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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Homeless-serving groups get together ... Hanson Howard Gallery in Ashland features bird art ... Ashland woman trying to save family in Kenya ... Homeless-serving groups get together ... Hanson Howard Gallery in Ashland features bird art ... Ashland woman trying to save family in Kenya ... Southern Oregon needs young families, CEO of Project A says Chamber Forum speaker talks about the future Comment By Greg Stiles For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Greg Stiles For the Tidings Posted Apr. 15, 2016 at 5:42 PM By Greg Stiles For the Tidings Posted Apr. 15, 2016 at 5:42 PM » Social News One challenge for Southern Oregon in the coming years will be to attract recent college graduates and young families, Jim Teece told a Chamber Forum gathering Monday. "You know about the silver tsunami, and you know how Old Folks magazine writes articles saying Southern Oregon is the best place to die," said the president and CEO of Project A and Ashland Home Net. "One of the challenges we have, especially in the high-tech world, is that we're trying to figure out how to get young people to move here." In 1990, when he and his wife, Dena, were weighing whether to set up shop in Ashland or Bend, the populations were similar. Today, Bend has outgrown Medford and Central Oregon's second city, Redmond, has surpassed Ashland. "What are we going to do to sustain our future?" Teece asked his audience at the Rogue Valley Country Club. "Deschutes County is on target to surpass us in population, and yet they don't have the awesome airport we have, they don't have the freeway we have, they don't have a lot of the things we have. So why are young people saying, 'I want to move there?' " Census Bureau data show that Bend's 40-year-old population, a critical demographic, is outstripping Jackson County's. "When I go to Bend, I see a lot of young people, I see a lot of young families and strollers and wonderful things you think about," he said. "Because there is longevity, there's sustainability, there's a community that's going to grow. If we're losing 40-year-olds, what's happening?" He pressed his listeners to act as ambassadors for the region. "We want young people to move here, because a lot of us moved here when we were young, and we're not so young any more. As we are selling our businesses and retiring, we need to be ambassadors, it's what we need to do. Because when I talk to people, I hear, 'There's just no jobs here.' We can't put that on as our face." The region battles affordable housing issues, even for educated, trained workers. Teece said young people he hires can't afford to buy houses in Ashland, but they find White City residences in their price range. "I have two people who have bought in White City," he said. "They now complain that they have a 45-minute commute. I Googled it, it's true. But we have to answer to them, 'I can't continue to raise the wages for you to live closer to work, so you're going to live where it's affordable.' " Teece acquired Ashland Home Net, which now provides cable television, high-speed Internet and telephone services, in 2009. "The phenomenal thing about being in that business, as opposed to writing software for Fortune 500 companies, or businesses in this room, is that I'm now dealing directly with the consumer, which we all are. It's absolutely fascinating to watch how we now expect the Internet to be there for every aspect of our lives, from banking to watching movies to literally everything we do. That's why I got into that." With global population doubling during his lifetime, Teece noted there are twice as many challenges. "When we get concerned that violence is up, and all these things are going on and all this craziness is going on, well there are twice as many people creating these issues," Teece said. "We need to work together to figure out, if our valley is going to double in size, are we ready to handle it?" He said the Internet and technology have laid the foundation for the future. "The technology is just the fabric, and our community is what's built on top of that." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/Economic Edge. By Greg Stiles For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Greg Stiles For the Tidings Posted Apr. 15, 2016 at 5:42 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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