Demographic Waves Begin to Come Ashore

“The human being is a self-propelled automaton entirely under the control of external influences. Willful and predetermined though they appear, his actions are governed not from within, but from without. He is like a float tossed about by the waves of a turbulent sea.”
-Nikola Tesla

Demographics are destiny is a common refrain. It is difficult to refute, but often dismissed by businesses and economists too focused on the short-term. Three articles that follow reinforce that demographics are a powerful economic and political force.

As a member of Generation X, this recent article from Joel Kotkin and Wendell Fox caught my eye about how our generation is beginning to assume leadership from the baby boomers.

As a native of Montana and someone who continues to follow the state’s fortunes, I was struck by this article raising concerns about the state’s future based on its economic trends. Many states, metro areas and rural areas face this same dilemma.

Finally, a global view. A.T. Kearney conducted a deep analysis of the largest millennial markets in the coming years. While Asia is poised for great growth and Europe continues to age, the United States is in an attractive position. Not only do we have a large millennial generation, but it is relatively wealthy with discretionary income – something that consumer product and technology companies must serve if they want to grow.

-Kenny McDonald

One Columbus Update

• This week, the One Columbus team is hosting companies considering the Columbus Region.
• Next week, our team will travel to Chicago to meet with site location consultants.
• Congratulations to One Columbus’s Matt McQuade, named by Consultant Connect as one of North America’s top 50 economic developers of 2017.
• Join 1,300 thought leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs helping shape the future of our region’s business community at the Columbus Chamber Annual Meeting on February 8.