By J. Mac Holladay, founder and CEO.

Diversity.

Webster says it means – “the condition of being diverse.” Diverse is defined as “differing from one another – distinct or unlike elements or qualities.” Diversity comes in many forms and descriptions. It is about age, race, ethnicity, lifestyle choice, family makeup, and many more things.

There is no question that our world becomes more diverse every day – in almost every way. Some are frightened by it, while others embrace it. In the world of community and economic development diversity is a multi-faceted issue. It is about workforce; it is about economic mix; and it is about place.

Frankly, on all these fronts, more is better. All of us have learned the hard lesson of depending too much on one business or industry sector. The Great Recession has proven without a doubt that sometimes even strength in two or three sectors may not be enough to prevent significant job losses.

Most of us are convinced that a quality workforce is the key to a prosperous future. Every community needs every young person well educated and committed to life-long learning. More and more firms are globally connected and the workforce needs to reflect the vast cultural choices of both clients and customers. As our communities reflect the growing diversity of the workforce, no one can be left behind. We need everyone.

“Quality of place” is defined by personal preferences. Many young people have no use for gated communities or country clubs. They want to walk or ride their bike to work and mix with different people of all shades and stripes. The more choices a community or region has for people of all kinds the better position they will be in to compete in the future.

At the end of the day, whether or not to embrace diversity is not a choice in our work. It is what is. Nurturing it as a key program area (and value) is as important as infrastructure development and marketing. People (and companies) can locate anywhere they choose …. and they will. Are you ready to welcome them even if they don’t look just like you?