CULLMAN – The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals group, YPCullman, met on Tuesday evening, and the topic was a hot one: how to keep young professionals from leaving the Cullman area. The event, held at Terri Pines, was sponsored by Zeb Little Law, LLC and Willoughby Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc.
The young professionals in attendance ranged from small business owners in the community to representatives of BBVA Compass who are looking to network and invest in the Cullman area. According to Magan Bartlett, the Chamber’s director of membership and marketing of the COC, the purpose of YP Cullman is to “bring together young professionals, under the age of 40, that have expressed interest in networking with Cullman’s top leadership.”
Members of the Cullman Economic Development Agency (CEDA) were on hand to get to know the many young professionals in attendance and to stress how important it is for young people to stay in Cullman to spur economic growth in the community. “Nobody can be successful without the workers, without the people,” noted CEDA Assistant Director Dale Greer, as he talked about Alabama’s population growth problem. The state’s population is not growing nearly as fast as other states and without a large population that can work certain jobs, economic growth in the region will slow. Cullman is no exception, “It is incumbent on all of us to keep young people in Cullman by understanding their wants and needs,” said Greer, because without young people to invest in Cullman, the city will start to shrink rather than grow.
Barry McGriff, president of the McGriff Tire Company, Inc. continued to stress the importance of keeping young professionals in Cullman by stating, “I hope that we don’t have as much brain drain as we used to because there weren’t any jobs to be had. People would be educated here, but they would move away to find jobs. Hopefully the brains are coming back and they won’t have to leave town to find good work,” he said, following the night’s major theme of the importance of providing high quality jobs for the next generation.
“We need to have young, fresh blood. Our group is aging and our older guys need to train our younger group,” said Kyle Willoughby, vice president of Willoughby Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. He continued, “we have got to have something to get the young folks out. [For them to] work in trades.”
“We are looking toward the rest of you to be these leaders for the future. I challenge you to find that mentor, find that person that you can talk to (or) get advice from. Look at the things that they have done, because that is what has made this community great,” said Chamber President and CEO Leah Bolin. “The reason that you’re here is because of the people in this room and the reason that we’ll be here in 30 years is because of the people in this room,” she said, which proved to be quite a compelling statement to the young professionals in attendance, as noted by the thunderous clapping that could certainly be heard in rooms on the other side of the building.
McGriff pulled no punches in his remarks, as he noted that racism and the reputation that Cullman still has from its past costs Cullman jobs and that the next generation must “bury the hatchet” in regards to that issue. “Leah Bolin knows in her heart that those things are not true, but we need to convince others outside of Cullman that Cullman is not racially charged. I believe that your generation is the generation that will get us over the hump on that.” Another issue McGriff addressed head-on was that of the city vs. county. He says he would like to see the issue of unity between the city and county resolved, because negative headlines across the county have a negative impact on businesses’ decisions on expanding in the Cullman area.
In other topics, Chamber Tourism Director Jesse Newsom talked about his plans for exit 305, “The goal (for the next five years) is to get a convention center which would be a free standing building with a hotel attached with an open space for meetings; as well as, more hotels and more facilities.” Many of the people in attendance wanted to know how large a role that tourism played in the Cullman economy.
“We had a great turnout,” said attorney Zeb Little. “We’re blessed in Cullman to have this community and so many young professionals that are participating in this event,” he said, noting his hopes for the future of business in Cullman.
Bolin felt that the event was a success, noting, “Any time that you can marry the past with the present, and figure out the future together, is going to be a success.”
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