Thursday, September 2, 2010

Rotary Speech About America in 2050

I'm giving a speech to the Rotary Club in Massillon, Ohio today.

This was my first Rotary club when I joined in 1995, and I'm being invited back to give a talk I'm titling "Feeling the Pulse of the Homesick."

The message is that Massillon, like many places in Ohio, should consider its former residents a resource for perspective, capital, and as an answer to future workforce shortages.

I'm bringing two props.  A Kraus' Pizza box and the story about 6,200+ Facebook fans.

I'm also bringing a copy of a book I'm reading.

Just like readers of this blog, the Rotarians are going to get treated to a few quotes and stats from Joel Kotkin's The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050.

Kotkin envisions a tight labor market in the future that favors a country, like the U.S., that is growing in population.  His vision includes the idea that "the Heartland" can look to "returners" for both small business investment and for workforce in the future.

That's Massillon.

2 comments:

  1. I'll be upbeat and say I think they liked it. Kotkin probably sold a couple more books too.

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