When it comes to employment in the 21st century this is a talent driven era. Old models of brick and mortar buildings with jobs are becoming outdated.
Junction City will be at the forefront of the new Junction for Military / Civilian Innovation project that could eventually be implemented at all military installations in the nation to help troops transition out of the service into high paying jobs. That could occur in sectors ranging from cybersecurity to technology and management occupations. Other jobs could be in the life, physical and social occupations, healthcare practitioner, installation-maintenance and repair field, production and transportation and material moving occupations.
Approximately 2,200 to 2,600 Soldiers get out of the military each year at Fort Riley. If Junction City can retain just a small number of those personnel in high paying positions it could pay big dividends in local investment, housing acquisition, property and sales tax revenue increases.
( L-R ) Consultant Troy Carlson and Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce President Mickey Fornaro - Dean.
Consultant Troy Carlson with Initiatives Inc. told an audience of local leaders that there is a need to build a talent transition / retention structure emanating from Junction City to provide talent for the region. There will be a focus on in-demand jobs for the future.
A company called AstrumU will will develop a database with partnering companies to help begin placing soldiers in in-demand jobs. So far partnering companies include T-Mobile, Evergy, P1 and JE Dunn and others could join later on. As part of this project area educational institutions could place offices in Junction City, there could be companies wanting to establish a presence in Junction City and this could attract private investment into the community.
Carlson stated that military talent is highly desirable and could make a huge difference in the region. "Bricks and mortar don't drive innovation and investment. It's all about talent. " Talent drives enterprise growth.
Carlson said this project could apply to a wide range of people ranging from retiring veterans to high school students. A lot of federal agencies and contractors in the region need talent and this area is surrounded by a lot of federal jobs. He noted there is "good potential for Junction City."
Recommended initial steps start with building a talent infrastructure in Junction City followed by raising funding so a data analytics company can perform the initial analysis for Fort Riley, and creating a stacked-credential educational infrastructure in Junction City to fill skill gaps. Companies with federal contracts and federal agencies needing talent should be pursued along with companies requiring security clearances. There should be a focus on technology and cybersecurity companies, especially those in the region that work with the federal officials and the Department of Defense. KSU Salina Aerospace and Technology and Wichita State University have both expressed in working with this project.
Breaking down the potential return on investment for Junction City if five transitioning soldiers in the cybersecurity job category making an average salary of $105,585 remained in the community in the first year, and that number increased to 80 by the end of year five that could mean $8,446,800 in new payroll in the Geary County community. If all job sectors were combined there could possibly be 864 jobs and total new salaries in the community of $54,575, 600 at the end of the five year period.
Junction City Manager Allen Dinkel attended the presentation Tuesday night. He is excited about the potential of this project. "Anytime we can retain more soldiers and create more jobs I think it's going to be great for this community."
The City has invested funds in this project. Dinkel noted that so far the City had committed $225,000 in economic development funds, and then last week the city commission approved another six months at $15,000 per month with Initiatives Inc. to move forward on the project.