'Cities have egos too': The importance of national rankings

Rankings are an American obsession, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Don Martin believes.

"Whether it's sports or schools or universities or cities, we're into rankings," Martin said.

So when Winston-Salem ranks well in a few national polls — as it did three times in the past month — people get excited, he said.

"Cities have egos, too," said Bob Leak, president of Winston-Salem Business Inc., which promotes businesses to come to Winston-Salem. "I do think cities really want to be on those lists."

This past week, Winston-Salem was ranked by BusinessWeek.com as No. 46 in a ranking of the top 100 big cities in the United States. Just a week earlier, it was ranked by CNNMoney.com as one of the top 25 cities in the country for retirement. And in August, Bloomberg BusinessWeek ranked Winston-Salem as the 10th most affordable and fun city.

The rankings were based on many factors, mostly measuring statistics ranging from number of parks, to crime rates, to housing prices, to median income.

But do the rankings really matter? Or are they just praise inflation, and an excuse for cheerleading?

Businesses don't actually locate in a community because of a ranking, Leak said.

What drives the business deals is cost of operations, building or land availability, a trained labor force and good transportation, he said.

"But marketing is all about perception, and it's all about being mentioned," Leak said. "I do think those rankings help our pride level."

When Winston-Salem gets positive rankings alongside other world-class cities around the country, "it puts you in a category so that some people and businesses really begin to consider you," Leak said.

If the city continues to show up in the "best city" rankings, "along with the Austins and the Charlottes of the world — all the cities that routinely make those lists — then they become your peer group, and certainly companies take notice of that," he said.

'Easy sell'

Winston-Salem sells itself when recruits for jobs at Forsyth Medical Center come to town, said Elesha Kirkland, supervisor of talent acquisitions and employment for Novant Health, owner of the hospital.

"It's very easy to sell Winston," Kirkland said.

When high-level job candidates visit for interviews, they typically fly in on a Thursday to Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, she said. They get a rental car and drive into Winston.

The first thing they notice is that Winston-Salem does not have traffic problems, she said. And they like the shopping areas around Hanes Mall, near the hospital.

After their interviews on Friday, the candidates typically spend Saturday checking out the area and almost always go downtown.

And that finishes the sales job, she said.

"We get a lot of great feedback about downtown, how they love the sidewalk dining, and how they felt safe and comfortable downtown," she said.

Jason Thiel, president of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, said the core of the city always plays a role in a city's overall impression.

The rankings "confirm what we all know: that Winston-Salem is a very nice place to be," Thiel said.

Rankings posted

Any time Winston-Salem wins a high rank, it is posted on websites throughout the city, from hospitals, to arts organizations, to the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.

They are also noted and promoted by the governor's office.

"These rankings matter," said Mark Johnson, spokesman for Gov. Bev Perdue. "They reflect the judgments that businesses regularly make when they decide where to open up shop. They are in line with rankings by Forbes, CNBC, Chief Executive magazine and others, that North Carolina is one of the very top states in which to do business."

Great for retirees

As for why these rankings are happening all of a sudden, "your guess is as good as mine," said Sam Matthews, director of The Shepherd's Center, a nonprofit that works to aid senior citizens.

"We've long felt this is a great place to retire," Matthews said of the high retirement city ranking.

Retirees love Winston-Salem for its arts, its universities and its proximity to both the mountains and the beaches, said Diane Wimmer, Forsyth County's Adult Division director. "And the weather," she said, adding that Winston-Salem's moderate climate attracts those from extremely hot and cold places.

But a high retirement city ranking can bring about a surprising downside for some city and county officials, Matthews said.

"I hope the business community and city government continue to see this as a positive because in the past, it hasn't been seen that way," he said, adding that some felt an older image isn't good for attracting young professionals.

"We have tried to get this idea over for a number of years, that economic development is more than just bringing in new business," Matthews said. "The aging population is seen as takers, not givers, but that's not the case. This population has an exceptional amount of spending money and spends a lot of time and energy volunteering. To me, the benefits far outweigh any negatives."

County amenities

For Forsyth County Commissioner Dave Plyler, the rankings solidify the county's need to continue to support the amenities that the surveys often measure, such as parks and libraries.

Plyler, who supported the efforts to build a new downtown library, as well as new libraries in Clemmons and Kernersville, said the best-cities ranking provides "more ammunition about the community value of libraries and similar infrastructure to not only local residents, but also outsiders."

Martin said the recent high rankings also point out something else: that leaders from all over the county are working well together.

"The rankings mean that we are all holding hands together," Martin said. "That should make us all feel good."