workforce Committee. At the top of her list, she said, was the burgeoning aerospace industry at Raleigh County Memorial Airport and corresponding degree programs through New River Community and Technical College and West Virginia University- Institute of Technology — and the recruitment of remote workers to Beckley, a city that Rappold said is poised to become home to those who want a safe city with a number of recreational opportunities.
Rotellini, who began leading the Chamber in 2019, pointed out that the global pandemic has increased the number of remote workers from 5 million to 45 million in the last year. As the pandemic subsides, experts predict, it is expected that over 25 million of the workers will continue to work remotely. That creates a unique opportunity for the City of Beckley, she said.
"Remote workers are novel because they bring their jobs with them," said Rotellini. "In economic development terms, they are two-for. They add a person to the population, and they add a job to the overall job base.
"The economic value — and therefore, the power — of the job they hold has shifted from their employer to themselves," Rotellini said. "The worker controls where that job goes."
Rappold, Rotellini and NRGRDA Executive Director Jina Belcher believe the workers are a welcome fit with Beckley.
The mayor said that the Chamber is spearheading an effort to convert downtown space into office space for remote workers. A "redevelopment survey" commissioned by NRGRDA to study the best use of downtown buildings is planned.
Rappold said that about four investors have expressed interest in four downtown properties. Belcher told City Council on Tuesday night that she had six investors interested in downtown space.
Housing and remote office space are two of the needs of those investors, and the redevelopment survey by Miller and Associates of Scott Depot will examine the highest use of downtown buildings.
"If we can attract remote workers to the City of Becklely and the general area, we would like to have a suitable work area for them," Rappold said. "That's a potential use for one of the buildings under consideration now.
"Those same people (have a) need for lodging, for housing, and so that's another possible use for some of the buildings under consideration.
"I think we'll attract some people who find Beckley and, particularly, the outdoor amenities — the hiking, biking, rock climbing, everything that goes along with that — appealing."
Monica Miller of Miller and Associates is expected to compile a list of "request for proposals" by contracted workers to conduct the redevelopment survey by Friday of next week. Council must approve the RFP list and any findings of the survey in order to implement the suggestions for downtown Beckley, said Rappold.
Meanwhile, the city is partnering with the Chamber to invite remote workers to Beckley.
"The city did finance, let's call it a set of plans, which describe what would be available to a remote worker," said Rappold. "We footed the bill for a local engineer to put that together."
He said that $1,000 was paid to SLS Land and Energy Development to produce renderings of possible layouts for remote workers and their offices.
A Chamber staff member, Christine Kinder, developed a brochure that explains the attributes of a remote worker program, Rappold added.
The city is not paying for creation or printing of the brochure.
Rotellini pointed out that remote workers need a number of assets, such as a co-working space, housing, schools/child care, a favorable cost of living, amenities like restaurants, parks, museums and the performing arts, outdoor recreation, volunteer opportunities, mentorship and networking and continuing education.
Three months before the pandemic started, Personal Finance had named Beckley the cheapest place to live in the United States. As the finance site reported, Beckley is a regional education and healthcare hub, with the average cost of a home at $129,900. The area offers a number of free and low-cost recreational activities, the site reported.
Since then, the nearby New River Gorge National River has been named a national park and preserve. For the past 50 years, the New River Gorge has been a mecca for outdoor lovers, rock climbers and whitewater rafting enthusiasts from around the world, but the Gorge now has the same classification as Yellowstone National Park, which many local leaders believe will bring more national attention and tourists to the region.
In recent years, the city has developed the Lewis McManus trail for biking and walking and has been on a mission to upgrade city green space through Community Development Block Grants. The Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia and Exhibition Coal Mine, operated under the Parks and Recreation Department by director Leslie Baker, has continued to draw attention to the city, and the city offers a number of local outdoor performances through Fridays in the Park by Beckley Events.
Beckley Common Council has approved a number of recreational offerings in recent years, including a public golf course and second swimming pool and reception and events space at Historic Black Knight Municipal Park. The non-profit Active Southern West Virginia has partnered to help Beckleyans "get moving," and on March 22, Rappold said, West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources is set to award Beckley a health-conscious ranking, which will be announced later.
Rappold, former At-Large Councilman Tim Berry and others had pushed to develop a fine and performing arts scene downtown.
In August 2018, Dr. Ryan Snuffer and downtown business owner Matt Bickey cooperated to bring the School of Harmony downtown. Also in 2018, friends Jason Lockart, Adam Taylor and Jamie Smith formed WV Collective, a non-profit arts group that has staged productions of mainstream musicals.
The city began leasing the Raleigh Theatre and Playhouse from Bickey in 2019. Theatre West Virginia and WV Collective has used the stage for productions, and TWV has announced plans to operate a school and housing for TWV actors in Beckley.
While local residents are enjoying the amenities, Rotellini said that the Chamber is working to use the area's resources to recruit remote workers.
She said the Chamber, NRGRDA and the city are establishing an inventory of assets and developing the incentives list for remote workers.
While identifying what Beckley and the region offer remote workers, the partners are also identifying the contributions of the remote worker to the Beckley community: Rotellini said they are quantifying the value of a remote workers with economic models, building a target pool of highest-value and highest-probability remote worker targets and starting retail recruiting, which includes marketing campaigns and processes to manage applicants.
The team is also designing a "sustainable and scalable" funding strategy, Rotellini said.
Rappold said that Miller's upcoming redevelopment survey will utilize information from a 2019 assets assessment that Miller had helped prepare for the city. Student housing will also likely figure into the redevelopment plan, at the request of identified investors, he added.
The plan will not keep addition of a new building out of the question but will likely focus on renovation of existing buildings for housing purposes, which is the target of two investors, the mayor said.
Rappold said the city is also interested in making a city-owned Heber Street parking lot flush with a nearby parking lot at the former Zen's. The two lots are currently uneven.
Two Council members — Ward I Councilman Tom Sopher and Ward III Councilman Robert Dunlap — have expressed an interest in having the redevelopment survey process influenced by the Historic Landmarks Commission and ensuring that the historical integrity of the Courthouse Square, which is a nationally registered historic site, is maintained.
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