More millennials living in Henrico than anywhere else in Central Virginia
HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - Henrico is where millenials want to live.
That's according to new U.S. Census numbers that show more millenials call Henrico County home than anywhere else in Central Virginia.
The County's Economic Development group is using that information to attract new businesses that need these tech savvy workers.
Even though there are varying definitions of when millennials were born, the most common says that this generation spent most, or all, of its adolescence with the Internet.
The Millennial generation has a less than desirable stigma. While most millennials grew up hanging their hats on participation trophies, there are several businesses in Henrico that are reaping the benefits of this generation.
"CBRE Richmond has about 40 Millennials in the office," said Vera Magdeeva, PR and Communications Specialist for commercial real estate firm CBRE. "It's the largest number of millennials of all of our regional offices."
"They can do spreadsheets, they can do brokerage, they can do just about everything," she continued. "And we do have an internship and mentorship program that does let them experience every single department that we have. So I think that them being able to wear many hats is very helpful to our business."
Wearing a lot of hats seems to be a trend with this demographic of workers. Online company Snagajob pairs hourly workers with hourly paying employees and has an atmosphere that caters to creative young minds.
"For us, I think one of the big things is willingness to adapt to change," Candace Nicolls of Snagajob said. "We are constantly learning new technologies, constantly trying to find new innovative ways of doing things and they're always willing to come in and bring new ideas."
It's rare to see offices that have bean bag chairs and ping-pong tables, but they're at Snagajob, playing into the strengths of the millennial work force.
"I mean, people, people know they need to work," said Andrew Mosley of Snagajob. "They know they need to apply themselves if they want to be successful they can't just expect things to fall in their lap."
For the time being, while the Millennial generation works to break out of entry level positions, officials with Henrico County's Economic Development Authority say one way they can attract big business is by pitching this workforce.
Selling employers on young workers with large skill sets that come at a lower, entry-level price and that's music to employers' ears.
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