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April 8, 2009

Home again, home again...

More and more young professionals are returning to Oklahoma

By Joy Hampton

April 8, 2009 — The Oklahoma Department of Commerce has a new program called the Boomerang Project with the objective of bringing young professionals back to Oklahoma. The project targets particular fields where job demand exceeds the supply. The state offers tempting data and job facilitation to help entice displaced Oklahomans to return to their home state to work. These are people who grew up, got a degree or technical skill, and moved out-of-state to work.

Jason McCarty, spokesperson for the Dept. of Commerce, said family, cost of living, and quality of life are key factors the state is using to lure professionals back home again.

“Folks miss their families, and they want to raise their family here,” said McCarty.

Every day, each of us meets Oklahomans who are coming home again.

Rachel Spencer is a case in point. Not a part of the Dept. of Commerce’s official Boomerang Project, she is a boomerang kid nevertheless.

“I grew up in Claremore, went through the school system here,” said Spencer, a 1995 graduate of Claremore High.

After high school, Spencer attended Northeastern State University in Tahlequah for a time before returning to Rogers State University to complete her associate’s degree. Next it was back to NSU to complete her bachelors. She obtained her masters in business administration online while working.

“I moved away in October 2001 because my husband and I had an opportunity outside of Oklahoma for advancement and better positions,” said Spencer.

The couple also wanted to broaden their life experience through living in another state. Husband, Aaron Spencer, is from Wyandotte, Okla.

“We lived in Bonaire, Ga. for two and a half years. We went to Burleson, Texas and then from there we moved to Ottawa, Ill.,” said Spencer.

Many of the places chosen by the Spencers were economically comparable to Oklahoma. In Illinois, the colder weather made Spencer long for home and a warmer climate.

“It could snow at any point,” she said. “It never warmed up like we are accustomed to. You miss your friends and family.”

Her son’s birth made the longing for home even stronger.

“My son was born in Illinois,” she said. “I’d been up there for about three weeks when he was born.”

That was the beginning of the end of living out of state for the new mom.

“You have the little one and you want to be able to go and have a night out with your husband or to stay late for a work function,” she said. “You don’t know who to trust, you don’t know people.”

Spencer missed her family and friends. She said she found it hard to establish long-term friendships like those she had back in Oklahoma.

“You don’t’ have that hometown connection to a place, and it just makes it more difficult,” she said. She believes living so far away negatively impacted her quality of life.

The couple returned to Oklahoma in November 2006.

“My sisters get to see their nephew,” she said. “When you live so far away they miss seeing your kids grow up.”

Spencer said the current economy makes her especially happy to be back home.

“If something happened and I lost my job, I have people here to help me out if I needed it,” she said.

The emotional support means a lot, too, as she struggles with the normal ups and downs of life. Spencer said she feels lucky to have close friends around her. She has no desire to move again.

“We were attracted to towns that were like Claremore,” said Spencer of her days on the move. Now she has the real thing.

“Simple things mean a lot,” she said. “Like being able to have lunch with girlfriends that I’ve known since grade school.”

Spencer is currently the Controller for America’s Auto Auction in Tulsa. She lives in Claremore.

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