BRAC and Kia Set to Make Columbus an Economic Oasis (Commerce: car insurance, credit)

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by aboutmetro

Come on home Terrence, we'll find somewhere for ya. South Columbus was doing pretty well sales wise in the hot 2006-7 market. Crime in the area has become an issue again. In most areas of South Columbus, it's perception, in others, it's real. For some reason, every gas station on Macon Rd seems to be a target.... South, south Columbus though, Victory Dr, S Lumpkin, etc, has some projects and potential projects going on that are giving a glimmer.

I think you'd be surprised about the willingness of some to live in vert res. Along with the new blood, there's some boomers moving to the lofts and back to more convenient areas. Not to mention we're 'training' some urban dwellers with CSU's new student loft apartments in downtown. TSYS is picking up new business so maybe they'll expand and bring in / keep some younger blood here too.

Yes but are those urban dwellers in training going to actually stay in Columbus when they graduate? CSU students are supposed to be encouraged to stay but most don't. I only know one person in my class that is actually using their degree in Columbus. I mean even the career center at CSU came into our class a couple years ago and was like GET OUT you will not find a job here! I sure didn't. AFLAC simply didn't have openings in my area and TSYS flat out said no. So C-town still has a ways to go before it's keeping the college educated from heading to greener pastures.

But I'm trying to come down to at least visit. Just being back home will be nice. Wanna see the Infantry museum and just visit with folks. I think the museum will certainly help south Columbus. On the other hand there are still problems.

Now I saw that they tore down Baker Village. I couldn't believe it. Now the question becomes will the riff raff return when they build those new apartments? A lot of times when new apartments are built on the southside that ghetto mentality still remains. It's just as hood as ever but in new apartments. Now I haven't head horror stories about Ashley Station so if they could figure out how to build new projects that are actually nice to live versus nice to look at, that would be impressive.

[aboutmetro]

Originally Posted by terrence81

Yes but are those urban dwellers in training going to actually stay in Columbus when they graduate? CSU students are supposed to be encouraged to stay but most don't. I only know one person in my class that is actually using their degree in Columbus. I mean even the career center at CSU came into our class a couple years ago and was like GET OUT you will not find a job here! I sure didn't. AFLAC simply didn't have openings in my area and TSYS flat out said no. So C-town still has a ways to go before it's keeping the college educated from heading to greener pastures.
.

No doubt there's still a 'brain drain' problem in Columbus. It was 'officially' identified in the 90's. The leadership at the time thought adding entertainment options was the key. I have to admit, as a potentially draining brain at the time, I thought that was a good idea. (I ended up using my minor, not my major). But I too left Columbus for a brief period right out of college.

The first read of your account in class with the Career Ctr shocked me a little, the second read I was like, 'well, that's there job - to help kids get jobs. If they have to advise to leave town, that's the way it is.' Just out of curiosity, what's your friend's career and/or major that was able to say?

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by aboutmetro

No doubt there's still a 'brain drain' problem in Columbus. It was 'officially' identified in the 90's. The leadership at the time thought adding entertainment options was the key. I have to admit, as a potentially draining brain at the time, I thought that was a good idea. (I ended up using my minor, not my major). But I too left Columbus for a brief period right out of college.

The first read of your account in class with the Career Ctr shocked me a little, the second read I was like, 'well, that's there job - to help kids get jobs. If they have to advise to leave town, that's the way it is.' Just out of curiosity, what's your friend's career and/or major that was able to say?

Entertainment is certainly important. But good jobs not just $8 or $9 an hour jobs are more important.

Oh yeah everyone in class was shocked. At the end of the day though she was right. I had to leave to get a job in my field. Which is kinda narrow to begin with.

I majored in English-Professional Writing concentration. I just know one guy who got a job at the paper. Another girl who graduated a year ahead of me got a job at a small newspaper on the other side of the state. Everyone else went back to get their masters.

[aboutmetro]

Originally Posted by terrence81

I majored in English-Professional Writing concentration. I just know one guy who got a job at the paper. Another girl who graduated a year ahead of me got a job at a small newspaper on the other side of the state. Everyone else went back to get their masters.

I wasn't aware that CSU had a journalism degree. Or is that something different from what you have? Very cool. This is way off topic, but how's the newspaper industry being so hard hit effecting you and your colleagues?

[lilmusket]

I'm not so sure that military bases are such the big economic engines for cities that ppl think they are. I think this has so much to do with activity being confined to the base.. they have their own stores, many live on base, dining halls on base.. so aside from the weekend excursions into town for a dinner and movie, the economic impact is not that broad overall.
I mean Fort Bragg is even bigger then Benning I believe, and fayetteville isn't exactly an economic oasis... not like the Raleigh/Durham area with the research triangle and the major universities...those things have much more impact on the local economies than a military base does.

[aboutmetro]

Originally Posted by lilmusket

I'm not so sure that military bases are such the big economic engines for cities that ppl think they are. I think this has so much to do with activity being confined to the base.. they have their own stores, many live on base, dining halls on base.. so aside from the weekend excursions into town for a dinner and movie, the economic impact is not that broad overall.
I mean Fort Bragg is even bigger then Benning I believe, and fayetteville isn't exactly an economic oasis... not like the Raleigh/Durham area with the research triangle and the major universities...those things have much more impact on the local economies than a military base does.

That's about right, sort of... the way that they're a big economic impact is that they do pump 'new' money into the region. They'll use local contractors for all kinds of services that aren't performed by the military itself. The reason BRAC at Benning is said to have a large impact is that there are NO additional units being built on base. So ALL housing will be market housing off base. Regarding the services provided on base, etc. My mom still goes to the base for the doctor, but everything else she does in town. Even all of her friends go to doctors intown now. She's the only one of them all that wasn't (re-assigned) for some reason...

Prices at the PX and commissary aren't that much cheaper any more. So it makes no sense to drive to the base when you can go to the Publix or Walmart. That's expected to be the case with folks who move to areas with convenient retail. For those who move to the suburbs or exurbs, they may still use the PX or commissary on base.

Columbus probably has a disproportionate share of lodging for visiting families too, though I have nothing to back that up...

The Ft Bragg website says that it pumps $2 billion into Cumberland County in retail sales. That's no small potatoes.

[lilmusket]

True about Bragg.. and Fayetteville would likely be nothing but a wide place in the road without it.. but it's still not a dynamic economy. I mean the new money and ppl coming to benning because of BRAC will undoubtedly boost the local economy of Columbus... but what these cities need to do (and Augusta has this same issue) is to diversify its economy beyond just the public sector, encourage more private sector expansion, entreprenuerism, research, development, creating things...(this is what you have happening in places like Raleigh/Durham.. it doesn't have a major military base like Bragg, but its local economy is 10 times more vibrant and dynamic than Fayetteville's.

[aboutmetro]

Originally Posted by lilmusket

True about Bragg.. and Fayetteville would likely be nothing but a wide place in the road without it.. but it's still not a dynamic economy. I mean the new money and ppl coming to benning because of BRAC will undoubtedly boost the local economy of Columbus... but what these cities need to do (and Augusta has this same issue) is to diversify its economy beyond just the public sector, encourage more private sector expansion, entreprenuerism, research, development, creating things...(this is what you have happening in places like Raleigh/Durham.. it doesn't have a major military base like Bragg, but its local economy is 10 times more vibrant and dynamic than Fayetteville's.

No arguments here. I believe the headline was that BRAC helps make the area an economic oasis (in a world of recession). That's undeniable. Columbus has AFLAC and TSYS, and that's about it. The town's had a very, very hard time diversifying. Columbus can't compete with Macon, for example, in distribution warehousing. Columbus is the biggest metro without an Interstate. The I-185 dead-end doesn't count. All of GA's second cities have a hard time attracting corp HQ's with the Great White shark of Atlanta in the waters.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by aboutmetro

I wasn't aware that CSU had a journalism degree. Or is that something different from what you have? Very cool. This is way off topic, but how's the newspaper industry being so hard hit effecting you and your colleagues?

It's not a journalism degree per say. I only took like one journalism classes. It's half literature and half business writing classes. I liked the writing classes hated the lit classes.

The newspaper industry hasn't affected me since I didn't really want to go into journalism anyways. I'm horrible at interviewing people. I edit documents for a defense contractor, it's a lot of paper work.

[aboutmetro]

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