Talk to anyone about why they like Boise and everyone has the usual answers: the outdoors, the quality of life, the community, etc.. Dig deeper and there’s something else. Something that most people can’t put their finger on.

I think that something is Potential. Boise has a ton of potential. It’s there just waiting for people to take advantage of it. What are most people waiting for? I think it’s Opportunity. Most people seem to think that the right opportunity has to present itself. I think that is the main problem in the valley.

No one is going to give us an opportunity. The government isn’t going to buy us that opportunity. Some large company isn’t going to move hear and provide it for us. We will be lucky to keep the ones we have.

We need to make our opportunity. I have talked to increasing number of HP and Micron employees lately about their ‘Plan B’. Some people say that HP and Micron won’t be here in 5 years. Some people would disagree. I think we all hope that they stay, but I think we would be fooling ourselves to think that their presence here will ever be anything but a shadow of what it used to be.

So what do we do? Wait and watch them slowly dry up? Or do we get out there and create that opportunity? This is an open invitation to anyone at HP or Micron with a ‘Plan B’: Just do it.