Relocating to the Bay Area in the late 1990s presented both excitement and concern. Excitement in starting a new career and the next phase of my life upon finishing my undergraduate degree, and concern due to my lack of knowledge regarding the quality of life the Bay Area had to offer.
I grew up in downstate Michigan and planned to put down roots in Southeast Michigan or Chicago as I pursued my career in the financial industry. In fact, I had never actually set foot in Bay County until my first interview.
The rest, as they say, is history.
I landed in Bay City and during the next several years I became smitten by the authenticity of the people, the deep-rooted appreciation for the history of the community and the focus on evolving collectively.
Today, as the leader of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, I continue to be impressed by the latter of these attributes I so quickly discovered.
Over the years in the Bay Area, there has been a concerted effort to advance the ball with a specific plan. Most recently that has taken the form of something called the “Road Map to the Future” — a joint effort of the Chamber of Commerce and the Bay Area Community Foundation that focuses development and progress in four areas:
- A strong sense of place
- A robust and diverse economy
- The presence of outstanding talent
- Possessing the ability to meet basic human needs
A tremendous amount of work has been done to promote this plan and make sure that when any organization — from municipalities to nonprofits to private businesses — looks to make investments in the Bay Area, they do so keeping in mind the goals set forth in the roadmap.
The result is a constantly improving community.
Highlighting just one of these four areas — strong sense of place — I’d suggest that the commitment to creating it and fostering it is one of the main reasons why, after 20 years, I continue to call the Bay Area home.
And what fosters a strong sense of place? Investment in one of our greatest assets — the waters of Saginaw Bay, the Saginaw River and the Saginaw Bay Watershed; a focus on the arts; promotion of a unique and diverse restaurant and retail business scene; and access to green space, trails and nature areas.
All of these things help build the Bay Area as an appealing player in Michigan’s travel and tourism industry, which is just one leg of a three-legged stool that serves as a foundation for the Bay Area — the other legs being agriculture and industry.
This diverse environment has allowed the Bay Area to follow the progress the entire state has seen since the recession. The Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget reports continued improvement in the area’s unemployment rate, which sits below 5 percent — levels not seen since 2000.
Staying true to a community’s history while evolving takes courage, planning and belief.
The Bay Area is a place I believe in and I’d welcome everyone to pay us a visit to see for themselves the incredible things happening here.
About the Author
Ryan T. Carley, President and Chief Executive Officer Bay Area Chamber of Commerce
Ryan T. Carley joined the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce in May, 2015 as the President and CEO. Prior to joining the Chamber, Ryan was Senior Vice President of Retail for Citizens/First Merit Bank in which he lead sales process, execution, and operations for 220 branch locations.
Outside of his career, Ryan has been active in the community. He is the current treasurer of BaySail and the United Way of Bay County. He’s a past board member of the Bay Arts Council and of the Bay City Tall Ships Celebration. Ryan is a 2012 recipient of the RUBY Award, which stands for recognizing the upward, bright and young and a 2005 graduate of the Bay Area Chamber’s Leadership Bay County program. He’s also a travel and recreation soccer coach for the Bay Area Soccer Association.
Ryan serves on various committees including: the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance Board of Directors, Advocacy Council, and Institute for Leaders and Ambassador Council; Bay Future, Inc. Board of Directors and Executive Committee; Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors and many more.
Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Degree from Cornerstone University and lives in Bay City with his three children; Grace, Mia and Macks.
