A fresh perspective on development

Lafayette Crump is the Commissioner of City Development for Milwaukee. Recently, Milwaukee Commerce spoke to him about the value that having a more diverse group of leaders can play in encouraging economic growth and attracting talent in the Milwaukee Region.

Milwaukee Commerce: Do you believe there’s a meaningful change happening in our region?

Lafayette Crump: It’s hard not to recognize the changing faces of leadership. There’s change with respect to who leads many of these units of government, which is meaningful. It’s also important that we start to see that happen in the private sector. MMAC is doing great work with the Region of Choice initiative, and it’s been great to see companies step up and commit to that.

We recently had a downtown safety meeting with several stakeholders, and I was struck by how most of the people of color were on the public side, whereas the leaders of the private stakeholder organizations were not as diverse. We need to build a community where we see diversity of leadership and a pathway to success for entrepreneurs of color and women, so that same diversity really shines through in all sectors.

MC: How meaningful is it to see this change?

LC: It shows that more voices are being heard. In terms of younger people coming in, it’s natural that you’d see a generational shift — and I’m happy to sneak in there as a Gen Xer! That said, it demonstrates people are hungry for change and new ideas. For fresh ways of operating and real incorporation of diversity of thought, background and experience.

Those are things that people sometimes pay lip service to. But you’re really seeing that in action here. In my work for the private sector, we often preached that diversity is good for the bottom line. I’m happy to see that happen in the public sector. Being inside the belly of the public sector beast for the last couple of years, I’ve been struck by how committed many people are to doing their best to achieve things on behalf of the people. It’s very meaningful. You’re starting to see a publicfacing set of leaders in Milwaukee that more accurately reflect the diversity of our city.

We want residents and those considering moving to the city or the region to feel everyone is welcome and has an opportunity to lead and succeed here.

MC: Does having more diverse and younger leadership help build economic activity in Milwaukee?

LC: It absolutely does. We want residents and those considering moving to the city or region to know everyone is welcome here and believe that everyone can lead and succeed. That can’t happen if it appears we’re too insular or too exclusionary. That perception is bad for our city and region. Companies want to know they can recruit from a vast swath of talent and people want to see themselves when they look at a place.

Young people in Milwaukee who see hard work pays off, no matter your gender or color, are more likely to put in that hard work. They have that belief it will lead to something of value and that is good for everyone.

MC: One of the biggest challenges we face is that we lose some of our best and brightest students from diverse backgrounds to opportunities in other cities -- and they sometimes don’t come back. Why did you come back here instead of going somewhere else to use your talents?

LC: If someone says, “I just don’t want a Milwaukee winter,” then they’re not going to be in Milwaukee. But when you talk about our culture, access to opportunity, entertainment options, cost of living, or attainability of leadership positions within the private or public sector, we are fully capable of competing with any other city in the country. We need to recognize there’s a real value proposition in making sure all of that is available to people right here in Milwaukee.

For myself, Milwaukee winters were fine, despite the fact that I was down in North Carolina for seven years. I had the good fortune of having many people - whether it be my parents, teachers or community leaders - in my life who instilled the drive to make the world better than you find it and create opportunities for others. I’d want to contribute to my community wherever I landed, and it became clear that contributing specifically to Milwaukee was important to me. Children are born here every day deserving of being embraced, nurtured, educated, housed with dignity, cared for and prepared for success. Milwaukee has a ways to go before we are as equitable in that respect as we should be, but I truly do think we’re getting there.

You have a chance to make Milwaukee a beacon rather than a launching pad.

MC: What would you say to a young person from a diverse background who’s on the fence about building their career here versus going somewhere else?

LC: I’d say you can be a part of making Milwaukee better, so that future young people aren’t thinking about leaving for better opportunities. You have a chance to make Milwaukee a beacon rather than a launching pad. The positive things that you see elsewhere, that you want to see more of here, you can be a part of building that -- and that is a reasonable choice.

We shouldn’t be upset with anyone who decides, “For the life that I want, for the things that I want to have happen, I need to go do that elsewhere.” Instead, we should be thinking of how to have fewer people think that way. There’s such an opportunity to continue turning Milwaukee into a place many people think about moving to — if not more — than those considering leaving.

MC: You also have a background in supplier diversity. What do you think Milwaukee can do to increase this?

LC: The key issue for sustainability of diverse businesses is access to capital. Working with partners to ensure that availability is crucial. Mayor Johnson often speaks of the power of partnerships, and it applies very specifically here. The city can’t do it alone. We need our partners and other governmental units, the private sector, and philanthropy to help create financial opportunities for businesses to start and to stay afloat.

We need serious requirements for diverse inclusion, whether that be for businesses of color, businesses owned by women, LGBTQ-owned businesses, veterans or people who are disabled. We all want a world where ultimately you don’t need requirements because everyone truly is on the same footing. If we’re ever going to get there, the private sector needs to catch up to where the public sector is.