Staff Report

Columbia’s leaders are asking for suggestions about how to attract and keep a new “creative class” of artists, business owners and professionals at the state capital.

The public is invited to take the Columbia Talent Magnet Project survey at www.columbiatalent.com and voice opinions about the city and what it will take to turn it into a magnet for talent.

The Columbia Talent Magnet Project was created to find ways to appeal to and keep today’s “Creative Class” in Columbia.

“From restaurants, nightlife, and green spaces to a depth and breadth of job opportunities, affordable housing and a safe environment, what will it take to turn Columbia into a place that attracts the creative class?” the leaders ask in the new survey.

The Project is a collaboration among EngenuitySC, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, New Carolina: South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness, and Columbia Opportunity Resource.

“We are taking the pulse of our community to identify Columbia’s perceived strengths, weaknesses and opportunities,” the groups said in a statement. “What’s right, what’s wrong, and what opportunities do we have as a region to grow and prosper? Responses from the anonymous survey will form the foundation for dialogue at a Talent Magnet Summit in late 2008.”

Columbia is a net exporter of talent, with graduates and young professionals leaving the community for places such as Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and other cities because of perceived opportunities in those markets.