Picture a town that can attract jobs, but not residents. That’s the case for Rochelle, which is in the middle of an industrial boom. But local leaders say they need to address stagnant population growth.
At the very edge of Rochelle, you will find crossing interstates and rail lines. They serve as a key factor behind this town's jobs success. The infrastructure has attracted companies like Nippon-Sharyo. The Japanese rail-car maker, along with other manufacturers, has added hundreds of jobs in recent years. Overall, some 2,200 positions have been created in Rochelle over the past decade.
But many of the people who lined up for those jobs never thought about contacting a real-estate agent. Despite its industrial success, this hub-city has seen its population stay largely unchanged.
Jason Anderson is Rochelle's Director of Economic Development. He estimates that 75-percent of these recently created jobs have gone to non-residents. He says the quality infrastructure makes it a no-brainer for workers to want to hit the highway when the whistle blows.
"People can find it very easy to commute here and to get in and out of Rochelle," Anderson said.
Anderson also says the town has very little to offer when it comes to newer homes. He says that is a big turn off for commercial developers.
"Retail and commercial development comes with rooftops. And it's been a tough sell to expand the retail and commercial corridors without showing that rooftops are popping up," Anderson said.
City leaders say while the town benefits from the ever-expanding industrial tax-base, they are missing out on adding revenues elsewhere. Mayor Chet Olson says it's not like they're bleeding money. He says, during the day, workers will venture out to do a little shopping.
"They buy things here before they go home because a lot of rural subdivisions don't have grocery stores," Olson said.
But Olson acknowledges that these workers aren't just coming from rural subdivisions a few miles down the road. They're also commuting from larger communities that offer even more shopping. That gives Rochelle a limited opportunity to take advantage of the number of people working here. And it's not just a matter dollars and cents. City leaders say they're inability to attract new residents has affected things like school enrollment.
So how can this town convince people to stay within city limits when their work day is done?
The community hopes a rebranding effort will go a long way in creating a population surge to compliment all the jobs being added. A committee has been assembled to spearhead the initiative. A consulting firm has also been asked to lead the marketing aspect of the campaign.
Mayor Olson says they're ready to give themselves a true reading of what Rochelle lacks when you stack it up against other communities.
"There's different things that are going on in communities that I don't we quite realize what's attracting points," Olson said.
At the same time, Olson says they won't abandon their existing selling points; that Rochelle is a nice and quiet small town with a booming industrial park. City officials say while it's important to increase the local population, supplying the regional economy with all these jobs is just as important.
Local resident Nick Binz is happy with all of the job growth. He says he's also pleased that the city doesn't want to stop there by moving forward with the rebranding effort.
"That's the right thing to do, to be proactive in that area," Binz said.
And by the time rebranding campaign has run its course, Rochelle leaders hope those highway entrance ramps won't be seeing as many cars at the end of each day.
