Andre Redstone — local business owner, home builder, activist, volunteer, parent — sat down with the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, April 20, during their morning work session, and sketched out some of the related problems we have not yet dealt with successfully, here in Pagosa.
Like many of us here, Mr. Redstone would like to help prevent Archuleta County from becoming yet another Colorado mountain community affordable only for the very wealthy… prevent it from becoming yet another playground for the rich, that imports its workforce from ‘outside’.
I doubt there are many people, living here, who want to see Pagosa Springs become another Aspen, or Vail, or Telluride. But that type of often transition happens slowly, almost imperceptibly — driven by the very human characteristic of selfish entitlement.
Mr. Redstone spoke for about 40 minutes. Here are a few excerpts, with my comments.
“As a business owner, employer, and property owner in both the Town of Pagosa Springs and Archuleta County, I feel an overwhelming vested interest in being part of the solution. It’s my sincere belief that the Board of County Commissioners recognizes that there are many ‘stakeholders’ who have as much to gain as to lose, when it comes to the matter of attracting employees, either local or out of the area, and finding suitable work force and affordable housing…
“Question: What is the group which makes up the largest portion of our community who have the greatest impact upon our economy, but who rarely, if ever has taken or been given an opportunity to have a voice?
“Answer: Businesses, both medium and small alike. Service and trade oriented businesses makeup the economic backbone of our community, providing the very services, products, and labor force which not only helps to create our necessary infrastructure, but also is at the heart of our means of having an economy; one centered largely around the tourism industry and sales tax generation.”
Mr. Redstone is here reminding us of a couple of things.
First off, the Pagosa Springs economy is driven largely by small businesses. A few large corporations — notably Kroger Foods and Walmart, plus a few fast food franchises, and maybe we should include San Antonio-based Presidian Hotels, which operates the Springs Resort — play a sizable role here, but outside of those corporations, the Pagosa economy runs mainly on the sweat and tears of smaller, locally-owned businesses.
If Archuleta County loses its ability to attract and sustain a workforce, all businesses will suffer, but especially, perhaps, our small businesses. Few Pagosa businesses can operate without employees.
Mr. Redstone is also reminding us that these folks, who operate our many small businesses, often do not have the time — or don’t take the time — to become involved in the political decision-making processes. Political processes play a role in business success or failure, but that role is not always obvious. The rules created (or avoided) by our political leaders are probably less important, overall, than the effects of selfish entitlement… but we can’t discount the importance of civic leadership.
Secondly, Mr. Redstone notes that we all have as much to gain as to lose, in terms of attracting and retaining the workforce necessary to keep our economy functioning.
“It is imperative that ‘small businesses’ be a part of how we as a community, endeavor to address the issues of housing at all levels of the spectrum. Small businesses are directly impacted by an ability to grow, either by way of growing their labor force or the scope of offering, be it service, or product based.
“Being able to grow a workforce is largely predicated on an ability to attract members of the existing community or bring people in from elsewhere. Not only is there the need to provide competitive incomes, in comparison to other localities, it’s essential to be able to offer suitable housing that capitalizes on the picturesque backdrop of the Rocky Mountain landscape and lifestyle.
“Coupled with local younger generations coming into the workforce marketplace, there is a constant growing need for an increased housing stock. Small business will not only be continual generators of the need for workforce housing, but will likely be those who heed the call to invest, create and build the very necessary workforce housing inventory. To put in simple terms, small businesses will inevitably have to create the future workforce housing installations, if only but out of a need to survive.”
This is not an especially radical idea — that small businesses will have to step up to help solve the housing crisis in Archuleta County — nor is it an unreasonable suggestion. American corporations have, in the past, financed and built entire communities to support their business operations, as I mentioned in an editorial a few days ago…
Generally speaking, small-business owners exhibit a willingness to take risks, and to work longer hours than most of us might be willing to work. They also have a certain familiarity with entrepreneurial financing. If there were any group of Pagosa Springs residents who could combine their energies and intelligence to successfully help dig us our way out of our current housing crisis, it might very well be small-business owners.
If only — as Mr. Redstone suggests — for the sake of their own survival.
But how to bring the business community together?
Ten years ago, the Town of Pagosa Springs and the Archuleta BOCC formed a non-profit ‘community development’ organization — the Pagosa Springs Community Development Corporation. The idea, then, was for local government subsidies to “seed” the organization, but for the organization’s funding to come, eventually, from the overall community — especially, from the business community.
Ten years later, the PSCDC continues to be subsidized almost entirely by our local governments, and still struggles to attract local business support.
Mr. Redstone seems to be suggesting that a new (and somehow different?) “business owners group” would have better success.