Dayton Daily News...
Ending exodous of young professionals vital to growth
An area group promotes the values of the region to other young people.
Joanne Huist Smith 

Attracting and retaining young, educated professionals is a critical part of ensuring a bright future for the region. 

That fact has not been lost on local leaders who have made it a priority to increase the number of young adults by encouraging companies to offer internships and incentives to attract potential long-term residents off college campuses and into communities. 

The number of 20- to 39-year-olds leaving the area has risen dramatically for parts of the Miami Valley during the last decade. A comparison of U.S. Census data between 2000-2010, shows Montgomery County losing more than 22,000 residents in that age group, while Greene, Miami and Warren counties only seeing modest single-digit percentage gains. 

A 2009 study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute titled “Losing Ohio’s Future: Why college graduates flee the Buckeye State and what might be done about it” revealed that from a sample of 811 sophomores, juniors and seniors at seven Ohio colleges, 58 percent planned to leave the state after graduation. 

The survey found that students were concerned about their prospects in Ohio. 

“Their perception was there are not enough job opportunities, and not enough are well-paying,” Emmy Partin, director of Ohio Policy & Research at Fordham, said. 

But a more recent study released by AfterCollege, a website connecting graduates with employers, found Dayton ranked 20th on Bloomberg’s ranking of the Best Cities for New College graduates based on entry-level employers, average annual pay, cost of living index and unemployment rate. 

On Sept. 19, the Dayton Daily News invited 14 young professionals to share their views of the region and the community assets they would consider, if faced with a decision to stay or go. Before the two-hour discussion ended, the group endeavored to answer the question, what drives young adults to leave the area and what are key factors that could keep them here? 

Butler Twp. resident and entrepreneur Cody Bratton, 22, said he sees tremendous potential locally

for growing small businesses. The founder of Divine Parking — a valet service that Bratton has grown into a $250,000 a year venture — speaks from experience. “A lot of the young people I run into in the Dayton region seem very competent in what they are trying do. They may not be well educated, but they still have an idea and they’re putting time and energy into it,” he said. 

Jenny Cruz, 33, who was born on Guam, grew up in Milwaukee and lived in New York City before moving here five years ago, feels very upbeat about the region. “What I like about Dayton so much, is it’s pure potential energy. We have everything here. It’s just waiting,” said Cruz, an associate professor of music at Central State University. “People may say our trajectory is down. I say our trajectory is up. It’s nice to be on the beginning of that and feel you’re a part of ... making it better.” 

Jonathan Hung, 32, a Beavercreek attorney, said it takes courage to unlock that potential, but the benefits can be large. He is a volunteer for Activated Spaces, part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, which is dedicated to giving new life to vacant downtown storefronts.

“If young people in an area ... go out there and make a pitch to make some of these initiatives reality, that would definitely tap into the potential energy,” he said. 

The panel said the region offers attractive assets, including great parks and universities; a vibrant art scene and night life — if you know where to look for it; affordable housing and opportunities to get involved at a higher level than might be possible in a larger city. 

“I’m only 24 and I’m on the board of the (Dayton) philharmonic,” said Lauren Hamer, a graduate student and music instructor. “That wouldn’t normally happen in the city where I came from, Cleveland. It’s absolutely fantastic.” 

Hamer moved to Dayton because of her husband’s job and didn’t plan to get involved. The more she learned about the region, the more she wanted to help make it better. “A great job will only keep a young adult in one place for so long, there has to be something more,” she said. 

Better communication about events and unique businesses, could influence grads as they consider after-college options, said Brandy Zapata, 21, a senior at Wright State University. She feels there’s a big disconnect between students and the communities outside their campuses. 

Updayton, a part of the DaytonCREATE initiative launched in 2008, strives to attract and retain young people in the city through civic engagement. Its executive director, Yvette Kelly-Fields, said the initiative is working to plug Ohio’s “brain drain. The real problem is people see potential, but they don’t see it realized,” Kelly-Fields said. “Our best effort to attract and retain is through college students.” 

Darnell Wormely, 28, a chemist at Cargill who recruits at area colleges, said students often tell him they don’t plan to stick around. 

“I think it’s because they don’t know what’s really going on in Dayton as a whole,” he said. “Even young people who live here seem to have blinders on.” 

While the restaurants, shops and bars in Dayton’s Oregon District are definitely on the radar of the under-40 crowd, the Dayton region holds other attractions. John Jones, 29, an adjunct lecturer and internship coordinator for the University of Dayton’s Political Science Department, praised the summer concert series at Kettering’s Fraze Pavilion.

For those who just want to get away, Jamila Caraway, 32, a management analyst at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, believes the region’s location could also be a selling point. “There are so many different places you can go to in six to eight hours,” she said. “We really are at a crossroads.” 

Others on the panel mentioned the affordable market for first- time home buyers as a potential way to attract young adults. 

“We were able to move here about two years ago and we purchased a house a year ago,” said Erin Gillespie, a 27-year-old North Carolina transplant who is an urban planner. “That’s something I couldn’t have done where we moved from.” 

One challenge for Gillespie has faced since moving here is the negative attitude in Dayton about Dayton. “This has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with since I moved here,” she said. “I’m already dealing with the reality of the slow economy here in terms of the job market. The last thing I need is for people to tell me, ‘oh, you shouldn’t even be here.’ ” 

Most in the group agreed that Dayton suffers from image issues. 

“We need to find a way to communicate how great we are and do it en masse,” Cruz said. 

Hung believes that attitude could be a carryover from an older generation. “There was a time when Dayton was this fantastic place,” he said. “There was a lot of innovation going on, but there was a period when there was basically a downswing. We’re still feeling that effect.” 

A perception that parts of Dayton are dangerous seems to compound the problem. 

Christoper Pawelski, 25, a Dayton police officer, said downtown is one of the safest parts of the city. He is building a house downtown. “I’m a police officer and if anybody knows the numbers, I do,” Pawelski said. 

During a visit to the Second Street Market, Megan Cooper, 33, a development specialist at Eastway Behavioral Healthcare, said she was approached by college students who asked for directions to the downtown shops. “I told them Dayton’s not a city like that. Then they asked me, ‘where are the people?’ ” Cooper said. “You can’t feel they’re wrong, because they’re not. It’s a challenge that we have to overcome.” 

Ultimately, whether a college grad stays in Ohio or leaves is a highly individual choice, said Sean Creighton, executive director of SOCHE. That decision is based on many factors, both personal and professional. 

Read it at the Dayton Daily News