So it's been over 6 months since I 'upgraded' from a Treo 700e to a VX6800. I still like the bigger buttons and the bigger screen. The slider is fin. and the whole thing fits comfortably in my hand (if a tad too small).
No, my complaint is Microsoft. The phone is running Windows Mobile 6.0. It's supposed to sync with my laptop--and perform the second most valuable function which is to provide me with my contacts, calendar and notes when I'm away from my electronic ball & chain. And god bless Microsoft, they've found a way to screw even that simple function up. This Monday morning the phone lost its little mind, losing the connection with my computer and forcing me to 'restart' the sync. So, it erased the data and connection information on the phone, all ready to re-import my contacts and calendars from the laptop.
And then the ghost of Microsoft arose, with voices wailing and blood dripping down the walls. Windows Vista on my laptop didn't recognize my cellphone. Wouldn't connect to it. Wouldn't talk to it. It might have been a rock trying to talk to a tree for all my laptop cared.
So, for the last 3 days, I've spent countless hours trying to reconnect these two pieces of electronic goo. I'm ready to throw in the towel and go back to the old standby: a pen & paper personal planner.
Microsoft will make luddites out of us all.
IF you guys have any suggestions, I'd appreciate hearing from you.
--Shawn
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
War Coverage?
An interesting article from the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121797955889015047.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks
Where are the MSM on this? As American companies, shouldn't they feel the need to report this type of information at the same volume and frequency as the 'negative stuff?' After all, it's our friends, neighbors, sons and daughters who are shouldering this burden--and pushing ever closer to a final conclusion.
I'm a big fan of trends. In every day, anomalies pop up to change your short-term picture and frame of reference. But over time, across multiple locations and as viewed through multiple sources, core truths do emerge and resultant trends are discernible. Yes, the housing market in Florida has turned. Yes, the world's demand for high-tech products and enabling technologies has increased over the past 12 months. Yes, the month-on-month overall status of the situation in Iraq is becoming a more steady, normalized one, with corresponding accelerating troop withdraws in the works.
Any picture viewed from a single point in time, through a single lens, by definition frames what is perceived to be the 'normal status' of the viewed picture. That's the fallacy of minuscule data sampling and limited perspective. Which is why you almost never should make business-altering decisions based on a single experience or event.
-Shawn
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121797955889015047.html?mod=opinion_main_review_and_outlooks
Where are the MSM on this? As American companies, shouldn't they feel the need to report this type of information at the same volume and frequency as the 'negative stuff?' After all, it's our friends, neighbors, sons and daughters who are shouldering this burden--and pushing ever closer to a final conclusion.
I'm a big fan of trends. In every day, anomalies pop up to change your short-term picture and frame of reference. But over time, across multiple locations and as viewed through multiple sources, core truths do emerge and resultant trends are discernible. Yes, the housing market in Florida has turned. Yes, the world's demand for high-tech products and enabling technologies has increased over the past 12 months. Yes, the month-on-month overall status of the situation in Iraq is becoming a more steady, normalized one, with corresponding accelerating troop withdraws in the works.
Any picture viewed from a single point in time, through a single lens, by definition frames what is perceived to be the 'normal status' of the viewed picture. That's the fallacy of minuscule data sampling and limited perspective. Which is why you almost never should make business-altering decisions based on a single experience or event.
-Shawn
Olympic Fever
Is anyone out there really into this year's Olympic games? We all know about the disruption in normal viewing patterns created by the events being held when most of the US is sleeping, combined with the foreknowledge that the internet offers prior to 'live' TV coverage. But over the past month, everyone that I've spoken with seemed to have a hard time even remembering that the Olympics were coming up this August.
Maybe it's the time difference. Maybe it's the overall economic malaise. Maybe it's the lack of any compelling storylines. Wherever it is, I wouldn't want to be a large Olympic advertiser during these games.
-Shawn
Maybe it's the time difference. Maybe it's the overall economic malaise. Maybe it's the lack of any compelling storylines. Wherever it is, I wouldn't want to be a large Olympic advertiser during these games.
-Shawn
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Economic Development - Vision Statements and Planning
A Time for Choosing, Part IV
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
St. Cloud is a great small-town city. We don’t have to be shackled to the economies of the past and we don’t have to be held hostage to the whims of the housing market. But we need to lay out what our future will hold and then use our God-given assets to make that vision into reality. In this week’s article, I’ll summarize the Asset-Based Economic Development plan for St. Cloud, provide some additional examples from other successful implementations throughout the US and propose a Vision Statement for our city.
Before laying out any plan or embarking on any new venture, it’s best to have a goal in mind. At the end of the day or at the end of the trip where do you want to be? Where do you see yourself? St. Cloud needs to answer this question: 20 years from now, what type of a community will we be? My vision for St. Cloud and even Eastern Osceola County is for our city to be a proud, tight-knit neighborhood, bound together by our community activities and our shared sense of commitment to our town. I see that St. Cloud can become a beacon of history and prosperity surrounded by a sea of new and personality-less communities.
That vision statement, or ANY vision statement, should be used to help shape our city’s long-term goals and priorities. It gives direction and framework for future civic, public and private actions. It helps keep us on track and pointing towards our ultimate goal: a better future for our community and our children. When reviewing any major proposals, it lets us ask the question: will this help move us closer towards achieving our city’s goals?
With a Vision Statement for our city in place, we can prioritize and rank the economic development opportunities that we’ve identified through our Asset-Based Economic Development process. If there are 25 industries whose business needs we can meet, we can now rank and order them according to how they in turn meet our needs. We can market and recruit the businesses and industries that will move us further along the path to achieving the goals set out in our Vision Statement. We don’t have to hope for bleed-off from Lake Nona, we can set our own priorities and take control of our future.
If you’ll recall, Asset-Based Economic Development contains four major steps: first, we need to identify our assets-- individuals, associations, institutions and natural resources; second: we identify which industries have general or specific needs that our plus-rated assets could meet; third, we need to narrow our focus down to the industries that would benefit most from being here and that we would benefit most from having her; and fourth, we need to execute multiple, coordinated plans designed to entice and assist clusters of existing and start-up businesses in those designated industries to move into our area. Done within the guiding framework provided by a Vision Statement, ABED has proven that is can help develop and build strong, destination communities.
25 years ago, Pittsford, New York was a sleepy suburb of the city of Rochester. A bedroom community, populated by 35 thousand people who mainly commuted 30 to 45 minutes each day to work in a mid-sized city of 250,000, the town was similar to St. Cloud in many ways. It had a long history of being an agriculturally-based community, dominated by large land-owners and farmers. It was in close proximity to a major metropolitan area and it still had large tracts of undeveloped land. It had an aging population base but a growing number of newcomers who moved into the area for its transportation and public resources—good schools, green parks and a large recreational area along the Erie Canal. But like St. Cloud, the town was split between the agricultural and land-owning community who wanted slow- or no-growth, the business community who wanted rapid economic growth, and the political community who wasn’t trusted by either party.
During the late 1980’s a small group of concerned land owners, businessmen and young politicians arranged a series of meetings and laid out a rough vision for the city’s future which they then used to guide an Asset-Based Economic Development plan. Stepping outside the needs-based development of the past, which put the farmers in conflict with the business leaders, they laid out what the city had, what they thought the city should become and what industries could best help the area achieve that vision. Over time, the plan changed and evolved as new industries sprang up in volumes that weren’t even conceivable in 1988. But the Vision was constant. And now, Pittsford, New York is one of the most desirable communities to live and work in New York State. With a larger population, it retained its small-town feel, still hosting parades, seasonal events, rallies for high school sports and more. They enabled and encouraged industrial development that provided a solid tax base and well-paying jobs for Pittsford residents. Economic Development isn’t a process that takes place over night, but rather over years. And after years of planning and hard work, a city very similar to St. Cloud became a strong, proud, desired community where the children of those planners can now raise their own families.
St. Cloud is still a great, small-town community. With parks and churches, local restaurants serving good, home-cooked food, a beautiful lakefront and a proud heritage, our neck of the woods is a wonderful place to call home. We don’t have to be shackled to the economies of the past, but we need to lay out what our future will hold and then use our God-given assets to make that vision into reality. Other cities have led the way, shown us what mistakes to avoid and shown us how to achieve our long range goals. Now, it’s our time to set our path and make our vision a reality.
We’re in the midst of an election cycle. Right now, local politicians are listening like at no other time. If you believe that we need a plan for our future, that we need a vision for what St. Cloud is to become, then you need to tell people. Email me, email your City Council members or email the candidate of your choice. Let’s not continue wandering into the future, but let’s drive forward with a vision in mind.
What’s your vision for St. Cloud?
_____
Published in Regional Newspapers in Central Florida
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
St. Cloud is a great small-town city. We don’t have to be shackled to the economies of the past and we don’t have to be held hostage to the whims of the housing market. But we need to lay out what our future will hold and then use our God-given assets to make that vision into reality. In this week’s article, I’ll summarize the Asset-Based Economic Development plan for St. Cloud, provide some additional examples from other successful implementations throughout the US and propose a Vision Statement for our city.
Before laying out any plan or embarking on any new venture, it’s best to have a goal in mind. At the end of the day or at the end of the trip where do you want to be? Where do you see yourself? St. Cloud needs to answer this question: 20 years from now, what type of a community will we be? My vision for St. Cloud and even Eastern Osceola County is for our city to be a proud, tight-knit neighborhood, bound together by our community activities and our shared sense of commitment to our town. I see that St. Cloud can become a beacon of history and prosperity surrounded by a sea of new and personality-less communities.
That vision statement, or ANY vision statement, should be used to help shape our city’s long-term goals and priorities. It gives direction and framework for future civic, public and private actions. It helps keep us on track and pointing towards our ultimate goal: a better future for our community and our children. When reviewing any major proposals, it lets us ask the question: will this help move us closer towards achieving our city’s goals?
With a Vision Statement for our city in place, we can prioritize and rank the economic development opportunities that we’ve identified through our Asset-Based Economic Development process. If there are 25 industries whose business needs we can meet, we can now rank and order them according to how they in turn meet our needs. We can market and recruit the businesses and industries that will move us further along the path to achieving the goals set out in our Vision Statement. We don’t have to hope for bleed-off from Lake Nona, we can set our own priorities and take control of our future.
If you’ll recall, Asset-Based Economic Development contains four major steps: first, we need to identify our assets-- individuals, associations, institutions and natural resources; second: we identify which industries have general or specific needs that our plus-rated assets could meet; third, we need to narrow our focus down to the industries that would benefit most from being here and that we would benefit most from having her; and fourth, we need to execute multiple, coordinated plans designed to entice and assist clusters of existing and start-up businesses in those designated industries to move into our area. Done within the guiding framework provided by a Vision Statement, ABED has proven that is can help develop and build strong, destination communities.
25 years ago, Pittsford, New York was a sleepy suburb of the city of Rochester. A bedroom community, populated by 35 thousand people who mainly commuted 30 to 45 minutes each day to work in a mid-sized city of 250,000, the town was similar to St. Cloud in many ways. It had a long history of being an agriculturally-based community, dominated by large land-owners and farmers. It was in close proximity to a major metropolitan area and it still had large tracts of undeveloped land. It had an aging population base but a growing number of newcomers who moved into the area for its transportation and public resources—good schools, green parks and a large recreational area along the Erie Canal. But like St. Cloud, the town was split between the agricultural and land-owning community who wanted slow- or no-growth, the business community who wanted rapid economic growth, and the political community who wasn’t trusted by either party.
During the late 1980’s a small group of concerned land owners, businessmen and young politicians arranged a series of meetings and laid out a rough vision for the city’s future which they then used to guide an Asset-Based Economic Development plan. Stepping outside the needs-based development of the past, which put the farmers in conflict with the business leaders, they laid out what the city had, what they thought the city should become and what industries could best help the area achieve that vision. Over time, the plan changed and evolved as new industries sprang up in volumes that weren’t even conceivable in 1988. But the Vision was constant. And now, Pittsford, New York is one of the most desirable communities to live and work in New York State. With a larger population, it retained its small-town feel, still hosting parades, seasonal events, rallies for high school sports and more. They enabled and encouraged industrial development that provided a solid tax base and well-paying jobs for Pittsford residents. Economic Development isn’t a process that takes place over night, but rather over years. And after years of planning and hard work, a city very similar to St. Cloud became a strong, proud, desired community where the children of those planners can now raise their own families.
St. Cloud is still a great, small-town community. With parks and churches, local restaurants serving good, home-cooked food, a beautiful lakefront and a proud heritage, our neck of the woods is a wonderful place to call home. We don’t have to be shackled to the economies of the past, but we need to lay out what our future will hold and then use our God-given assets to make that vision into reality. Other cities have led the way, shown us what mistakes to avoid and shown us how to achieve our long range goals. Now, it’s our time to set our path and make our vision a reality.
We’re in the midst of an election cycle. Right now, local politicians are listening like at no other time. If you believe that we need a plan for our future, that we need a vision for what St. Cloud is to become, then you need to tell people. Email me, email your City Council members or email the candidate of your choice. Let’s not continue wandering into the future, but let’s drive forward with a vision in mind.
What’s your vision for St. Cloud?
_____
Published in Regional Newspapers in Central Florida
Friday, July 18, 2008
Vision
Let's recap. Business is all about three things: changes, plans and execution. Changes happen. Without changes in the world, supplies running low, mistakes in operations, unexpected storm delaying lumber shipments, there is no opportunity. Plans lay out how to use changes to an organization's advantage. In the past, under the dreary and reactionary views of the misguided youths of our parents' age, that was seen solely in the light of selfish individualism. But in a world of limited resources, limited time and capped finance, organizations, families and communities all need to maximize opportunities to survive and thrive. Last comes execution. Plans lay out how to thrive, but at the end of the day, you'd damn well better get the tasks done that facilitate your organization's obtaining of the advantages provided by the opportunity that you're facing.
But'cha know what? Changes, plans and execution are all for naught if you don't have an overreaching, guiding goal in mind. It's exemplary to save for years, to build up the connections and network that can provide your children with the chance to attend medical school--but only if they have the desire and long-term work ethic to become a doctor. No community can be faulted for trying to revitalize a decrepit downtown district--they can be the heart of a vibrant, destination-community where people are proud to live and work. But if you cobble together a series of short-term, patchwork but opportunistic plans, you're going to end up with mush. All that hard work and nothing to show for it, just a bunch of faded, weathered storefronts, with barely enough foot traffic to stir dust on the floor.
What's your life's goal? What's your family's ambition? What does your community want to be in 20 years? Is is a place you want to live in? Will it support you and yours? Can your children fulfill their dreams there?
-Shawn
But'cha know what? Changes, plans and execution are all for naught if you don't have an overreaching, guiding goal in mind. It's exemplary to save for years, to build up the connections and network that can provide your children with the chance to attend medical school--but only if they have the desire and long-term work ethic to become a doctor. No community can be faulted for trying to revitalize a decrepit downtown district--they can be the heart of a vibrant, destination-community where people are proud to live and work. But if you cobble together a series of short-term, patchwork but opportunistic plans, you're going to end up with mush. All that hard work and nothing to show for it, just a bunch of faded, weathered storefronts, with barely enough foot traffic to stir dust on the floor.
What's your life's goal? What's your family's ambition? What does your community want to be in 20 years? Is is a place you want to live in? Will it support you and yours? Can your children fulfill their dreams there?
-Shawn
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Trends
Last December, we predicted that the housing/credit-led recession would bottom out this summer and start to climb out of the doldrums by the first quarter of '09. There are rumblings that we may have been onto something.
Housing sales in Central Florida are... up? Just slightly and still at prices well below the peak of '05-'06, but with inventories holding steads or decreasing, any uptick in sales activity with no depression in prices is a positive trend--especially when it's been happening over the last few months.
The futures oil contract for the Fall just closed at under $130 per barrel. That means that the final purchase price for the oil when it is pumped off the tankers is locked in at a level nearly $20 lower than peaks of just a few weeks ago. No more speculation, at the end of the day the companies that actually have to refine the goopy slop have set their price. But don't look for retail gas-at-the-pump prices to drop any time soon. Sorry, but that takes a while.
Manufacturing production is...up? New York, always a hotbed of lousy results is reporting an increase in manufacturing production last month. Along with most of the US.
Exports are climbing. With the fall of the dollar, our goods are cheaper for foreign buyers. And they're taking advantage of that fact by snatching up our offerings in ever-climbing numbers.
Government belts are tightening. At least in Florida, the state actually cut the annual budget for '08 and expects to cut it again in '09. That's right: not only raise taxes but also cut spending in order to make our payments. By lowering our future overhead expenses, we're making next year less painful than it could be.
And that's it for the day. Anecdotal evidence? Sure. But it's a reflection and manifestation of a broader trend. The world isn't coming to an end, and we're going to be in better shape to take advantage of the opportunities that lie just around the corner.
-Shawn
Housing sales in Central Florida are... up? Just slightly and still at prices well below the peak of '05-'06, but with inventories holding steads or decreasing, any uptick in sales activity with no depression in prices is a positive trend--especially when it's been happening over the last few months.
The futures oil contract for the Fall just closed at under $130 per barrel. That means that the final purchase price for the oil when it is pumped off the tankers is locked in at a level nearly $20 lower than peaks of just a few weeks ago. No more speculation, at the end of the day the companies that actually have to refine the goopy slop have set their price. But don't look for retail gas-at-the-pump prices to drop any time soon. Sorry, but that takes a while.
Manufacturing production is...up? New York, always a hotbed of lousy results is reporting an increase in manufacturing production last month. Along with most of the US.
Exports are climbing. With the fall of the dollar, our goods are cheaper for foreign buyers. And they're taking advantage of that fact by snatching up our offerings in ever-climbing numbers.
Government belts are tightening. At least in Florida, the state actually cut the annual budget for '08 and expects to cut it again in '09. That's right: not only raise taxes but also cut spending in order to make our payments. By lowering our future overhead expenses, we're making next year less painful than it could be.
And that's it for the day. Anecdotal evidence? Sure. But it's a reflection and manifestation of a broader trend. The world isn't coming to an end, and we're going to be in better shape to take advantage of the opportunities that lie just around the corner.
-Shawn
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Econinoc Development - Part III
A Time for Choosing, Part III
(published 16 July 2008)
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
Over the past 100 years, St. Cloud has grown by evolutionary default. Businesses have moved into the area for their own reasons, setting up shop in areas allowed by the city’s master zoning plan. St. Cloud has grown and prospered when Central Florida has grown and prospered. We gained population when our housing became less expensive than the housing in neighboring areas—a look at the current Economic Stimulus plan for the Housing Industry shows that the key marketing plank is ‘more house for your dollar.’ While that is a wonderful thing for the Housing Industry, it independent of other action doesn’t create more local jobs in industries that aren’t tied to the boom and bust construction cycles.
If we need a better way, a better path for our future, where can we turn? Once we have a ‘grow business’ goal in mind, what steps can we follow to help guide our development and progress? To learn from the mistakes and successes of other cities, we should follow these four steps: First, we need to identify our unique strengths and assets. We need to be able to answer this question: Where do we stand above our competitors: other local towns and cities, other counties and ultimately other states and countries? Second, we need to establish some basic requirements: any heavy industry or manufacturing would have to be green or practically non-invasive to our local environment; we would want an average employee salary, including benefits, to be higher than the median average for our side of the county; we would want to look at industries and sectors that have the potential for long futures—no buggy-whip manufacturers need apply. Third, we need to identify which industries have general or specific needs that our plus-rated assets could fulfill? With thousands of potential suitors in Florida alone, the list of potential business immigrants into Eastern Osceola County is nearly-endless, so we need to narrow our focus down to the industries that would benefit most from being here and that we would benefit most from having here. Fourth, we need to execute on multiple, coordinated plans designed to entice and assist existing and start-up businesses in those designated industries to move into our area.
Individuals, associations, institutions and resources. These are what make up our unique strengths and resources. To drill down into the Individual assets and resources, we need to address the following questions: What’s unique about our population? What population types do we have in the area (tourists, students, residents, retirees, etc.)? What are the education base and the education specialties of our population? What are the civic, community, religious and governmental volunteer bodies that our population donates time for? What do we do well as individuals?
Civic Associations, from the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Group and Main Street all the way to less formal institutions, are the means through which local residents in can meet to solve problems, or to share common interests and activities. Civic groups are a reflection of the drive and interests of the residents of our area. We need to inventory these bodies, their strengths and how they make us stand out above and beyond our neighbors near and far. We need to identify our area’s Civic Associations’ strengths. We have a vocal and active Chamber of Commerce. We are known for excellent care for our elderly. We have upstanding and generous veterans groups. These and the many other public-minded bodies in St. Cloud are all vital in recruiting and drawing business and industry into our area.
Our area is blessed with many talented and experienced public and private institutions. Private businesses; public institutions such as schools, libraries, parks, police and fire stations; nonprofit institutions such as hospitals and social service agencies--these organizations make up the most visible and formal part of our community's fabric. Accounting for them and enlisting them in the process of community development is essential to the success of the process. They contain business skills and knowledge, financial resources, legal acumen and experience that can direct, enable and fund economic ventures. We need the help of our well-versed City Economic Developer to review and analyze the large and small elements of our economy—who are our major and minor employers, what is the industry-by-industry breakdown for direct employment? What are the business trends over the past 10 years in St. Cloud? What are the knowledge assets of our local businesses? What skills, experience and specialty knowledge do we have that other neighboring areas might be lacking? With mechanized automation continually reducing the need for unskilled labor, what ‘knowledge workers’ strengths do we have—creativity, collaborating, networking and sharing, analyzing, problem solving and inventing—that can help make our area a source of new businesses and new, better-paying jobs? What financial assets and knowledge, what legal assets and knowledge, what political assets and experience do we have? A summary list of the characteristics and assets, physical, financial, political and knowledge, for the industrial sectors in our area would be a huge help in identifying resources which could be used in recruitment of business sectors into Greater St. Cloud.
Further, as an extension of our public institutions, the rules and regulations that have been put in place by our local governing authorities create the framework within which our natural and learned assets can be made available for economic development and job creation—in heavily taxed and regulated areas, job creation and business formation occurs at a much slower pace than in areas of lower-taxation or more reasonable regulation. What are the rules and regulations for business, for various industries and business sectors in and around St. Cloud? What are the local, county and state rules that we can use to help mitigate the initial start-up costs or ‘move-in’ costs to businesses, without hurting individual taxpayers? A wise man once said ‘if you know the (government) rules, you can get almost anything accomplished.’ We need a summary review of the differences between our development and business regulations and our neighbors’ rules, to better lay out our strengths and our opportunities.
Last but most important of all is the asset list of our resources—from the physical environment in which we live, the land on which we sit out homes and the water which flows through our lakes and rivers, to the infrastructure environment of the power lines and transportation systems in our county. What are the physical assets of eastern Osceola County and St. Cloud? What are the educational resources that our area has? What level of schooling can be found in our area and what industries or business sectors do our secondary education providers train students for? What are the medical resources that our area provides? In the state of Florida, Eastern Osceola County is historically not a leader in medical care, but that trend may be changing. We need to summarize the assets and resources that our area has in these natural and provided fields.
Next, after the asset identification, we need to establish some basic business requirements: industry types, desired average salary level, resource requirements, charitable donations and social program assistance, traffic generation, growth potential and more. But to what end? To provide a framework for this process, I propose that our city needs to approve a formal Vision Statement for St. Cloud’s future. Our Vision Statement should be our Hope and Guide, and it should encapsulate what we want our city to become in the future. We can use that Vision Statement to help define the highest priorities that we will need met by incoming businesses and industry sectors.
After laying out our business requirements, we need to identify which industries that meet those requirements have general or specific needs that our above-rated assets could fulfill. And then we need to bring them here. In other words, who needs the assets we can provide and how can we get them here? By this point, we should be consulting with a national business recruiting firm. They can provide the knowledge, experience and personal connections into businesses and industries that could benefit our area. With their personal and professional connections, a national-level business recruiting firm is able to reach business leaders and company executive-level management that we, as a small city in Florida, would find hard to reach. In addition to the professional and personal connections that they offer, another reason to use an outside firm in this process is that it’s in their best interest to facilitate a business migration into St. Cloud that helps our community grow and develop—the better we grow as a community, the better they’re paid by businesses who want to move here.
St. Cloud is a great small-town city. We don’t have to be shackled to the economies of the past and we don’t have to be held hostage to the whims of the housing market. But we need to lay out what our future will hold and then use our God-given assets to make that vision into reality. Next week, I’ll summarize the Asset-Based Economic Development plan for St. Cloud, provide some additional examples from other successful implementations throughout the US and propose a Vision Statement for this great city. For any comments or concerns, I can be reached at svandusen@fortismg.com.
(published 16 July 2008)
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
Over the past 100 years, St. Cloud has grown by evolutionary default. Businesses have moved into the area for their own reasons, setting up shop in areas allowed by the city’s master zoning plan. St. Cloud has grown and prospered when Central Florida has grown and prospered. We gained population when our housing became less expensive than the housing in neighboring areas—a look at the current Economic Stimulus plan for the Housing Industry shows that the key marketing plank is ‘more house for your dollar.’ While that is a wonderful thing for the Housing Industry, it independent of other action doesn’t create more local jobs in industries that aren’t tied to the boom and bust construction cycles.
If we need a better way, a better path for our future, where can we turn? Once we have a ‘grow business’ goal in mind, what steps can we follow to help guide our development and progress? To learn from the mistakes and successes of other cities, we should follow these four steps: First, we need to identify our unique strengths and assets. We need to be able to answer this question: Where do we stand above our competitors: other local towns and cities, other counties and ultimately other states and countries? Second, we need to establish some basic requirements: any heavy industry or manufacturing would have to be green or practically non-invasive to our local environment; we would want an average employee salary, including benefits, to be higher than the median average for our side of the county; we would want to look at industries and sectors that have the potential for long futures—no buggy-whip manufacturers need apply. Third, we need to identify which industries have general or specific needs that our plus-rated assets could fulfill? With thousands of potential suitors in Florida alone, the list of potential business immigrants into Eastern Osceola County is nearly-endless, so we need to narrow our focus down to the industries that would benefit most from being here and that we would benefit most from having here. Fourth, we need to execute on multiple, coordinated plans designed to entice and assist existing and start-up businesses in those designated industries to move into our area.
Individuals, associations, institutions and resources. These are what make up our unique strengths and resources. To drill down into the Individual assets and resources, we need to address the following questions: What’s unique about our population? What population types do we have in the area (tourists, students, residents, retirees, etc.)? What are the education base and the education specialties of our population? What are the civic, community, religious and governmental volunteer bodies that our population donates time for? What do we do well as individuals?
Civic Associations, from the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Group and Main Street all the way to less formal institutions, are the means through which local residents in can meet to solve problems, or to share common interests and activities. Civic groups are a reflection of the drive and interests of the residents of our area. We need to inventory these bodies, their strengths and how they make us stand out above and beyond our neighbors near and far. We need to identify our area’s Civic Associations’ strengths. We have a vocal and active Chamber of Commerce. We are known for excellent care for our elderly. We have upstanding and generous veterans groups. These and the many other public-minded bodies in St. Cloud are all vital in recruiting and drawing business and industry into our area.
Our area is blessed with many talented and experienced public and private institutions. Private businesses; public institutions such as schools, libraries, parks, police and fire stations; nonprofit institutions such as hospitals and social service agencies--these organizations make up the most visible and formal part of our community's fabric. Accounting for them and enlisting them in the process of community development is essential to the success of the process. They contain business skills and knowledge, financial resources, legal acumen and experience that can direct, enable and fund economic ventures. We need the help of our well-versed City Economic Developer to review and analyze the large and small elements of our economy—who are our major and minor employers, what is the industry-by-industry breakdown for direct employment? What are the business trends over the past 10 years in St. Cloud? What are the knowledge assets of our local businesses? What skills, experience and specialty knowledge do we have that other neighboring areas might be lacking? With mechanized automation continually reducing the need for unskilled labor, what ‘knowledge workers’ strengths do we have—creativity, collaborating, networking and sharing, analyzing, problem solving and inventing—that can help make our area a source of new businesses and new, better-paying jobs? What financial assets and knowledge, what legal assets and knowledge, what political assets and experience do we have? A summary list of the characteristics and assets, physical, financial, political and knowledge, for the industrial sectors in our area would be a huge help in identifying resources which could be used in recruitment of business sectors into Greater St. Cloud.
Further, as an extension of our public institutions, the rules and regulations that have been put in place by our local governing authorities create the framework within which our natural and learned assets can be made available for economic development and job creation—in heavily taxed and regulated areas, job creation and business formation occurs at a much slower pace than in areas of lower-taxation or more reasonable regulation. What are the rules and regulations for business, for various industries and business sectors in and around St. Cloud? What are the local, county and state rules that we can use to help mitigate the initial start-up costs or ‘move-in’ costs to businesses, without hurting individual taxpayers? A wise man once said ‘if you know the (government) rules, you can get almost anything accomplished.’ We need a summary review of the differences between our development and business regulations and our neighbors’ rules, to better lay out our strengths and our opportunities.
Last but most important of all is the asset list of our resources—from the physical environment in which we live, the land on which we sit out homes and the water which flows through our lakes and rivers, to the infrastructure environment of the power lines and transportation systems in our county. What are the physical assets of eastern Osceola County and St. Cloud? What are the educational resources that our area has? What level of schooling can be found in our area and what industries or business sectors do our secondary education providers train students for? What are the medical resources that our area provides? In the state of Florida, Eastern Osceola County is historically not a leader in medical care, but that trend may be changing. We need to summarize the assets and resources that our area has in these natural and provided fields.
Next, after the asset identification, we need to establish some basic business requirements: industry types, desired average salary level, resource requirements, charitable donations and social program assistance, traffic generation, growth potential and more. But to what end? To provide a framework for this process, I propose that our city needs to approve a formal Vision Statement for St. Cloud’s future. Our Vision Statement should be our Hope and Guide, and it should encapsulate what we want our city to become in the future. We can use that Vision Statement to help define the highest priorities that we will need met by incoming businesses and industry sectors.
After laying out our business requirements, we need to identify which industries that meet those requirements have general or specific needs that our above-rated assets could fulfill. And then we need to bring them here. In other words, who needs the assets we can provide and how can we get them here? By this point, we should be consulting with a national business recruiting firm. They can provide the knowledge, experience and personal connections into businesses and industries that could benefit our area. With their personal and professional connections, a national-level business recruiting firm is able to reach business leaders and company executive-level management that we, as a small city in Florida, would find hard to reach. In addition to the professional and personal connections that they offer, another reason to use an outside firm in this process is that it’s in their best interest to facilitate a business migration into St. Cloud that helps our community grow and develop—the better we grow as a community, the better they’re paid by businesses who want to move here.
St. Cloud is a great small-town city. We don’t have to be shackled to the economies of the past and we don’t have to be held hostage to the whims of the housing market. But we need to lay out what our future will hold and then use our God-given assets to make that vision into reality. Next week, I’ll summarize the Asset-Based Economic Development plan for St. Cloud, provide some additional examples from other successful implementations throughout the US and propose a Vision Statement for this great city. For any comments or concerns, I can be reached at svandusen@fortismg.com.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
RIP Bobby
Bobby Murcer passed away today after a long battle with cancer. Our prayers go out to Kay and the rest of his family. As a Yankee and a role model, the world is a poorer place without you.
-Shawn
-Shawn
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Evolution and Revolution
For the first time in months, I actually took the time to read back through the collection of missives, notes and ramblings that comprise this on-line cacophony. It's fun to watch the business grow and evolve over time, as we saw new markets and arenas where I could leverage our business and (technical-business-process) management skills continue to pop up. Some avenues, political marketing and management, we hadn't touched in years, only to find ourselves being pulled back (?) into the realm.
Right now, we're getting spread too thinly. We're involved in projects in the following areas:
1. Marketing Management
2. Business Management
3. Business Process Management.
4. Community Development and Economic Development
5. Political Management
6. Political Marketing
7. Technical review and analysis, Business Change Management
8. Public Development, Image and Perception Management
Yup, they overlap in many areas, but to cut down on the excess time and focus on our core strengths, during the remainder of this month we will be thinning the herd. This is a process that most businesses should go through at least once every 18 months or less, depending upon the rate of completion and turnover in your industry. In our case, it will allow us to reallocate our time more effectively on the most profitable arenas with the greatest long-term potential in Central Florida. We can cut down on the excess training time that my agents have been jumping through, training for projects that are likely to only be one-offs and not repeats. Hell, maybe I can even get an evening during the week where I can get to bed before midnight.
Speaking of which, I have a contract to wrap up before midnight.
'Hey You, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down...' Les Rythmes Digitales
-Shawn
Right now, we're getting spread too thinly. We're involved in projects in the following areas:
1. Marketing Management
2. Business Management
3. Business Process Management.
4. Community Development and Economic Development
5. Political Management
6. Political Marketing
7. Technical review and analysis, Business Change Management
8. Public Development, Image and Perception Management
Yup, they overlap in many areas, but to cut down on the excess time and focus on our core strengths, during the remainder of this month we will be thinning the herd. This is a process that most businesses should go through at least once every 18 months or less, depending upon the rate of completion and turnover in your industry. In our case, it will allow us to reallocate our time more effectively on the most profitable arenas with the greatest long-term potential in Central Florida. We can cut down on the excess training time that my agents have been jumping through, training for projects that are likely to only be one-offs and not repeats. Hell, maybe I can even get an evening during the week where I can get to bed before midnight.
Speaking of which, I have a contract to wrap up before midnight.
'Hey You, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down...' Les Rythmes Digitales
-Shawn
A Time For Choosing - Part II
A Time for Choosing, Part II
By: Shawn Van Dusen
(published 16.7.08 in St. Cloud in the News)
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
St. Cloud and Eastern Osceola County boast a unique combination of assets on which we can build our future. Block by block, industry by industry, town by town and community by community, capacity mapmakers, economic developers and community marketers can together discover a vast and most-likely surprising array of talents, skills and resources unique to our area, few of which are being mobilized for Economic Development and ultimately Job Creation purposes. All men and women are created equal, but everyone, every community, every city, every business, every public organization and every government body has something special that they offer. Our individuals, associations, institutions and resources are the four elements that contain the core assets that we can use to identify new economic development opportunities.
Individuals are the backbone of our country and our society. We can live, work, play, attend school and eventually retire all in central Florida. We put out time, our energy, our blood and sweat into our homes and our communities. It’s through our hard work and effort—mowing the lawn, painting the house, planting flowers, teaching our children right from wrong, coaching little league—that St. Cloud’s personality shines through. And that hard work is an asset to our community, never to be overlooked or marginalized when we plan for our future.
Civic associations, from the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Group and Main Street all the way to less formal institutions, are the means through which local residents in can meet to solve problems, or to share common interests and activities. Economic Development planners recognize that these groups are indispensable resources for development and job-creation assistance, and that many of them can in fact become full contributors to the development process. Civic groups are a reflection of the drive and interests of the residents of our area, as allowed by the natural and created resources—Prescott, Arizona doesn’t have an Airboaters’ Association, but ours is active in promoting the activity and providing manpower in cleaning up our local lakes.
Beyond the individuals and local associations are the more formal institutions which are located in the community. Private businesses; public institutions such as schools, libraries, parks, police and fire stations; nonprofit institutions such as hospitals and social service agencies--these organizations make up the most visible and formal part of our community's fabric. Accounting for them in full, and enlisting them in the process of community development, is essential to the success of the process. They contain business skills and knowledge, financial resources, legal acumen and experience that can direct, enable and fund economic ventures. As an extension of our public institutions, the rules and regulations that have been put in place by our local governing authorities create the framework within which our natural and learned assets can be made available for economic development and job creation—in heavily taxed and regulated areas, job creation and business formation occurs at a much slower pace than in areas of lower-taxation or more reasonable regulation.
Most important of all are our resources. Everything from the physical environment in which we live, the land on which we sit out homes and the water which flows through our lakes and rivers, to the knowledge environment of our residents, all the things we’ve learned and the skills our businesses have acquired, make up the true potential of what we can become, to the infrastructure environment of the power lines and transportation systems in our county. What are the physical assets of eastern Osceola County and St. Cloud? What are the knowledge strengths of the individuals and businesses of our area? With mechanized automation continually reducing the need for unskilled labor, what ‘knowledge workers’ strengths do we have—creativity, collaborating, networking and sharing, analyzing, problem solving and inventing—that can help make our area a source of new businesses and new, better-paying jobs?
Individuals, associations, institutions and natural resources--these four major categories that contain most of the asset-base of every community. They provide the base and frame for asset-based economic development. With the population that we have and the natural environment in which we live—one of the largest, under-developed counties in one of the largest, most populated states in one of the most developed nations in the world—we have the potential for real and meaningful economic growth in our neck of the woods. But how do we get there?
First, execute an asset-based marketing & development study to identify our unique strengths in the four areas outlined above. Frame the study to answer this question: Where do we stand above our competitors: other local towns and cities, other counties and ultimately other states and countries? Second, identify which industries have general or specific needs that our plus-rated assets could fulfill? With thousands upon thousands of potential industry sectors in America alone, the potential suitors for Eastern Osceola County are endless. We need to narrow our focus down to the industries that would benefit most from being here and that we would benefit most from having here. We need to establish some basic requirements: any heavy industry or manufacturing would have to be green or practically non-invasive to our local environment; we would want an average employee salary, including benefits, to be higher than the median average for our side of the county; we would want to look at industries and sectors that have the potential for long futures—no buggy-whip manufacturers need apply. Last, we need to execute on multiple, coordinated plans designed to entice and assist existing and start-up businesses in those designated industries to move into our area. But ‘The Devil’s in the Details’ and next week, we’ll walk through some of the specific steps required to take our assets and utilize them to improve our economic base in St. Cloud.
St. Cloud is a great small-town city. We have resources and spirit that remain untapped. We have a potential unlimited by the constraints imposed in many other areas of this country. Cumberland, Maryland used an Asset-based Economic Development plan over the past decade and increased occupancy rates in the downtown area to nearly 90% with employment levels unseen since World War II. We can learn from the lessons of other small-town cities to help grow and preserve our way of life for generations to come.
-Shawn (OK, webbies, this is VERY vague, but it's an overview of an article series in a regional newspaper. more to follow.)
By: Shawn Van Dusen
(published 16.7.08 in St. Cloud in the News)
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
St. Cloud and Eastern Osceola County boast a unique combination of assets on which we can build our future. Block by block, industry by industry, town by town and community by community, capacity mapmakers, economic developers and community marketers can together discover a vast and most-likely surprising array of talents, skills and resources unique to our area, few of which are being mobilized for Economic Development and ultimately Job Creation purposes. All men and women are created equal, but everyone, every community, every city, every business, every public organization and every government body has something special that they offer. Our individuals, associations, institutions and resources are the four elements that contain the core assets that we can use to identify new economic development opportunities.
Individuals are the backbone of our country and our society. We can live, work, play, attend school and eventually retire all in central Florida. We put out time, our energy, our blood and sweat into our homes and our communities. It’s through our hard work and effort—mowing the lawn, painting the house, planting flowers, teaching our children right from wrong, coaching little league—that St. Cloud’s personality shines through. And that hard work is an asset to our community, never to be overlooked or marginalized when we plan for our future.
Civic associations, from the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Group and Main Street all the way to less formal institutions, are the means through which local residents in can meet to solve problems, or to share common interests and activities. Economic Development planners recognize that these groups are indispensable resources for development and job-creation assistance, and that many of them can in fact become full contributors to the development process. Civic groups are a reflection of the drive and interests of the residents of our area, as allowed by the natural and created resources—Prescott, Arizona doesn’t have an Airboaters’ Association, but ours is active in promoting the activity and providing manpower in cleaning up our local lakes.
Beyond the individuals and local associations are the more formal institutions which are located in the community. Private businesses; public institutions such as schools, libraries, parks, police and fire stations; nonprofit institutions such as hospitals and social service agencies--these organizations make up the most visible and formal part of our community's fabric. Accounting for them in full, and enlisting them in the process of community development, is essential to the success of the process. They contain business skills and knowledge, financial resources, legal acumen and experience that can direct, enable and fund economic ventures. As an extension of our public institutions, the rules and regulations that have been put in place by our local governing authorities create the framework within which our natural and learned assets can be made available for economic development and job creation—in heavily taxed and regulated areas, job creation and business formation occurs at a much slower pace than in areas of lower-taxation or more reasonable regulation.
Most important of all are our resources. Everything from the physical environment in which we live, the land on which we sit out homes and the water which flows through our lakes and rivers, to the knowledge environment of our residents, all the things we’ve learned and the skills our businesses have acquired, make up the true potential of what we can become, to the infrastructure environment of the power lines and transportation systems in our county. What are the physical assets of eastern Osceola County and St. Cloud? What are the knowledge strengths of the individuals and businesses of our area? With mechanized automation continually reducing the need for unskilled labor, what ‘knowledge workers’ strengths do we have—creativity, collaborating, networking and sharing, analyzing, problem solving and inventing—that can help make our area a source of new businesses and new, better-paying jobs?
Individuals, associations, institutions and natural resources--these four major categories that contain most of the asset-base of every community. They provide the base and frame for asset-based economic development. With the population that we have and the natural environment in which we live—one of the largest, under-developed counties in one of the largest, most populated states in one of the most developed nations in the world—we have the potential for real and meaningful economic growth in our neck of the woods. But how do we get there?
First, execute an asset-based marketing & development study to identify our unique strengths in the four areas outlined above. Frame the study to answer this question: Where do we stand above our competitors: other local towns and cities, other counties and ultimately other states and countries? Second, identify which industries have general or specific needs that our plus-rated assets could fulfill? With thousands upon thousands of potential industry sectors in America alone, the potential suitors for Eastern Osceola County are endless. We need to narrow our focus down to the industries that would benefit most from being here and that we would benefit most from having here. We need to establish some basic requirements: any heavy industry or manufacturing would have to be green or practically non-invasive to our local environment; we would want an average employee salary, including benefits, to be higher than the median average for our side of the county; we would want to look at industries and sectors that have the potential for long futures—no buggy-whip manufacturers need apply. Last, we need to execute on multiple, coordinated plans designed to entice and assist existing and start-up businesses in those designated industries to move into our area. But ‘The Devil’s in the Details’ and next week, we’ll walk through some of the specific steps required to take our assets and utilize them to improve our economic base in St. Cloud.
St. Cloud is a great small-town city. We have resources and spirit that remain untapped. We have a potential unlimited by the constraints imposed in many other areas of this country. Cumberland, Maryland used an Asset-based Economic Development plan over the past decade and increased occupancy rates in the downtown area to nearly 90% with employment levels unseen since World War II. We can learn from the lessons of other small-town cities to help grow and preserve our way of life for generations to come.
-Shawn (OK, webbies, this is VERY vague, but it's an overview of an article series in a regional newspaper. more to follow.)
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Asset-Based Economic Development
Here's the first in a series of articles on Economic Development that I'm having published in a regional newspaper. It's bombastic and overdrawn but meant to elicit an emotional response and prepare the readers for part II (to be released next week).
A Time to Choose Our Future, part 1
By: Shawn Van Dusen
We’re living through one of Florida’s worst economic downturns. Jobs are scarce. Taxes are climbing. And the mortgage is due. But…St. Cloud is still a great, small-town community. With parks and churches, local restaurants serving good, home-cooked food, a beautiful lakefront and a proud heritage, our neck of the woods is a wonderful place to call home. And raise a family. Just not to work.
Our side of the county grapples with the real problem of not enough good jobs. If you don’t commute out of the area to work, your neighbors do. And every parent with children knows that there’s a good chance that your grandchildren might not be raised here. St. Cloud and Eastern Osceola County is one of the last undeveloped frontiers in Florida. We are one of the largest counties in Florida with the least development. We have a proud agricultural heritage that has been surpassed in recent years by tourism and real-estate—one industry that doesn’t produce high-paying jobs and the other whose workers suffer through the painful tides of the housing markets.
Today, right now, a bleak future stares us in the face. With the development of the new, large communities along Lake Toho, St. Cloud may be forever left behind as a desired place for people to live. If the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs don’t return from college to St. Cloud, don’t start businesses here and don’t raise families here, we will not continue to flourish as a community. We don’t have another 20 years to hope and pray that that outside industries spill into our city. If history is any guide, in 20 years we may be passed in community activity, shopping and entertainment facilities, education resources and job opportunities by the newer communities being developed right now along our city limits. Rather than rely on the industries and economic engines of the past, we should look to our natural assets, our skills, knowledge and resources as a community to help make a better, stronger region for years to come.
There is no major problem that cannot be resolved by the tremendous potential of our people and the resources of our community. We have a great concentration of industrial, medical and services knowledge and experience. Thousands of successful and highly talented men and women are in our business communities; colleges rich in possibilities for study and research; charities and philanthropic enterprises are many, and there are innumerable people of creative talent in the professions. We can plan and build for a better future.
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
If we focus on the positive assets of our area, we can identify industries and services whose needs we best meet. What makes an asset-based strategy different from older economic development models is its direction: traditional economic plans focus on meeting the needs of the current business community to create more jobs and better conditions for existing business sectors. By diversifying our service and industrial base in St. Cloud, we could create more stable economic conditions for our neighbors and our families. That in turn would make St. Cloud a more desired place to live—directly boosting the fortunes of everyone involved in the real estate market in St. Cloud.
We have the courage and capacity to dream. We can reach out beyond our problems and dare to plan for a better future. We’re Americans and it’s our duty and our responsibility to improve our community for our children. Asset-Based Economic Development has helped communities prosper throughout America. Let’s use the natural and learned gifts and talents that we possess to make this a better place.
The discussion doesn’t end here--all theory and no substance. Next week, we’ll go over some practical steps on ‘how to do it’ highlighting the benefits and experiences from other communities that have improved their quality of life and economic conditions with this type of economic development. I’m a parent, like many of you are. At the end of the day, I don’t want to have to talk with my daughters by email because they were forced to move to a more progressive area for a good job. For any comments or concerns, I can be reached at (321) 441-3539 or svandusen@fortismg.com.
A Time to Choose Our Future, part 1
By: Shawn Van Dusen
We’re living through one of Florida’s worst economic downturns. Jobs are scarce. Taxes are climbing. And the mortgage is due. But…St. Cloud is still a great, small-town community. With parks and churches, local restaurants serving good, home-cooked food, a beautiful lakefront and a proud heritage, our neck of the woods is a wonderful place to call home. And raise a family. Just not to work.
Our side of the county grapples with the real problem of not enough good jobs. If you don’t commute out of the area to work, your neighbors do. And every parent with children knows that there’s a good chance that your grandchildren might not be raised here. St. Cloud and Eastern Osceola County is one of the last undeveloped frontiers in Florida. We are one of the largest counties in Florida with the least development. We have a proud agricultural heritage that has been surpassed in recent years by tourism and real-estate—one industry that doesn’t produce high-paying jobs and the other whose workers suffer through the painful tides of the housing markets.
Today, right now, a bleak future stares us in the face. With the development of the new, large communities along Lake Toho, St. Cloud may be forever left behind as a desired place for people to live. If the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs don’t return from college to St. Cloud, don’t start businesses here and don’t raise families here, we will not continue to flourish as a community. We don’t have another 20 years to hope and pray that that outside industries spill into our city. If history is any guide, in 20 years we may be passed in community activity, shopping and entertainment facilities, education resources and job opportunities by the newer communities being developed right now along our city limits. Rather than rely on the industries and economic engines of the past, we should look to our natural assets, our skills, knowledge and resources as a community to help make a better, stronger region for years to come.
There is no major problem that cannot be resolved by the tremendous potential of our people and the resources of our community. We have a great concentration of industrial, medical and services knowledge and experience. Thousands of successful and highly talented men and women are in our business communities; colleges rich in possibilities for study and research; charities and philanthropic enterprises are many, and there are innumerable people of creative talent in the professions. We can plan and build for a better future.
Asset-Based Economic Development is a strategy that builds on existing resources—natural, cultural and structural—to create valued products and services that can be sustained for local benefit.
If we focus on the positive assets of our area, we can identify industries and services whose needs we best meet. What makes an asset-based strategy different from older economic development models is its direction: traditional economic plans focus on meeting the needs of the current business community to create more jobs and better conditions for existing business sectors. By diversifying our service and industrial base in St. Cloud, we could create more stable economic conditions for our neighbors and our families. That in turn would make St. Cloud a more desired place to live—directly boosting the fortunes of everyone involved in the real estate market in St. Cloud.
We have the courage and capacity to dream. We can reach out beyond our problems and dare to plan for a better future. We’re Americans and it’s our duty and our responsibility to improve our community for our children. Asset-Based Economic Development has helped communities prosper throughout America. Let’s use the natural and learned gifts and talents that we possess to make this a better place.
The discussion doesn’t end here--all theory and no substance. Next week, we’ll go over some practical steps on ‘how to do it’ highlighting the benefits and experiences from other communities that have improved their quality of life and economic conditions with this type of economic development. I’m a parent, like many of you are. At the end of the day, I don’t want to have to talk with my daughters by email because they were forced to move to a more progressive area for a good job. For any comments or concerns, I can be reached at (321) 441-3539 or svandusen@fortismg.com.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday on my mind
Gary Moore aside, it's Friday and I'm finally looking forward to the weekend. This was one hell of a productive one--
-we're 1 week ahead of schedule on the new 'site release.
-we're on track for the June 5th initial group meeting for the PDG
-all business management and marketing management client accounts are on schedule or ahead of schedule
-the political candidates are building momentum and filling up the next 45 days with fund-raisers and more events than they can handle.
-getting ready to go to the FFBR summit next weekend for networking and development pitches.
-Gary's nearly done setting up the Chamber's Leads Group's first Green Construction Meet & Greet in St. Cloud for June 10th.
-We signed two more business management clients within the last 10 days
And the Yankees won in the bottom of the 9th inning last night.
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
-Shawn
-we're 1 week ahead of schedule on the new 'site release.
-we're on track for the June 5th initial group meeting for the PDG
-all business management and marketing management client accounts are on schedule or ahead of schedule
-the political candidates are building momentum and filling up the next 45 days with fund-raisers and more events than they can handle.
-getting ready to go to the FFBR summit next weekend for networking and development pitches.
-Gary's nearly done setting up the Chamber's Leads Group's first Green Construction Meet & Greet in St. Cloud for June 10th.
-We signed two more business management clients within the last 10 days
And the Yankees won in the bottom of the 9th inning last night.
Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!
-Shawn
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
FCATS
Here's a link to the Sentinel's FCAT reporting page. Interesting reading fr any central Floridian.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-fcat-reading-writing-scores-2008-searchpage,0,6067469.htmlstory
-Shawn
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-fcat-reading-writing-scores-2008-searchpage,0,6067469.htmlstory
-Shawn
Friday, May 09, 2008
Community Building
We all want to live in communities we're proud of. We all want to live in a nice home, with a short trip to work and a place close-by where our children can play without fear of danger or disease. We all want safety and security. We all want food for our plates and a roof over our heads. And we all want hope.
Unfortunately, this is the real world. Things go scarce. Budgets run tight. The sun doesn't always shine and the crops don't always grow.
But we can plan for a better future. Right now, we can plan for communities that grow into wonderful places to live. That provide engines for job development. That churn out decent schools for our children. That have streets that are safe to walk down.
Business doesn't have to mean population growth. Business doesn't have to mean low-income wages for most with few reaping the creme at the top. Planned business opportunity can mean job growth that utilizes a community's natural strengths, to work to bring in businesses that work with a community, to partner with a community for the betterment of all.
Historically, the next generation could always look back at their parents and know what their future held. But it is our moral obligation to do better by our children. They are our responsibility. We brought them into this world and we owe them nothing less than a brighter future and a better quality of life.
-Shawn
Unfortunately, this is the real world. Things go scarce. Budgets run tight. The sun doesn't always shine and the crops don't always grow.
But we can plan for a better future. Right now, we can plan for communities that grow into wonderful places to live. That provide engines for job development. That churn out decent schools for our children. That have streets that are safe to walk down.
Business doesn't have to mean population growth. Business doesn't have to mean low-income wages for most with few reaping the creme at the top. Planned business opportunity can mean job growth that utilizes a community's natural strengths, to work to bring in businesses that work with a community, to partner with a community for the betterment of all.
Historically, the next generation could always look back at their parents and know what their future held. But it is our moral obligation to do better by our children. They are our responsibility. We brought them into this world and we owe them nothing less than a brighter future and a better quality of life.
-Shawn
Monday, March 17, 2008
More like it
As I told anyone who listened, last January's Amendment 1 was a bass-ackward idea that didn't go far enough in cutting taxes while blowing the opportunity to force spending caps. Well, the TBRC's back with a better version: cutting 25% off our property taxes to the tune of $8B in the state's budget. That's a number large enough to force budgetary cutbacks throughout the state's budget. It's about damn time.
-Shawn
-Shawn
Hot
It's hot down here. Not just 'my, it's a nice day' hot but 'holy crap! will it EVER get below 60 degrees for more than 30 seconds?' Don't get me wrong, Florida is a great place to live and work. My daughter can play outside year-round. My wife and I can go for evening walks. I threw out our old ice-scrapers (and if you don't know what they are, you're lucky). And we never have to shovel snow. But some days...
One thing about most of the USA--change is constant. If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes and the sun will come back. But Mid-Southern Florida's different. It's sunny. Every day. It's warm and sunny. Every day. There's no break ever. Imagine listening to your favorite playlist. Now imagine if you could only listen to that playlist until the end of time. That's what it's like living in Florida. Beautiful, but monotonous.
Of course, down here the alternative to monotonous is a hurricane. So it could be worse.
-Shawn
One thing about most of the USA--change is constant. If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes and the sun will come back. But Mid-Southern Florida's different. It's sunny. Every day. It's warm and sunny. Every day. There's no break ever. Imagine listening to your favorite playlist. Now imagine if you could only listen to that playlist until the end of time. That's what it's like living in Florida. Beautiful, but monotonous.
Of course, down here the alternative to monotonous is a hurricane. So it could be worse.
-Shawn
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Internet and Elections
From personal experience, I can tell you that this post will be an unpopular one. The internet is only good for 2 things when dealing with political elections.
1. Raising funds. As had been amply demonstrated by any number of local, state and national campaigns, people will donate money in staggeringly large quantities to campaigns that are packaged properly. Never forget this.
2. Leaking information. It's an old adage that if you want something leaked, start a rumor denying it. There's no better place for rumor-mongering than the on-line world, and no better way to dish the dirt on your opponents than through on-line connections.
And that's it. I have yet to see internet activity, forums, chat rooms, postings, vmobs, conferences or even good-old-fashioned web sites sway votes. For all the sound and fury roaring from the under-30 on-line crowd, it has yet to convert into real-world votes.
But that will change in time.
(more later)
-Shawn
1. Raising funds. As had been amply demonstrated by any number of local, state and national campaigns, people will donate money in staggeringly large quantities to campaigns that are packaged properly. Never forget this.
2. Leaking information. It's an old adage that if you want something leaked, start a rumor denying it. There's no better place for rumor-mongering than the on-line world, and no better way to dish the dirt on your opponents than through on-line connections.
And that's it. I have yet to see internet activity, forums, chat rooms, postings, vmobs, conferences or even good-old-fashioned web sites sway votes. For all the sound and fury roaring from the under-30 on-line crowd, it has yet to convert into real-world votes.
But that will change in time.
(more later)
-Shawn
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
What's forgotten can't be remembered
And along those lines, I've just rediscovered Caro's The Power Broker. What a sad, uplifting, horrifying ,etc. story. And it doesn't even come close to how ugly it can get in the real political world.
Enjoy the rest of your night and I'll be back tomorrow with some longer posts about economic gardening, networking and the value of time.
-Shawn
Enjoy the rest of your night and I'll be back tomorrow with some longer posts about economic gardening, networking and the value of time.
-Shawn
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Ad Information - Sales Ratios
Fro those looking for current ad ratio information broken down by the top 200 most active industries, here's a link from Chris Gibbons (EG):
http://adage.com/datacenter/article?article_id=106575
Happy mining!
-Shawn
http://adage.com/datacenter/article?article_id=106575
Happy mining!
-Shawn
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Politics
Politics. The art of perception and achieving the possible. At the end of the day, 99% politics is marketing. Be it a politician selling the public on why he or she should capture their allegiance (And vote) or be it a business convincing a governing body to support their efforts. On a personal level, a politician needs a few distinct characteristics:
1. Socially dominant. The ability to walk into a room and dominate the space.
2. Quick wit. The best pol's can banter and barter with the best of them.
3. Body language. The ability to read a room's emotional state and reach accordingly.
4. Empathy. Everyone likes to be listened to and made to feel like they matter--the best pol's can do that to anyone at any level.
5. Thick skin. You win some and you lose some. The best pol's can ignore the slings of defeat (or the press or opponents) and move forward. Short lived politicians can't.
Have a great Tuesday--
-Shawn
1. Socially dominant. The ability to walk into a room and dominate the space.
2. Quick wit. The best pol's can banter and barter with the best of them.
3. Body language. The ability to read a room's emotional state and reach accordingly.
4. Empathy. Everyone likes to be listened to and made to feel like they matter--the best pol's can do that to anyone at any level.
5. Thick skin. You win some and you lose some. The best pol's can ignore the slings of defeat (or the press or opponents) and move forward. Short lived politicians can't.
Have a great Tuesday--
-Shawn
Monday, March 03, 2008
In like a Lamb, out like a Lion
Change is the one constant. No matter where you are in life, no matter what job you have, no matter how big or small your family is, no matter what you like to do, CHANGE is inevitable. (Yes, Leonard, that one's for you.)
I just learned that a business that has been in the family for three generations was finally sold. Actually, I just learned that the business was placed on the market and sold--bit of a surprise there, even if we've all been waiting for it to finally happen. The one remaining business, the one remaining commercial tie to small, dilapidated hometown is at last gone. It would be easy to get maudlin about the memories, the work, the hours spent, the familiar sounds and smells, the people and the equipment, everything that has now moved on. But life moves on. Finally, my family is out from under the back-breaking, never-ending all-consuming beast that was The Business (my father wisely decided to go his own route 40 years ago and we've been thankful for that ever since). But it's a piece of life that's ended, a constant that's gone. Will there be others to replace it? Sure. Is it a piece of my history, my childhood that's gone. Sure.
But change is inevitable.
I had a conversation with a meth-addict last week. (He was doing community service at a political rally where I was working.) He knew he was in trouble. He knew that he wasn't likely to make it through rehab. He'd lost his children, his jobs, his homes and he knew that he probably didn't have much left of a future. He didn't even have much left from his past. But rambling through the winding turns in his brain, he spit out one bit of 'wisdom:' no matter where he was, no matter that he wasn't ever going to see his family again, no-one, nothing could take away his memories. (OK, heavy drug use will kills those pretty quickly, but I got his point.) Basically, shut up, get back to work, and know that you can always close your eyes and remember the happy times of the past.
Now get back to work, slackers!
CYA-
Shawn
I just learned that a business that has been in the family for three generations was finally sold. Actually, I just learned that the business was placed on the market and sold--bit of a surprise there, even if we've all been waiting for it to finally happen. The one remaining business, the one remaining commercial tie to small, dilapidated hometown is at last gone. It would be easy to get maudlin about the memories, the work, the hours spent, the familiar sounds and smells, the people and the equipment, everything that has now moved on. But life moves on. Finally, my family is out from under the back-breaking, never-ending all-consuming beast that was The Business (my father wisely decided to go his own route 40 years ago and we've been thankful for that ever since). But it's a piece of life that's ended, a constant that's gone. Will there be others to replace it? Sure. Is it a piece of my history, my childhood that's gone. Sure.
But change is inevitable.
I had a conversation with a meth-addict last week. (He was doing community service at a political rally where I was working.) He knew he was in trouble. He knew that he wasn't likely to make it through rehab. He'd lost his children, his jobs, his homes and he knew that he probably didn't have much left of a future. He didn't even have much left from his past. But rambling through the winding turns in his brain, he spit out one bit of 'wisdom:' no matter where he was, no matter that he wasn't ever going to see his family again, no-one, nothing could take away his memories. (OK, heavy drug use will kills those pretty quickly, but I got his point.) Basically, shut up, get back to work, and know that you can always close your eyes and remember the happy times of the past.
Now get back to work, slackers!
CYA-
Shawn
Monday, February 25, 2008
Baby News
It's that time again. Sometime over the course of the next 8 months, there will descend to Earth a new, shiny bouncing baby Van Dusen. All hail the next generation--and just when you thought you were still young, this news hits the 'net: Ryan Giggs will be retiring as his best days 'are behind him.' He's 34. Ugh. THAT makes me feel ooooollllllddddd.
But next fall I'll be holding our newest addition on my lap, so I could really care less. Have a great evening y'all and if you're in Florida, don't forget to Vote tomorrow!
-Shawn
But next fall I'll be holding our newest addition on my lap, so I could really care less. Have a great evening y'all and if you're in Florida, don't forget to Vote tomorrow!
-Shawn
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
History Nerd Alert
Read the above article and realize that not only is there nothing new under the sun, but the odds are 'nothing new' was actually invented a long, long time ago.
-Shawn
-Shawn
Nerdly nerd nerd
So if you've been following along for the ride, you should remember that last week a new cell phone was rammed down my throat. Woo-hoo. Yes, script-kiddies, you could cut the excitement with a very rusty knife. I ended up with Verizon VX6800 (8600? who can keep track).
Meh. Yes it has a slick interface. Yes it has a nice, big, readable screen. Yes it has (FINALLY) buttons that are large enough that someone over 25 can use them. But when it's all said and done: meh.
You know what excites me the most: it's supposed to be more reliable than my old Treo. Yup, that's it. Just make a damn phone that works and I'll be happy. Not a single 'new thing' (play movies or music???? BFD.) helps out the business case for the phone at all (yet).
I'm officially old. Now, get off my lawn and get me a glass of iced tea.
-Shawn
Meh. Yes it has a slick interface. Yes it has a nice, big, readable screen. Yes it has (FINALLY) buttons that are large enough that someone over 25 can use them. But when it's all said and done: meh.
You know what excites me the most: it's supposed to be more reliable than my old Treo. Yup, that's it. Just make a damn phone that works and I'll be happy. Not a single 'new thing' (play movies or music???? BFD.) helps out the business case for the phone at all (yet).
I'm officially old. Now, get off my lawn and get me a glass of iced tea.
-Shawn
Friday, February 15, 2008
Technology Blows
We all budget for emergencies. Businesses allocate a reserve fund. Households have their savings accounts. Individuals sock money away under mattresses. All so they can cope when something unexpected happens. After all, when your car dies unexpectedly, it's a financial expenditure that you have to deal with RIGHT NOW.
But what about the time cost? It's nearly impossible to allocate or reserve 'emergency time' to deal with the unexpected. Businesses, if they're large enough, have support staff on-hand to cope with the day-to-day emergencies that crop up (Assuming there's enough volume of them to justify having staff to be on hand to fix them). But what about small businesses, homes and individuals?
Let me give you an example: yesterday morning, my cell phone died. Big deal. Sure, I was off the 'net for 2 hours while I went to the Verizon store and picked up an immediate replacement. 2 hours I can deal with--just work later at night (and I was up until 1:15am, so pardon my grammar!). But then, it took 3 hours to get the phone to sync with my laptop. And my cell's my mobile office--without my contacts and calendar, I might as well be toting around a brick.
It was the extra 3 hours, the unexpected 3 hours, that killed my productivity yesterday. Meetings were postponed and work was moved until the wee hours of the night. We had the 'tech. emergency' fund that covered the expense of the replacement phone (estimate each phone will last 2 years, each computer will last 3 years, most other hardware 2 years, etc...) but there was no way that I could have budgeted 'emergency time,' or was there?
There's a business model in here to be exploited.
-Shawn
But what about the time cost? It's nearly impossible to allocate or reserve 'emergency time' to deal with the unexpected. Businesses, if they're large enough, have support staff on-hand to cope with the day-to-day emergencies that crop up (Assuming there's enough volume of them to justify having staff to be on hand to fix them). But what about small businesses, homes and individuals?
Let me give you an example: yesterday morning, my cell phone died. Big deal. Sure, I was off the 'net for 2 hours while I went to the Verizon store and picked up an immediate replacement. 2 hours I can deal with--just work later at night (and I was up until 1:15am, so pardon my grammar!). But then, it took 3 hours to get the phone to sync with my laptop. And my cell's my mobile office--without my contacts and calendar, I might as well be toting around a brick.
It was the extra 3 hours, the unexpected 3 hours, that killed my productivity yesterday. Meetings were postponed and work was moved until the wee hours of the night. We had the 'tech. emergency' fund that covered the expense of the replacement phone (estimate each phone will last 2 years, each computer will last 3 years, most other hardware 2 years, etc...) but there was no way that I could have budgeted 'emergency time,' or was there?
There's a business model in here to be exploited.
-Shawn
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Social Networking
If you're here, you already know what social networking is. But lately we've seen a significant rise in the number of customers who have 'exhausted traditional marketing outlets' and are looking to 'maximize marketing ROI' (i.e. they want to market their stuff on-line at low cost).
And there goes the bandwagon.
But has it really passed there merchants by? No-one in their area is using the internet to connect to customers (i.e. no local competition) and their services are geographically bound. There are many (still) immature on-line markets that can be segmented down. The start-up and ongoing costs are minimal compared to comparable 'real-world' efforts (where comparable r/l channels exist).
What kills me is that it's only 10 years (ten flippin' years) that we started on-line community building and marketing that customers are actually ASKING for these tools. Must be we didn't market our (At the time) new products and services well enough.
-Shawn
And there goes the bandwagon.
But has it really passed there merchants by? No-one in their area is using the internet to connect to customers (i.e. no local competition) and their services are geographically bound. There are many (still) immature on-line markets that can be segmented down. The start-up and ongoing costs are minimal compared to comparable 'real-world' efforts (where comparable r/l channels exist).
What kills me is that it's only 10 years (ten flippin' years) that we started on-line community building and marketing that customers are actually ASKING for these tools. Must be we didn't market our (At the time) new products and services well enough.
-Shawn
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Music
Really, and what music to you have piped through the office? Is your place a relaxed, classical music suite? Or do your troops work better to light rock? What about the company I visited this morning--all country music, all the time? (And I couldn't wait to get out of there!)
We're eclectic--and quiet. Everyone in an office can play their own tunes. The cubical staff can listen to headphones. And I refuse to pollute the foyer with Enya.
But we will be using country music in the negotiating room in the future.
Later-
Shawn
We're eclectic--and quiet. Everyone in an office can play their own tunes. The cubical staff can listen to headphones. And I refuse to pollute the foyer with Enya.
But we will be using country music in the negotiating room in the future.
Later-
Shawn
Monday, February 11, 2008
Customer Management
Yes, it all comes down to this. Know your customers. Manage your customers.
And I don't mean date them or stalk them, but know their needs and behavior patterns. What motivates them? What factors of influence most strongly affect them? How can you structure your product and services lines in conjunction with your pricing and marketing strategies and tactics to exploit (which is quite the pejorative word) their perceived needs?
SWOT and needs assess. Those two elements will move you closer to your goals than any other element.
later-
Shawn
And I don't mean date them or stalk them, but know their needs and behavior patterns. What motivates them? What factors of influence most strongly affect them? How can you structure your product and services lines in conjunction with your pricing and marketing strategies and tactics to exploit (which is quite the pejorative word) their perceived needs?
SWOT and needs assess. Those two elements will move you closer to your goals than any other element.
later-
Shawn
Friday, February 08, 2008
Another Day
Just another day in sunny Florida. I learned something today--which, by my grandfather's reasoning means that it was a good day--and that was the level of activity which a political party will work with candidates at the various levels within Florida. For example, everyone knows that unless you're in a large metro area, parties really could care less about city commissioners. Sorry kids, them's the breaks.
But unless you're in Dade or Orange or the other SIZABLE counties, the major parties really could give a rat's ass about county commissioners or the other constitutional positions.
Which is moronic.
And here's why. Campaigns live on two things. Money and information. Money can buy the information, educate voters, get your candidate in front of the targeted voters, etc. But it's information that rules the roost. It's information that lets you know WHO are the most effective and motivatable voter blocs. What are their profiles (Demo, psycho, behavioral, etc.)? What are the issues that mater the most to those blocs? Who are the players in those blocs? etc, etc, etc. The tighter you can target each bloc, the more effective your campaigning (marketing) will be.
And that information, my friends, is already in the hands of the major parties. So, spread the love. Grow your roots and work with your local districts. At least, dispense enough information (don't bring up training) to make the local campaigns effective. Information horded and not properly dispensed is opportunity lost.
And get off my lawn. Damn kids.
-Shawn
But unless you're in Dade or Orange or the other SIZABLE counties, the major parties really could give a rat's ass about county commissioners or the other constitutional positions.
Which is moronic.
And here's why. Campaigns live on two things. Money and information. Money can buy the information, educate voters, get your candidate in front of the targeted voters, etc. But it's information that rules the roost. It's information that lets you know WHO are the most effective and motivatable voter blocs. What are their profiles (Demo, psycho, behavioral, etc.)? What are the issues that mater the most to those blocs? Who are the players in those blocs? etc, etc, etc. The tighter you can target each bloc, the more effective your campaigning (marketing) will be.
And that information, my friends, is already in the hands of the major parties. So, spread the love. Grow your roots and work with your local districts. At least, dispense enough information (don't bring up training) to make the local campaigns effective. Information horded and not properly dispensed is opportunity lost.
And get off my lawn. Damn kids.
-Shawn
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Robert Moses
Read 'The Power Broker' by Robert Caro. It's the biography of Robert Moses, one of the most influential and powerful men to control New York State's government apparatus during the twentieth century. It's a study in administrative power, how to find it, grasp it, use it and keep it.
It's also a horrifying example of what the long-range effects can be where there is 'too much' power in one man's hands.
-Shawn
It's also a horrifying example of what the long-range effects can be where there is 'too much' power in one man's hands.
-Shawn
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Football
It's that time of the year again--that's right, it's been 6 years to the day since I proposed to my wife. What? You think anything else really compares to that? Sorry. Not in my world, kiddo.
To all watching tonight, have a great evening and please (dear god, PLEASE) let the game be an interesting one.
-Shawn
To all watching tonight, have a great evening and please (dear god, PLEASE) let the game be an interesting one.
-Shawn
Monday, January 21, 2008
Big Brother in the Supermarket
Safeway announced a new plan to cut employee healthcare costs. For those employees who sign up, their food and in-store purchasing habits will be analyzed on a month-to-month basis, with employees who engage in 'healthy buying patterns' receiving discounts in their health insurance rates. Sounds great, right? It encourages healthy lifestyles and rewards societally-beneficial behavior.
Wrong. This is (Yet another) version of Big Brother, being played out in a supermarket near you. If the end goal is to reduce the healthcare expense for Safeway and its employees, base the rates upon semi-annual physicals with rebates and discounts for healthy choices (gym memberships, etc). By monitoring eating patterns, as opposed to physical results (and no-one'd cheat the system and drive down the street to munch on a pack of Ho-Ho's or Twinkies).
But this way's easier. They can use their existing customer management systems at little additional cost. They can take a P.R. 'Praise Bath' in public acclaim. They can lower their healthcare costs.
And their employees can lost another bit of privacy in their lives.
-Shawn
Wrong. This is (Yet another) version of Big Brother, being played out in a supermarket near you. If the end goal is to reduce the healthcare expense for Safeway and its employees, base the rates upon semi-annual physicals with rebates and discounts for healthy choices (gym memberships, etc). By monitoring eating patterns, as opposed to physical results (and no-one'd cheat the system and drive down the street to munch on a pack of Ho-Ho's or Twinkies).
But this way's easier. They can use their existing customer management systems at little additional cost. They can take a P.R. 'Praise Bath' in public acclaim. They can lower their healthcare costs.
And their employees can lost another bit of privacy in their lives.
-Shawn
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Political Blogging in an Amendment #1 World
And it's a hot topic in the Sunshine State. What to do with Amendment 1 on this January 29th ballot. Vote 'Yea' and save up to a $250 per year (maybe, if, barring qualifying requirements, etc.). or Vote 'Nay' and screw over the blighted home-owners. Or maybe it's much, much worse than that.
The under-appreciated issue with Amendment 1 is portability. Coming from a mid-state county, we see a significant number of 'immigrants' coming from other Florida areas--large home families moving into our more rural, less expensive district. Great for them, but if they bring their exemptions, it's horrible for us. Maybe. Or maybe not. We don't have any real gauge as to how much future tax revenue will be 'lost' to our cities as a result of in-state immigration. Ask any city finance manager and the heads will spin. They can't honestly calculate with any degree of accuracy what type of hit portability will cause to local millage revenues.
And that's a problem. Cities bond against future tax revenues. Their credit ratings are based upon their expected ability to generate future payments. If a city can't reasonably or realistically calculate future revenue streams, then by definition, the risk for creditors to loan to that city has increased. In short--it is likely to cost our cities more to borrow (which they all do) to do the critical things that our citizens ask of us, than it does right now (assuming nothing else changes).
So, while Amendment 1 will enshrine a small tax savings into our state constitution (and cutting taxes is nearly ALWAYS a good thing), it will create significant uncertainty in future revenue projections whilch is likely to result in increased future interest costs to our municipalities. (Not to mention the fact that this amendment doesn't in any match revenue cuts with expenditure cuts--and we've already seen a number of cities raise replacement revenue streams through 'fire service' fees, etc., resulting in little to no true savings to our residents.)
Food for thought. I love cutting taxes, but this is a poor, expensive way to do it.
-Shawn
The under-appreciated issue with Amendment 1 is portability. Coming from a mid-state county, we see a significant number of 'immigrants' coming from other Florida areas--large home families moving into our more rural, less expensive district. Great for them, but if they bring their exemptions, it's horrible for us. Maybe. Or maybe not. We don't have any real gauge as to how much future tax revenue will be 'lost' to our cities as a result of in-state immigration. Ask any city finance manager and the heads will spin. They can't honestly calculate with any degree of accuracy what type of hit portability will cause to local millage revenues.
And that's a problem. Cities bond against future tax revenues. Their credit ratings are based upon their expected ability to generate future payments. If a city can't reasonably or realistically calculate future revenue streams, then by definition, the risk for creditors to loan to that city has increased. In short--it is likely to cost our cities more to borrow (which they all do) to do the critical things that our citizens ask of us, than it does right now (assuming nothing else changes).
So, while Amendment 1 will enshrine a small tax savings into our state constitution (and cutting taxes is nearly ALWAYS a good thing), it will create significant uncertainty in future revenue projections whilch is likely to result in increased future interest costs to our municipalities. (Not to mention the fact that this amendment doesn't in any match revenue cuts with expenditure cuts--and we've already seen a number of cities raise replacement revenue streams through 'fire service' fees, etc., resulting in little to no true savings to our residents.)
Food for thought. I love cutting taxes, but this is a poor, expensive way to do it.
-Shawn
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Environmental Marketing and Awareness
Here's a link to a great site demonstrating the power of data and 'authoritative evidence' in environmental marketing. Is the data real? Is it 'fudged?' It looks good and looks verifiable, which is enough for 90% of the viewers.
Environmental marketing is all about comparisons--are we better or worse than some other benchmark. Set the right benchmark and your opponents can look downright evil.
-Shawn
Environmental marketing is all about comparisons--are we better or worse than some other benchmark. Set the right benchmark and your opponents can look downright evil.
-Shawn
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
History's whims
History's what you make of it.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/01/13/1421/index.html?imw=Y.
Click on this link for an interesting tale of the first Chinese explorers to 'discover' North America -- nearly 80 years before Columbus.
Happy New Year!
-Shawn
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/01/13/1421/index.html?imw=Y.
Click on this link for an interesting tale of the first Chinese explorers to 'discover' North America -- nearly 80 years before Columbus.
Happy New Year!
-Shawn
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