WHOA. I gotta slow down... hahahaha. After the City to City trip I wrote about last week I was pretty tired. But I knew I had quite a bit coming up still. Today was Wichita Exposure, an event I have had the extreme honor to be the Committee Chairman for the last two years. This, I have to tell you, is my MOST favorite event put on by the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce each year. I just can't tell you how much fun, and how much work, this show is. I wouldn't trade being involved in it for anything in the world.
As always, I had a blast. Jack DeBoer took great delight in teasing me at the breakfast about not being a morning person. He talked about why we were all in business, and I informed him that it was so I didn't have to get up early. :) He's such a funny guy.
Gearing up for the Chili Cookoff this weekend as well. Another early morning and LONG day coming up. But another event that is SO much fun and I am so proud to be a part of. If you have never been, you MUST come down and check it out... soooo much good chili!!!
September is almost in the books... thank goodness. I knew this month would be very, very busy for me... but wow... this has been crazy so far! Thank the lord for my supportive wife... I couldn't do it without her! :)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Visiting a City Reborn
Ok, I am going to preface this by a simple statement that I don't blog much. I am not a writer, nor do I profess to be and I am no photographer or videographer either. I just want to try and capture something and this is the medium I have chosen in which to do it.
Several months ago I became involved in Visioneering Wichita. You see, I have this belief - a very firm belief - that Wichita has been good to my business and my family and that I, in turn, should do my part to be good to this city which has done so much for me. Daniel Burnham said "To love one's city and have a part in its advancement and improvement is the highest privilege and duty of a citizen." This sums it up pretty well for me. I already try to do my part by serving on several different boards, and working with several different organizations, but I felt I needed to do more. After being selected as the 2011 SBA Kansas Small Business Person of the Year, I made it my personal mission to give back as much as I could.
I found out about the City to City tour when someone sent me the application to apply for a scholarship to attend the event. After reviewing the application and researching the event I decided to forego an attempt at the scholarship and pay for it out of my own pocket... leaving the door open for someone else that maybe couldn't afford to go the opportunity to attend. (Side note here: There has been a TON of speculation and talk about who paid for who to go on this trip. Let me just say that most of what you have probably heard is woefully inaccurate. The vast, VAST, majority of people that attended paid for this out of their own pocket... their own funds and their own personal money. These are people who CARE about Wichita.)
There has also been some discussion on why Pittsburgh was chosen and that it was not a good fit for the mission. I will emphatically state that ANY person who feels this was a bad choice should have attended. They would have felt very differently at the trips completion.
About 60 people who deeply care about Wichita and the future of the city left town around 6 am on Wednesday. A great number of these people I didn't know personally. I may have heard of them, or met them once, but I didn't KNOW them. I just knew I wanted to be around them because they shared the same goal, the same dream, and the same passion that I did. After having spent this time with them, I couldn't be happier to be sharing this city with each and every one.
And let me tell you this: these City to City trips are no joke. It is a whirlwind of events, and the amazing people that have put it all together have gone way out of their way to get people who will tell us what we are looking to know. We visited people from Bill Strickland, a man set on proving that talent and perseverance know nothing of race, class, or gender... featured in Waiting for 'Superman', to Bill Flanagan, the walking Wikipedia of Pittsburgh. People who are passionate about their city and more than willing to show it to you. And see this beautiful city, we did.
After arriving at our hotel we hit it hard going through several sessions at the hotel before we even checked in. To complete day 1, we visited the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. This amazing 1.5 million square foot, "green" center actually was the home of the G20 in 2009. It was a testament to initiative, creativity and the application of an entire city wanting something better for itself. We were so fortunate to have dinner with the most amazing view and were invited to the roof to view the city from there.
Several months ago I became involved in Visioneering Wichita. You see, I have this belief - a very firm belief - that Wichita has been good to my business and my family and that I, in turn, should do my part to be good to this city which has done so much for me. Daniel Burnham said "To love one's city and have a part in its advancement and improvement is the highest privilege and duty of a citizen." This sums it up pretty well for me. I already try to do my part by serving on several different boards, and working with several different organizations, but I felt I needed to do more. After being selected as the 2011 SBA Kansas Small Business Person of the Year, I made it my personal mission to give back as much as I could.
I found out about the City to City tour when someone sent me the application to apply for a scholarship to attend the event. After reviewing the application and researching the event I decided to forego an attempt at the scholarship and pay for it out of my own pocket... leaving the door open for someone else that maybe couldn't afford to go the opportunity to attend. (Side note here: There has been a TON of speculation and talk about who paid for who to go on this trip. Let me just say that most of what you have probably heard is woefully inaccurate. The vast, VAST, majority of people that attended paid for this out of their own pocket... their own funds and their own personal money. These are people who CARE about Wichita.)
There has also been some discussion on why Pittsburgh was chosen and that it was not a good fit for the mission. I will emphatically state that ANY person who feels this was a bad choice should have attended. They would have felt very differently at the trips completion.
About 60 people who deeply care about Wichita and the future of the city left town around 6 am on Wednesday. A great number of these people I didn't know personally. I may have heard of them, or met them once, but I didn't KNOW them. I just knew I wanted to be around them because they shared the same goal, the same dream, and the same passion that I did. After having spent this time with them, I couldn't be happier to be sharing this city with each and every one.
And let me tell you this: these City to City trips are no joke. It is a whirlwind of events, and the amazing people that have put it all together have gone way out of their way to get people who will tell us what we are looking to know. We visited people from Bill Strickland, a man set on proving that talent and perseverance know nothing of race, class, or gender... featured in Waiting for 'Superman', to Bill Flanagan, the walking Wikipedia of Pittsburgh. People who are passionate about their city and more than willing to show it to you. And see this beautiful city, we did.
After arriving at our hotel we hit it hard going through several sessions at the hotel before we even checked in. To complete day 1, we visited the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. This amazing 1.5 million square foot, "green" center actually was the home of the G20 in 2009. It was a testament to initiative, creativity and the application of an entire city wanting something better for itself. We were so fortunate to have dinner with the most amazing view and were invited to the roof to view the city from there.
Our view at dinner
Our dining area
Our dining area - What a view!
From the rooftop looking towards the sports complexes
From the rooftop looking back toward the city
Day 2 had us going EVERYWHERE. When I mean things are non stop, I mean they are non stop. We had a session in the morning, followed by a bus tour of the city. We then stopped at CAPA. Here is where the true realization of what this city had done began to set in with me. Please go to the site and read on the school... I know I can't do it any justice here. But they are taking kids - 6th grade through 12th grade - and giving them the opportunity to TRULY study the arts and allowing them the freedom and ability to create. What they have put together here is something truly special and the school and its ideals are nothing short of spectacular.
We then headed to Park Place University for more sessions and discussion. Then, a quick visit to the newest city park (they were planting the trees and putting on the finishing touches as we were there) and we were on our way again. This time to Manchester Bidwell and the amazing story behind it. Started by Bill Strickland, this training center is a testament to his ability to care about everyone and his determination to give every child a chance. There is, simply, not one thing about this facility that isn't truly amazing. They refuse to take government funds - it is completely privately funded - and are on a mission to ensure that every underprivileged child and adult has the opportunity to be better.
After Manchester Bidwell we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before our dinner night. What is done here is pretty cool, really. They split us up into 4 groups of 15 and sent us to 4 different restaurants. I can only speak for the one that I went to, and the trip there and back was memorable. My companions and I went to "Salt of the Earth", a local place that has a constantly changing menu based on what local produce can be acquired. I had Squash Soup, Chicken, and the Smores for dessert. For drinks I had a Honeydew Egg Cream Soda, and a Bourbon and Red Pepper cocktail. I would skip the Red Pepper drink, but the rest was pretty excellent.
I would be totally remiss in my duties not to talk about the cab driver. This cab driver was a walking advertisement for Pittsburgh and completely shows one of the things that Visioneering Wichita is trying to accomplish. This guy was between 25 and 30, raised in Pittsburgh, and doesn't like the city - he is in LOVE with the city. He can't imagine being anywhere else and swore he would never leave. He went on and on about how wonderful the city is and everything that it has to offer. Earlier in the day we had been told that there were more people that lived within 1 mile of where they grew up/were raised than anywhere in the US. This young man really lent credibility to that statement. He made ME want to live there. And then I wondered what OUR cab drivers and young people say about Wichita. Think on it.
Soooooo... the big question here is: What did we learn?? The answer is, well, long. But I will try to summarize a few things.
Sign at the entrance
Piece of art by one of the students. This does it no justice.
We then headed to Park Place University for more sessions and discussion. Then, a quick visit to the newest city park (they were planting the trees and putting on the finishing touches as we were there) and we were on our way again. This time to Manchester Bidwell and the amazing story behind it. Started by Bill Strickland, this training center is a testament to his ability to care about everyone and his determination to give every child a chance. There is, simply, not one thing about this facility that isn't truly amazing. They refuse to take government funds - it is completely privately funded - and are on a mission to ensure that every underprivileged child and adult has the opportunity to be better.
Manchester Bidwell art display room
Manchester Bidwell art display room
Auditorium at Manchester Bidwell
Blog entry from a student at Manchester Bidwell
After Manchester Bidwell we headed back to the hotel to freshen up before our dinner night. What is done here is pretty cool, really. They split us up into 4 groups of 15 and sent us to 4 different restaurants. I can only speak for the one that I went to, and the trip there and back was memorable. My companions and I went to "Salt of the Earth", a local place that has a constantly changing menu based on what local produce can be acquired. I had Squash Soup, Chicken, and the Smores for dessert. For drinks I had a Honeydew Egg Cream Soda, and a Bourbon and Red Pepper cocktail. I would skip the Red Pepper drink, but the rest was pretty excellent.
The Chicken Dish
Smores!!
I would be totally remiss in my duties not to talk about the cab driver. This cab driver was a walking advertisement for Pittsburgh and completely shows one of the things that Visioneering Wichita is trying to accomplish. This guy was between 25 and 30, raised in Pittsburgh, and doesn't like the city - he is in LOVE with the city. He can't imagine being anywhere else and swore he would never leave. He went on and on about how wonderful the city is and everything that it has to offer. Earlier in the day we had been told that there were more people that lived within 1 mile of where they grew up/were raised than anywhere in the US. This young man really lent credibility to that statement. He made ME want to live there. And then I wondered what OUR cab drivers and young people say about Wichita. Think on it.
Soooooo... the big question here is: What did we learn?? The answer is, well, long. But I will try to summarize a few things.
- Pittsburgh is a shining example of the collaboration and cooperation between the private and public sectors. The people there CARE and they want to make it a wonderful city. From what I could tell, there was pretty much complete buy-in.. from everyone.
- The model that Pittsburgh uses is "Continuous Improvement". They are constantly working to make things better and failures and successes alike are treated as lessons.
- They really are working on going green. They have had two of the worlds largest Green Buildings and the impact of their campaign is evident everywhere.
- They are making a conscious and dedicated effort to keep younger generations there through education, job creation, and a serious investment in the cultural arts.
- It was made incredibly obvious that Wichita needs to really dedicate some serious resources to the river and riverfront property. Pittsburgh has done this and it has paid off in a big, BIG way.
- Wichita needs to take control of it's own future, commit to it, and make it happen. Pittsburgh did this and turned it around in 10 years. It was an amazing amount of work done in that period of time. What stops us from doing the same? Pittsburgh pointed out that the "root of resistance to change is ignorance". So let's educate the public and get everyone on board.
- You have to care about the fate of the City if you care about the fate of the Region, and there is no successful region with a dying urban center at it's core. Again, everyone needs to be on board... not just Wichita, but the surrounding areas as well.
There's a lot more. A ton. But, this was a long trip, I have a headache from this data dump, and I need to go to bed. I felt this was important to document and get out, however.
Wichita is a great place to live, raise a family, do business, and socialize. If I said I couldn't imagine a better city to live in, I would be wrong. But that better city is still Wichita... reimagined.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
What a weird day.
My cousin had pretty much everything she owns destroyed by an arsonist. The good side is that her, and her children, made it out ok and no one was hurt. The bad side, of course, is that they have lost pretty much everything she owns. She says that they are just things, and she can replace things. But I can't imagine how difficult it is for her. My heart totally goes out to her.
As I went through the home, it was amazing to me how much damage the smoke and water did versus the fire. Although the fire never left the master bedroom, the whole place was basically destroyed. The smell of smoke was embedded into EVERYTHING. I stuck my head out of the front door and joked that it smelled like BBQ, and they all agreed. It totally smelled like someone had just made some great ribs in there.
The furniture in the master bedroom actually belonged to my Grammy who passed away several years ago. I know my cousin is sorry to see it go... I think we all are. Just another piece of Gram that won't be around any longer.
At any rate, it was arson. Someone was walking around setting sheds on fire that night, and my sweet cousin who had wronged no one, just just an innocent bystander. I just can't imagine.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Let's try this again
Soooo... I totally forgot I had a blog. I just started it back in around 2005 so we could communicate with other family members. Believe it or not, we came from XANGA (if you even remember that). Anywho, I have been really busy getting into more and more of what Google has to offer and came across my old blog in the process. Which is kinda cool
I reviewed the old posts. Pretty interesting, overall. I deleted several posts that had to do with family stuff just because it didn't need to be there, and reviewed the rest. Seeing the pics from the "great ice storm of 2005" really brought back some memories, but the one that really got to me was this one.
So, really... big deal, right? Right. No, wait... big deal for me. For those of you that know me and know what I have done with the business since then, this post is just EERIE. This isn't when I started the business, but it is when I decided to REALLY grow the business. It talks about the first few steps that I decided to take. And looking back, those steps were HUGE in where I am at today. It is just kinda mind boggling to me. I really started off with pretty much NOTHING and to see where I am at today, well, that is just overwhelming.
Not really patting myself on the back here. Just taking a look at what I said I was going to do and what I have accomplished and saying "whoa". Glad I did it.
I reviewed the old posts. Pretty interesting, overall. I deleted several posts that had to do with family stuff just because it didn't need to be there, and reviewed the rest. Seeing the pics from the "great ice storm of 2005" really brought back some memories, but the one that really got to me was this one.
So, really... big deal, right? Right. No, wait... big deal for me. For those of you that know me and know what I have done with the business since then, this post is just EERIE. This isn't when I started the business, but it is when I decided to REALLY grow the business. It talks about the first few steps that I decided to take. And looking back, those steps were HUGE in where I am at today. It is just kinda mind boggling to me. I really started off with pretty much NOTHING and to see where I am at today, well, that is just overwhelming.
Not really patting myself on the back here. Just taking a look at what I said I was going to do and what I have accomplished and saying "whoa". Glad I did it.
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