Spectrum Six

Spectrum Design, a Roanoke-based architecture and engineering firm, has hired six professionals ages 25 to 30 in the past two years. The six chose to work in Roanoke because it appeals to them and because of the opportunities at Spectrum.

Nathan Harper, 27:"I think Roanoke is becoming more hip and trendy and more accepting of diversity."

Spectrum Design employee since July 2006

Photos by Stephanie Klein-Davis

• Lucas DeLozier
• Age: 26
• Place of birth: Richmond
• Undergraduate degree: Virginia Tech, electrical engineering
• Start date at Spectrum: June 2005

• Mark Garland
• Age: 25
• Place of birth: Roanoke
• Undergraduate degree: Virginia Tech, civil and environmental engineering
• Start date at Spectrum: July 2006

• Nathan Harper
• Age: 27
• Place of birth: North Carolina
• Undergraduate degree: Virginia Tech, architecture
• Start date at Spectrum: July 2006

• Alisha Jones
• Age: 26
• Place of birth: Monroe, Mich.
• Undergraduate degree: Virginia Tech, architecture
• Start date at Spectrum: May 2007

• Jackie Mayrosh
• Age: 30
• Place of birth: Easton, Pa.
• Undergraduate degree: Lehigh University, civil engineering
• Start date at Spectrum:Oct. 2005

• Luke Volkmar
• Age: 26
• Place of birth: Reno, Nev.
• Undergraduate degree: Virginia Tech, architecture
• Start date at Spectrum: June 2006

Amidst the rue and howl accompanying campaigns to lure young professionals to the Roanoke Valley, Spectrum Design has quietly scored six in two years. Ages range from 25 to 30.

The Roanoke-based architecture and engineering firm did not recruit the youthful pros. The six swallowed no campaign's hook. They chose to work in Roanoke because it appealed to them and because of the opportunities at Spectrum.

Among the draws was -- get this -- Roanoke seemed to some to be poised on the cusp of cool.

"I think Roanoke is becoming more hip and trendy and more accepting of diversity," said Nathan Harper, 27, a North Carolina native who received a bachelor's degree in architecture at Virginia Tech. Harper hired on at Spectrum Design in July 2006.

As the hints of hipdom, Harper and colleagues mentioned the boldly designed new art museum downtown, the construction surge in downtown living spaces, new art galleries, the ever more lively and colorful Roanoke Farmers Market, a revitalized Grandin Village and other emerging attributes.

"I think a lot of people are moving to Roanoke because of what it has but also because of what it can be," Harper said.

And what it has already, the group says, are: affordable housing, neighborhoods with character close to downtown (three of the six live in Raleigh Court), familiarity with the region that they gained (with one exception) as students at Virginia Tech, city amenities without urban headaches and proximity to outdoor recreation.

"You can drive 20 minutes and be at the trail head for McAfee Knob on the Appalachian Trail," said Luke Volkmar, who will soon turn 27. Volkmar, like Harper, is a Virginia Tech architecture graduate in the internship phase of his career.

None bemoans an alleged dearth of ethnic restaurants, conversation-buoying bars and hopping live music venues. One study of the Roanoke Valley's quality of life, which compared the Roanoke metropolitan area with similar small urban areas nationally, had concluded that such young professional attractants were in short supply locally.

All but two said they used the Internet to investigate Roanoke and Spectrum Design before deciding to work at Spectrum and live in the region.

Four reside in Roanoke, and two live in the New River Valley. None has children.

Both structural engineer Jackie Mayrosh and civil engineer Mark Garland, son of Spectrum Design President John Garland, have regional roots. The rest grew up elsewhere, in states that include Delaware, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia (Richmond).

Mark Garland, 25, and Mayrosh, 30, each returned to the Roanoke Valley after sampling big city life. Mark Garland joined Spectrum in July 2006. Mayrosh arrived two years ago.

She was in the fifth grade when her family moved to Botetourt County. After high school, she said, "I couldn't wait to get out of here."

After earning a Master of Science in civil engineering from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, Mayrosh -- the lone non-Hokie -- worked in Baltimore. A little more than four years later, she said, "I realized I couldn't afford a house there."

She added, "While living in Baltimore, I was not aware of local efforts to lure young people back to Roanoke. I had not spent a lot of time seriously considering moving back until the opportunity at Spectrum became available. I became aware of Valley Forward, NewVa Connects [and other groups working to recruit and retain young professionals] once I moved here."

Of course, such efforts didn't fully launch until 2006, the same year the city hired Stuart Mease as its point person for addressing regional "brain drain" fears -- anxiety about vital, creative, talented and educated young people either leaving or avoiding the region for better opportunities elsewhere. Those opportunities could be professional, social, cultural or, increasingly, a mix of all three.

According to U.S. Census figures for the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, people in the 25-34 age range made up about 16 percent of the Roanoke MSA population in 1990. By 2000, that demographic's representation had dropped to about 13 percent. In the Census' 2006 Community Survey data, the Roanoke MSA's median age was estimated to be 40.4, and the nation's median age was about 36.4.

The current conventional wisdom is that young, educated workers, entrepreneurs and even established companies scrutinize a region's quality of life before making personal and professional relocation decisions.

Alisha Jones, 26, an architect intern for Spectrum, considered all those factors before joining the firm in May.

And, she said, "People are nicer here. You can actually go out and talk to strangers."

Like Mayrosh, Harper, Mark Garland and other colleagues, Jones said recruitment campaigns played no role in her decision to work and live in the region.

"Honestly, I was actually unaware of it all," she said. "This is the first I've heard of Valley Forward and Stuart Mease."

Mease has met with several of Spectrum's young hires since their arrival, providing information about area resources for their demographic.

Of course, Roanoke's environs are not altogether rosy for the young pro set.

Among the six, Mark Garland is unattached, and Lucas DeLozier, 26, is single. Laughing, Garland admitted Roanoke's singles scene could be better. In addition, several said they drive to North Carolina airports to travel. Many Roanoke neighborhoods remain segregated, said Harper. And, he said, "Change doesn't happen fast enough. There's a lot of talk without action."

Meanwhile, Spectrum Design is still hiring, seeking two electrical engineers and other professionals. Alas, two of the jobs -- an architect and a mechanical engineer -- require experience. Youth alone is not always the ticket.