Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette Remote worker social hour at Agassiz Park Thursday night
CALUMET — A few dozen remote workers gathered for a barbecue and games Thursday night at Agassiz Park hosted by Main Street Calumet, the villages of Calumet and Laurium and Remote Workforce Keweenaw.
The event was organized to give remote workers in the area an opportunity to meet other remote workers, network, and learn a little more about the area they live in. Due to the nature of remote work, many workers do not have the opportunity to leave their homes for an exceptional amount of time and interact with the community. This is the first year that events of this type have been organized by these groups and they have already seen success in this goal, with some workers becoming members of various clubs in the Keweenaw communities.
“The best part of an event like this is seeing people get excited about their ability to connect.” said Keith Meyers, director of Remote Workforce Keweenaw.
Remote Workforce Keweenaw is an initiative launched in 2018 to encourage remote workers to move to the area to work from home. He knew that locals didn’t want new residents to change the local culture of the area, so he promoted five pillars or values to consider before moving here. These pillars ask potential movers if they enjoy winter, appreciate the beauty of the natural environment, live in a place without congestion, live in a place with low crime, and seek affordable housing. Meyers believes that by asking remote workers if they embrace these values, potential movers will already be compatible with Yooper’s population.
Meyers also believes that bringing remote workers to the Keweenaw will benefit the region, as these additional residents will bring money to the local economy and services that the Keweenaw may lack.
“Remote workers coming to this region have a particularly diverse skill set,” Meyers said. He also pointed out that technology-based skills can be very useful to the community for government, faith-based, volunteer and nonprofit services. Main Street Calumet Executive Director Leah Polzien also expressed this point.
“We have an aging population and many volunteer organizations in Calumet,” Polzien said. “The Copper Country Firefighters History Museum, the Keweenaw Heritage Center, the Calumet Theatre and Main Street… I mean there are so many organizations like that that need staffing and help. Remote workers are one of the groups that could help fill some of that need.”
Andrew and Shauna Parrish are examples of remote workers who are passionate about Keweenaw and have established themselves within the community. They are IT infrastructure engineers from Boise, Idaho, who were looking for a cooler climate away from the wildfires raging out west.
“We wanted to be close to nature, to be surrounded by fewer people and to have access to lots and lots of fresh water,” Andrew said.
The two enjoy hiking with their neighbors and have made friends who are professors at Michigan Tech, and Andrew developed a passion for mountain biking while at Keweenaw. Although they are originally from the mountainous region of the country, the two believe they have developed a Yooper lifestyle.
Since moving to Keweenaw, the couple has started an interest group called Plant Based Copper Country that seeks to generate interest in whole-food, plant-based eating. Group members share their experiences and potential meals for a diet free of animal products and processed foods and emphasizing the importance of fruits and vegetables.
The skill set of remote workers in the Keweenaw is vast. Remote workers come primarily from information technology (IT) in divisions such as cybersecurity and database administration. There are also engineers, lawyers and government employees who work remotely and live in the Keweenaw. While many types of professions returned to offices after the pandemic, IT jobs have remained largely home-based and have allowed workers to travel wherever they want.
While many remote workers have chosen Keweenaw as home, another goal Remote Workforce Keweenaw strives to achieve is keeping them here.
“If we don’t have events like this, it becomes ships passing each other in the night,” Meyers said. “By coming together, we create synergy and we create this opportunity to have an even more significant impact on the community.”
According to Polzien, it’s not just important for remote workers to reach out to the community, but for the community to reach out to the workers to create a compatible environment.
“If you have a new neighbor, go say hello to him.” Polzien said. “Get to know them a little bit. I think it’s in our nature to be friendly and welcoming in general and I hope we can continue that. Say hello to your neighbors and get them involved.”
The evening was filled with games of cornhole and ladder ball, workers eating pulled pork sandwiches, and friends were made and bonds formed as the small world of remote workers grew, one conversation at a time.
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