Hello All! I’m on a three-week travel schedule that is taking me to three different locations deep in the Heartland. Last week I was in Parsons, Kansas, a small town in southeastern Kansas. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice town with an attractive, renovated downtown and some well-planned industrial sites/spec building. I was impressed with the pride of community there; it said to me: “we humbly present you with the best that a small town can offer!”
This week I’m back in the Dayton, Ohio area where we are beginning fieldwork on the City of Moraine Comprehensive Economic Development Plan, in partnership with Angelou Economics. The challenge here is to help replace the 3,000 jobs lost from the closure of the 4-million-square-foot GM plant. We will be conducting focus groups and interviews in order learn more about this traditional industrial community. This is my third trip and I am impressed with the pride here as well; a pride that says, “we will not give up and we will rebuild our community stronger than ever!” I will give you more reports this week as we proceed with our fieldwork.
Next week will be Dallas, the pride of Texas! Stay tuned and have a great week! Deane