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Getting professional workers to relocate to Bloomington is at the core of the Bloomington Remote pilot program, which targets remote workers currently living in the US and beyond.
“Move to Bloomington, Indiana! Bring your remote job.”
That’s what the Bloomington Remote website says, which shows a photo of downtown Bloomington at sunset with lights sticking out of the courthouse.
The website shares attributes – creative, earthy, active, uncomplicated, smart, hip, artistic, sporty, delicious – of the city’s lifestyle and tells visitors: “Life is pretty sweet here.
The Mill, a coworking space for entrepreneurs and teleworkers, has partnered with Century 21 Global Mobility and Visit Bloomington to encourage remote workers to move into the community. The program offers free coworking membership to The Mill and other perks totaling $ 6,600, according to MakeMyMove, another website that shares information about Bloomington Remote.
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One of the first
Austin Hoyle is one of the first four teleworkers to move to Bloomington under the program. He and his wife Gretchen moved here from Seattle. You’ve been in Indiana for less than a month and have only just settled in to explore the community. Austin works from Home or The Mill as a software engineer for Vault Innovation. Gretchen goes to Nashville, where she works as a physiotherapist.
The couple had moved to Seattle from Springfield, Missouri, and were looking for potential new homes in various smaller cities when Austin found an article on Bloomington Remote and applied. They had already created an elaborate table of possible cities, including Grand Rapids, Michigan; Lexington, Kentucky; and Asheville, North Carolina. The table listed more than 20 cities.
Proximity to family in the Midwest – Missouri for Gretchen and Illinois for Austin – was an important factor. The couple were looking for a smaller town that was less expensive and had a variety of dining, entertainment, and outdoor options. They found it all in Bloomington, and having a university was a plus.
Have tried food at local restaurants and hiked trails in Paynetown State Recreation Area and Brown County State Park. Both look forward to attending the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival and visiting the area’s farmers’ markets.
“We want to start a farm,” said Austin. The couple are hoping to grow a garden full of products to sell at a farmers market or in restaurants. Their table listed precipitation and sunlight of the places, as well as prices for goods.
Though they didn’t visit Bloomington before moving, Austin believes it fits well.
One of the benefits of the Bloomington Remote program is that it provides connections to a nonprofit group or agency, with the remote worker acting as a board observer. Austin’s non-profit organization is the Sycamore Land Trust. He is looking forward to a meeting soon.
The couple’s interest in farming is related to conservation, he explained. They hope to be able to apply regenerative farming practices on their farm.
“We are interested in being here and taking root here,” he said.
For other teleworkers looking for a new home, Austin advises, “Give the Midwest a chance if you haven’t been here.”
About the process
Melissa Ward, Director of Initiatives and Partnerships at The Mill, is working to bring two more remote workers to Bloomington in the hopes they will be the fifth and sixth people to take up offers with Bloomington Remote.
Ward has been working on the Velocities-sponsored pilot program launched in June since January. The aim is to have 10 accepted applications by the end of this year or by the first quarter of 2022 at the latest. So far there have been 300 applications from people from 22 countries and 39 states.
The initiative for the program came from Pat East, General Manager of The Mill. The aim is to increase the number of people in the Bloomington area who work for big companies, get involved in the community and not only generate more income, but also more bring more know-how to the region.
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The founder of Tulsa Remote, who began attracting remote workers to Oklahoma in 2018, has been hired to help.
The Mill already provides a home base and resources for remote workers. Since the beginning of the pandemic, remote work has become more important for many companies.
“People can live anywhere,” said Ward. “We’re seeing this trend. Why don’t people want to live here?”
Most of the 300 applicants have never been to Bloomington, Ward said. Many of the applicants are from the south and are looking for a place with four seasons. Some applicants are recent IU graduates; others hold managerial positions. The majority are young professionals. Relative affordability, climate, and the fact that it is a college town are all selling points for Bloomington. While current residents say Bloomington apartments aren’t as affordable as many other Hoosier communities, they’re more affordable than most of the east and west coast cities where many of the potential remote workers currently live.
When a remote worker applies, Ward conducts the first interview through Zoom. It measures their interest in Bloomington and makes sure they are truly a remote worker. Only 20% of applicants are invited to the first interview.
The second interview is also on Zoom and features both East and Ward. The final, third interview is a visit to the area with $ 500 to offset travel and accommodation expenses.
While applicants are in the area, Visit Bloomington officials help organize a tour of the community, including the Indiana University campus and nearby attractions.
“We think it’s important that it’s not just about The Mill,” said Ward.
If the applicant is accepted, Century 21 will help with the relocation of the person or family.
Even if they aren’t selected for the program, Ward hopes some people will decide to move to the area. “I offer that from the start.”
At Tulsa Remote, for every person accepted into the program, there were three or four more who still moved to Tulsa, Ward said. She assumes that this will also happen here.
“We want to bring talent into the community. And we want to get a big corporate exposure here in Bloomington,” said Ward, naming the Washington Post, Amazon and Motorola as employers for some of the applicants.
“We invite people here and embed them in the community,” she said. “We are looking for people who want to get involved.”
Once the teleworkers are here, there will be more benefits for both the community and the newcomers. The Mill offers a free lunch each month for remote workers, both in and out of the program.
“We want to create a community of remote workers across Bloomington,” said Ward.
You and East are already looking forward to what’s next after the first 10 applicants get to Bloomington.
“We already have hundreds of applicants for just a few places,” said Ward. “If we expand the program in the next phase, we can use other marketing methods to increase the proportion of qualified applicants.”
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com, 812-331-4359 or @ckugler on Twitter.
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