While our company is headquartered in Denver, CO, we made the decision to open a satellite Realvolve office in Bolivar, MO. Mark A. Stepp did a great job, and has attracted some wonderful, hard working talent.
The first question we're often asked is "why Bolivar, MO?” Admittedly, I was reluctant, and questioned whether it fit into our short and long-term objectives--let alone considering expansion. Nearly a year later, I finally visited and took a tour of the town.
I get it.
Bolivar is typical small-town Americana. It's not the San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, or Austin hip-type cities that people think of when they imagine "tech," where college grads enter the workforce at 100k. Instead, Bolivar offers:
· A close-knit community of authentic, curious, and hard-working people
· A college town with a solid computer science department
· Cool nature
· Like many small towns, they don't like big cities telling them how to live. But, they're open-minded. I can feel it.
So here's my thinking: software/code/science is a trade skill. Middle America is the next wave to hit. The young, educated people are craving to learn and work in challenging and progressive environments that expand their minds.
They want something new.
Plus, in Bolivar, they can afford to live unlike many other tech towns.
If enough companies like ours can see the vision and invest in these small towns, and take care of their employees better than the big-box-mega-chain stores, it will help to breathe new life into these communities. New local businesses will follow. Before long, locally owned craft breweries, restaurants, artists, and musicians show up, and diversity happens organically. And THEN, people from different cultures are sharing a beer, artisan taco, listening to live music.
And we all live happily ever after.
Here’s to you, Bolivar. Thanks for making Realvolve feel welcome and helping us become the best real estate CRM platform in the world.
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