At 5 years old, "coroner or comedian" were my go-to answers when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. On Christmas morning, 1991, I rushed into the living room to see the sparkling gift that the little girls of my generation were begging their parents for: the legendary yarn hair Cabbage Patch Doll. 

I burst into tears at the sight of it. These tears, however, were not tears of happiness or gratitude, but of sheer disgust. How could my parents do this to me? I had begged and pleaded for the creepy Michael Keaton Beetlejuice doll that spoke three key phrases from the movie. I feel guilty and bad for my parents as I look back on this memory, but also laugh and have nostalgic viewpoints on it, as it somewhat marks an entry point into my desire to challenge the status quo and to get comfortable going against the grain.

As the CEO of my family’s third-generation, 75-year-old commercial construction and development company, this mindset has played well to my advantage. I love my team, I love what I do, and I love Spokane. Spokane has given my family and I so much, and just like one of our construction projects, its future is quite literally under construction.  

With the speed of change and how fast technology evolves, it's difficult to comprehend what Spokane’s future landscape might look like. What I do know, is that the decisions we’re making today, and those already in motion, are putting us in a great position for success. What I am currently witnessing in Spokane’s leadership is an evolution in the business community that is pretty incredible. 

Legacy leadership from major companies have been announcing succession and shareholder transition plans, rolling out aggressive expansion goals, and sharing major retirement announcements. Additionally, we are witnessing collaborations in multigenerational executive teams like never before. Retiring leaders are parking their egos at the door and welcoming the new leaders. 

Here are four key observations about Spokane’s new leadership taking over, myself included: 

• New leaders value collaboration over competition and hold a deep desire to lead with transparency, which is key to this mindset. 
• They have championed flexibility as they judge outcomes on performance versus hours. 
• They are “disrupting” conventional structure and shaking up organizational hierarchies. 
• They have the luxury to switch from a “growth at all costs” mindset, to a “smart, resilient growth” state of mind. 

The leaders before us weren’t given many of the opportunities we have in front of us today. We are now harnessing technology, financial stability, and diversified and deep workforce opportunities and moving at a speed that’s unparalleled. A task that would have taken our grandfathers five years to complete now takes us five minutes.

While leading through the generations can prove to be complex and fraught with language and value barriers, Spokane is embracing it and will continue to do so. How this will play to our advantage in the future is key.

My dad is 70, I am 39, and my daughter is 5. We each represent a different generation: baby boomer, "geriatric" millennial as I like to call myself, and Generation Alpha. As we think about the future of Spokane and how technology will change its appearance, it is interesting to me to think about how each generation views technology.

My dad was jacked when the black-and-white TV turned to color, he blared Steely Dan proudly from his 8-track, and he was an early adopter of the brick cellphone. Technology to his generation brought convenience and possibility into everyday life. 

I was a kid when the internet was invented; I have permanent hearing loss from the dial up screeching sounds. I thought I was the coolest girl on Washington State University’s campus listening to my perfectly curated playlist on my tiny iPod nano, and creating my Facebook page in college was so exhilarating. Technology to my generation blended connection and personality and it changed our world quickly. 

My daughter London, a kindergartner, knows how to unlock and navigate my iPhone like a pro, fire up Disney+ on our TV to start a fresh episode of "Bluey," and she’s been asking the Alexa voice assistant from Amazon to tell her jokes and the weather since she was 3. Technology to her generation is a true companion and not a tool. What does this mean to the future workforce and how that shapes the landscape in the future?

Generation Alpha and the leadership of Spokane in 2065 will be a blend of human instinct and artificial intelligence-assisted wisdom. The onset of AI is fascinating and something far above my pay grade but what I do know is that it’s moving so quickly that AI will be like a true coworker here very soon. While AI will play a large role in the future, the great news for us is that Spokane will remain a place where living, breathing humans want to live and work.

The continued progression of hybrid work cultures will also help us to recruit alongside our beautiful river, with the ability to escape to the mountains quickly for a weekend getaway. Our community is a place where our nature shines all four seasons. We will continue to be an ecosystem for creation, innovation, and providing higher educational and trade certification offerings that are second to none.

I imagine we will have smart neighborhoods with imaginative housing options surrounded by exciting adaptive reuse commercial spaces in buildings our company is building today. We will continue evolving into a city that dares to dance on the edge of innovation, but also honors the legacy and tradition that our deeply ingrained relationships hold. 

The millennials and Gen Z parents who are raising the future leaders of our city right now hold strong to their values and they are passing these down to their kids as well. The values of integrity, adaptability, and generational stewardship are being poured into our kids at home, and since these kids are the future leaders of Spokane, this gives me confidence and faith in the future.

Although technology and innovation throughout the next 40 years will help us get where we’re going even faster, it will never replace what truly builds Spokane: the relationships, the phone calls, the “we’ve got you” culture that has carried this city from generation to generation. 

Progress might speed up, but people will always be the engine here. The leaders before us paved a strong foundation. One you can see not only in our skyline, but in the trust, mentorship, and generosity they’ve left behind. Their fingerprints are everywhere, and they should be. 

As I think about what comes next, I can’t help but return to that blood-and-guts loving little girl on Christmas morning. I didn’t want the gift everyone else wanted; I wanted the weird Beetlejuice doll because it spoke to who I was: someone who didn’t mind challenging expectations. 

Spokane has always embraced people like that. We’re a city built by those who think differently, build differently, and care deeply. The best things built are the ones built together, with honesty, with neighbors, and with a little bit of fearlessness. That spirit is what will carry Spokane forward. I am excited to be a bridge from the past to the future and to honor both continuity and change. The future won’t build itself. Fortunately, however, I know a few people who can help.

Brooke Baker Spink is CEO of Spokane-based Baker Construction & Development Inc.