It's Great 'n Dayton

Dayton Daily News Writers Put it Out There

I haven't had much to say about NCR leaving but several other people have had quite eloquent things to say.

I'm tired of talking about it and ready to move on but I found the following posts quite interesting and inspiring. One is about what we as a community need to do to move forward, one addresses the elephant in the room in terms of how people view Dayton, and one recognizes that the legacy of John Patterson isn't a bricks/mortar building and company but the spirit of the community he championed for years.

Bill Pote at Dayton Most Metro blogged about the areas that we need focus on. His blog has received many comments and his article has also appeared in the Dayton Daily News.

Fred Bartenstein, a community leader, shares his perspective on John Patterson's legacy in a guest column in the Dayton Daily News.

Dayton Daily News columnist Ellen Belcher reminds us in her commentary that we're a region and she is bold enough to describe the primary differences between the city and the suburbs as being related to race and socio-economic conditions. The region can't be strong without a solid center. The center can't be strong without supportive outter rings of suburbs. We can't pretend Dayton's alone with it's problems. Dayton's problems are ALL of our problems. Ironically, this commentary was written prior to the NCR announcement.

Getting the Word Out, are We Selling Ourselves Short?

Okay, I swear I was working on this before NCR decided to leave town...

I'm not an expert in marketing or website development. Nor am I an expert in economic development but I subscribe to two excellent publications on the latest innovations in business, Fast Company and Inc. Both are targeted to entrepreneur-types, tech-heads, people on the move and innovators. What I noticed in these magazines (I started paying attention more during our local Get Midwest bonanza) were really nice full page ads promoting Georgia, Michigan, Florida, and Louisiana. What I started to wonder is where the Ohio and Get Midwest ads are.

Doing what advertisers hope a reader would do, I went to the websites identified in the ads. Here are some:

www.michiganadvantage.com Theme: Michigan - The Upper Hand (pretty clever, I think!). It's focus is on engineering, alternative energy technology (including water), tech savvy workforce and lifestyle advantages.

www.opportunitylouisiana.com Theme from the ad (not so obvious online): From the standpoint of an entrepreneur Louisiana is doing all the right things.

www.livewellandprosper.org Theme: Savannah - Live well and prosper; In the magazine: Our beauty will captivate you but our infrastructure will blow you away.

After hearing about NCR's move I decided to check out Georgia's site. Not bad.

Obviously we're not the only state that isn't advertising in the magazines I mentioned but what I wonder is where ARE we advertising!!! Does anyone know??

Since I haven't seen us in print, I decided to look online. Here's some of our local business development info:

Ohio.gov isn't bad for small business and start-ups
Ohio's "development" site where apparently we're The State of Perfect Balance. And I must be having browser problems because most of the tabs/links don't open for me.
OhioMeansBusiness, yet another state site.

Dayton Development Coalition targeting Aerospace R&D, Information Technology, Advanced Materials & Manufacturing, Human Sciences & Healthcare, and most recently the region's water supply. The Coalition has been very aggressive with BRAC stuff and advocacy in Washington. Maybe it's advertising in Texas and around other military bases that are closing or downsizing. As for the site, I can't tell if the it's promoting the region as much as it's promoting the work/efforts of the coalition. Perhaps it's a little of both.

Business First - Montgomery County's efforts to reach out to local businesses as a retention/expansion tool. Sit down with us and we'll see what we can do for you. There's also additional information on the County's economic development page. The County's website is awful. Check out the URLs. How would anyone fine anything on it?

CountyCorp is the County's lead agency in funding business loans and housing products. They offer some good financial packages but you'd never know it by the look of a site that could be better developed by a 4th grader.

Citywide Development - the City's version of CountyCorp. Pretty informative site and is actually consistent with the information on the Coalition's site.

Dayton Business Resource Center is the area's combined effort, led by the city, to have a one-stop location where business owners can get answers to questions, find resources, and process forms and permit applications. The combined effort is due to a consultant's recognition that the area has alot of development efforts going on that were territorial and a detriment to the region as a whole unless they were willing to work together. I haven't heard any personal experiences of people who have received services from the DBRC. Anyone have an update?

Dayton Originals is the brand campaign celebrating Dayton's innovative history (and not dwelling on it) while looking at present and future innovators. Not sure who the actual audience is or if it's just a cheerleading campaign for current residents to toot their horn.

There are many other agencies and municipal departments that I haven't listed here. Many of them work in their own vacuum or toward their own ends - again a detriment to the region.

There are good people in the organizations I've listed and they're doing good work. What I keep hearing though is that it isn't enough.

So what do we need? What do we need to be doing differently? What's wrong (besides people not working together)? What should the message be? What is the best vehicle for communicating it?

Buy Beavercreek

This just floors me because as much as several of us have been screaming (and I've written about several times), it's apparently fallen on deaf ears in Dayton/Montgomery County.

Now Beavercreek has beat us to the punch... with a "Buy Beavercreek" campaign promoting buying local. I stumbled across two articles online.

May 28 in the DDN

June 1 in the DDN

What really gets me is this...why didn't someone in Dayton do something sooner!?! And, this effort is lead by the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce; which leads me to ask what Dayton's Chamber is doing besides focusing on membership growth and coddling up to politicians? Alot of people are engaged in trying to change things at a grassroots level. Where's the business community? It whines about problems but isn't necessarily there to be part of the solution.

There's nothing wrong with supporting Beavercreek. As a region we should all be concerned about our economic health. All I have to say is, we thought of it first....but then again, we have a history of being all talk and no action.

Dayton Area Home to American Icon

Next to the American flag one of the most popular images that portrays American patriotism is that of the Bald Eagle. Though no longer on the endangered species list it is a federal offense to kill a bald eagle. Most American Bald Eagles are found along the West coast, specifically in Alaska, Canada and as far south as Mexico. They have also been on the "threatened list" in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

And we have four right here in the Dayton area, near Wright Patterson Air Force Base!

 Bald Eagles, by Ron Alvey from the Dayton Daily Newswebsite

Living on the Dayton/Riverside boarder I've had frequent occasion to drive Harshman Road between Airway and Rte. 4. Just at the northern-most entrance of Eastwood Metropark I frequently see 5-10 people at a time huddling at the edge of the park, facing the Air Force base from dawn until dusk with binoculars and cameras. I always wondered what they were looking at. Birds never crossed my mind because I was more interested in whether they were looking for aliens or unidentified flying objects!!

Lo and behold, I pulled into the park one day and saw signs for the bird watching area. I thought it was interesting that they had their own area but I know bird watching is popular. It never occured to me there would be Bald Eagles there...until I saw today's paper with an article describing how people are violating the laws, trespassing, and encroaching upon the habitat of the eagles.

I'm glad the story broke partly because now I'm informed about something that has piqued my curiosity for months, and because there needs to be public awareness both celebrating and protecting these precious creatures.

Urban Nights - Walk on the Creative Side!

This Friday night (May 15) from 5-10 is the annual spring Urban Nights experience of downtown Dayton. The event includes open houses highlighting the downtown living experience, live entertainment on several outdoor stages throughout downtown, art galleries open late, dining and entertainment opportunities and discounts.

For more information visit DowntownDayton.org and make sure to click on the event map and entertainment schedule. Make sure you also visit the Oregon Arts District and the Wright-Dunbar Neighborhood.

In addition to what was mentioned above you can also experience:

A World A'fair (Dayton's Premier International Festival) at the Convention Center

The FilmDayton Festival at the Neon Movies and other locations downtown. Info is also available at DaytonCREATE.

Activities at c{space, Dayton's new downtown creative, collaborative venue

Citylife 2009, a display of lifelike statues throughout downtown

Light Up Dayton, (skyline photots) winners will be announced

The Sideshow IIII, presented by the Dayton Circus

Garden Station (at Fourth and Wayne), an outdoor community garden, public art & performing art venue

A Healthy Dayton, A Healthy You

Do your part to stay fit and healthy and help the environment at the same time.

Friday is National Bike to Work Day.

Follow the Metroparks link to learn more about a breakfast for bike riders and a contest for the office/company that has the most riders participating.

And don't just limit yourself to one day!! Consider biking regularly to and from work and also for recreation. There are great mountain bike trails and paved bike paths in the Miami Valley but bikes should also be on the streets!!

If you want to be part of the initiative that is bringing awareness to bikes on streets check out Dayton's Courteous Mass.

If you're interested in helping the environment or trying to stay healthy but don't necessarily want to ride a bike, consider public transportation or other alternatives found at DriveLessLiveMore.

 

Update: Don't forget theWalk Downtown Dayton kickoff on May 20th. Short routes are available for people downtown to do on their lunch hour. And, of course, they can be done anytime! Note that this is different than Jane's Walk which has already happened and posted earlier.

 

 

D is for Duke's, not Dominic's

Apparently the un-named restaurant (still in litigation) with a D on the menu, is going to go by the name Duke's, as in Duke's Golden Ox. That's according to today's Dayton Daily News.

The litigation is over the involvement of the grand-daughter of Dominic Mantia, her hiring of the former Dominic's chef, and supposed use of Dominic's trademarked name and recipies. The most recent news is that step grandmother, Anne Mantia, wants the restaurant shut down and also wants the proceeds from its opening days of business.

I don't really care what's going on anymore. Follow the links for more information. I'm posting this story because the other ones about the restaurant have had more hits than anything else I've posted. The first link above is about the name of the restaurant. The most recent news is about the lawsuit.

Why the kids (granddaughter of Dominic and nephew of Duke) couldn't just open a restaurant by any other name and rely on their own name recognition and word of mouth is beyond me. They could have easily had decent, similar food (identical or not) without evening opening their mouths about the recipies. The quality of the food would have spoken for itself.

All comments in the DDN seem to show agreement by readers that the case, as a family issue, is ridiculuous. Many have commented about all the free publicity this new restaurant is getting without having to do advertising! Lastly, no one seems to care for Anne Mantia and they don't even like her bottled version of the salad dressing that gave the restaurant its reputation (among other things).

Dayton To Host Dying Cities Symposium

I've been asked to be on the planning committee for this. What do you think? Give me some feedback and I'll be happy to share more details that didn't appear in the article! The event will need sponsors and volunteers so anyone who can help in either of those areas should let me know!

Dayton Daily News
By Khalid Moss
Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Daytonians Peter Beckendorf and Michael Elsass say the reports of Dayton’s impending death have been greatly exaggerated.

Unhappy with the Gem City being named by Forbes Magazine as one of the “10 Fastest Dying Cities,” Beckendorf and Elsass are declaring Aug. 7-9 Three Days of Ideas and Inspiration.

Their plan is to invite community leaders from the 10 identified cities to celebrate the achievements of their past and to set goals for the future. Beckendorf, president of Dayton’s Involvement Advocacy Inc., says the symposium is not intended to scoff at Forbes.

“The purpose is to bring people together from these 10 cities to share ideas, to be inspired and to inspire,” Beckendorf said. “Whoever decided to bestow this moniker on these cities didn’t take into account that there are people of all shapes, sizes and colors who are doing great things to make the communities better. I’ve seen amazing things going on here in Dayton. I imagine there are amazing things going on in other cities.”

Beckendorf said the site of the symposium has not been finalized but he expects the Dayton Convention Center will be the hub of the activities.

“By coming together we can all learn from each other,” he said. “We can make new connections, friendships and pick up some ideas that will help us improve our cities.”

Among the other cities named by Forbes, three are in Ohio: Canton, Youngstown and Cleveland. The others are Flint, Mich.; Scranton, Pa; Springfield, Mass.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Detroit, Mich.; and Charlestown, W.Va..

 

So is there a synergy that can come from this? Is it a valuable exercise? Do we have something to prove?

In order to make the session as valuable as possible, and to attract a diversity of backgrounds, the Symposium is being organized into five content strands. Local Action Groups will be responsible for helping develop the substance of each, as well as getting the word out within their cohorts. The five strands, and working themes are:

·         Government: The Role of Government as Catalyst and Resource

·         Academia: The Role of Universities, Theory and Practice

·         Neighborhood/Grassroots: Ideas & Inspiration

·         Artist/Activists: Cross-Pollination and Showcase

·         Media: The Role of Media in Saving our Cities

What do you think?

Dayton's Young Creatives Take Action

You can't just talk about ideas without putting energy behind making them happen. I've been a part of too many groups that are all talk and no action. This is NOT one of them.  

As a result of the UpDayton Summit, Dayton's young creatives prioritized 4 activities to put their energy into. Anyone is welcome to participate and you don't have to have been a previous participant. If any of these ideas appeal to you...show up and do something about it!

• A project to engage youth who are in the downtown areas after school in recreational or volunteer activities that are especially coordinated for them.
• A communication hub or centralized website for regional events, attributes, cultural opportunities and more.
• A project to promote and grow Downtown Dayton. The goal of this group is to help better promote and attract popular venues/entertainment options to the center of the city.
• A project to make the Wayne Ave. corridor (between Fifth and Third St.) more pedestrian-friendly. This group wants to create a more interesting, colorful, and lively corridor to connect the Oregon Arts District with the Cannery.

click image to make larger

Downtown Dayton, More than Just a One Night Affair

Friday night is the first Friday of the month and, for many, a reason to visit downtown Dayton's art galleries and restaurants. Some people see it as an opportunity to visit the Oregon District, or the Dayton Visual Arts Center, or the Cannery Art and Design Centre, along with Therapy Cafe, the Wine Gallery, Gregory's Piano Bar and a host of other downtown businesses.

Courteous Mass has even been introduced downtown so people can see that pedestrians, bikes and cars can co-exist.

From my experience, many people comment that this shouldn't be limited to the first Friday of the month. I hear the same about Urban Nights, the twice-a-year night of activities that includes all the above plus live bands, activities at Courthouse Square and a broader representation of businesses that stay open later than usual.

For anyone out there that has ever thought Dayton doesn't have anything to offer, you don't need an organized event to bring you downtown. Bars, clubs, restaurants, galleries, and arts organizations continually have something going on most days of the year. For downtown to thrive more people need to come out on the other Friday nights and throughout the weekends and on weeknights.

A few other things to highlight this weekend are: Friday May 1- Light Up Dayton photo contest of images of Dayton at night. All downtown buildings and businesses have been asked to leave lights on so photographers (of all levels of experience) can take pictures of Dayton at night. Photos can then be submitted for a contest and also uploaded to the Dayton Daily News website.

On Saturday May 2 the City of Dayton is hosting the second gathering of its Dayton Beautiful Town Hall Series. Topics this month include Dayton's infrastructure as assets: our parks, bikeways, streets, rivers, runways, etc.

On Saturday May 2, immediately following the Town Hall, is Jane's Walk Dayton, a short walk through downtown, showing off some of downtown's assets and also building a community of walkers who aren't afraid of downtown.

This weekend (starting April 30) is also the SPAVA Festival (Stivers Performing and Visual Arts Festival) which is a celebration of the arts in support of Stivers School for the Arts. Most events are free but there are a couple performances and fundraising events where a donation is required. Make sure to get your handmade soup bowl (made by pottery students) at their soup/bread dinner on May 1.

My advice

1. Participate in as much as you can.
2. Bring other people with you, especially if you have friends that bad-mouth Dayton
3. Don't limit yourself to planned events like those above - come downtown anytime and experience it regularly