The Brain Gain

Attorney Ben Denton was 37 years old when he chose to live and practice law in Pipestone


 

 

There is a population of people between the ages of 30 and 44 who are moving back or into rural areas that are perceived as safer and more affordable with a slower-paced lifestyle for families. Economic development specialists have found that this older cohort is offsetting the “brain drain” from the 20-somethings who leave rural America for college or bigger cities with “brain gain.”

The brain gainers are educated and experienced and they arrive in rural America with their skills, ideas, families, social capital and sometimes, their jobs. If they find a sense of belonging once they arrive, they stay. If they don’t, they move on, often within five years. That’s why economic development specialists are advising rural cities to have systems in place that help newcomers connect and find a sense of belonging.

Since Pipestone County’s statistics align with the brain-gain trend, we decided to find the brain gainers and learn why they came or returned, what keeps them here, and what else they believe could be done to further enhance the quality of life in Pipestone County.

This is the fourth profile for this weekly series.

Ben Denton, 42, chose Pipestone to open his private law practice

Pipestone County Star: When did you move to Pipestone County, how old were you at the time and who did you move with?

Ben Denton: I was 37 when I moved here. I moved here alone. I met my fiance, Divena, after I moved here. She’s from Cottonwood. She lives in Marshall.

PCS: If you moved in for the first time, why did you move here? If you returned, why?

BD: I moved here because I had heard, back in 2009, that there may be enough room in Pipestone for another person to work here in my profession. I dressed in some old Carharts and drove to Pipestone to check around in-person to see if what I had heard might be true. I was convinced enough that it was true to take a leap of faith, give it a try, and move here. I bought a house here in 2012 and an office building here in 2013.

PCS: What is your occupation? Did you find this job when you moved here, find it prior to moving here, or create this job yourself? If you moved here with a spouse or significant other, please also answer the question for him or her.

BD: My occupation is as a lawyer in private practice. I created my own job from scratch with the money I had in my checking account when I moved here, which was maybe $ 3,000.

PCS: What do you like about living and working here?

BD: What I like about living and working here is that even to walk from my house

 

 

to work is maybe five minutes, and that practically everybody here knows practically everybody else here. My experience so far is there is much, much more of an advantage than a disadvantage to this.

PCS: What amenities, businesses, activities, organizations, infrastructure, etc. etc. do you think could be added to enhance the quality of life in Pipestone County for you and your family?

BD: If cost was not a factor, then I would say an indoor ice rink. Marshall has one indoor ice rink and one more under construction, and the same with Luverne. Redwood Falls has an indoor ice rink. This is an amenity that some young families, or people who want to start a family, look for. There is, to a point, a competition of sorts for attracting young families. I don’t want people to think that I’m a “high-flyer” with “unreal ideas.” If cost was not a factor, an indoor ice rink. Scrapbooking seems like a hobby that a lot of women in this, call it, thirty-to-forty-four-year age group like. Maybe a club or two of scrapbookers would be something that would bring people together and be something fun. (joke) just don’t ask me to try it!

PCS: Do you feel you have opportunities to contribute to your community?

BD: Yes. There are plenty of opportunities to contribute. The only real limits on the opportunities to contribute are the levels of a person’s energy and willingness to contribute.

PCS: Do you feel a sense of belonging in Pipestone County?

BD: Somebody told me not long ago, “You’re doing good. If you keep it up for another 10 years or so, we’ll tell you that you can say you’re from Pipestone!” I like the person who said it, that person completely meant it light-heartedly, and that person and I both got a good laugh from it. Some jokes occasionally might illustrate a little something past just the joke. But however you’d decide you’d take a joke like that, if you are not born and raised Pipestone, then the more you reach out to other people in a positive way, and the more you’re actively involved in contributing to the community in a positive way outside of just serving yourself, then the more Pipestone will accept you and the more you’ll then feel you belong in Pipestone. There’s a very high level of personal ownership that almost everyone who lives in Pipestone County has in the particular town or township where they live. In my experience so far, newcomers who show that same level of personal ownership will be welcomed over both the short run and the long run.

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