Market Focus?

MARKET FOCUS?

 by
Rick Brand

 We were outside the racquetball courts and a newly arrived retiree from up north commented to me that Henderson would never advance economically until it fixed its schools. Such a verdict is not new. In fact it is one of the most consistent mantras of our community. Talk to just about any citizen about Henderson and they will quickly rattle off a string of negatives about our community, always including the matter of poor schools.

 Not long ago the Dispatch reported on a meeting of the Economic Development Commission and the County Commissioners that focused on how to “brand” our community. In that meeting it was commented that Vance County needed to have a focus and a target for economic develop and to market that brand aggressively.

! I do not know how wide spread the comments have been, but two of the wiser people in this community, two who have both led very successful businesses, have observed that Vance County and the EDC ought to focus on marketing to retirees. All of the groups concerned about economic development: The Chamber of Commerce, The EDC, the City and the County ought to be running ads in the AARP bulletin, magazines that target the people approaching retirement, in the newspapers in Boston, New York, Newark and other major northeast areas. This ought to be our number one marketing target.

In my mind there are many pluses that can be highlighted: we have a great lake area; we have two major golf courses; we have a great YMCA and we have an above average Adcock Recreational Center; we have great travel options as I-85 and U.S. 1 go right through our county. (Remember most people in the northeast are used to long commutes. From Brookline to downtown Boston by rail is close to 45 minutes if the T is running on schedule.) We are only three hours from professional football in Charlotte or DC. There are national powers in basketball. We are close to NASCAR racing. We are about four hours from the coast and about four to five hours from the mountains. We have a wonderful climate with all four seasons. There are first class medical facilities within an hour’s drive. There is first class entertainment at the DPAC (and soon at our own Performing Arts Center). There are educational opportunities at the host of universities and schools plus continuing ed at VGCC. There is an incredible Library. And the amount of house that one can buy in our community for the money is way more than the house one could buy in other retirement places.

 For Vance County the great benefits would include new names on the tax rolls. Retirees would not be looking at the quality of schools, though the new property taxes might give the county additional income to improve the schools. The marketing would have to be all along the northeast and would have to be constantly repeated. This marketing focus would have to be aggressive. But Vance County does have these advantages over other communities who are also needing revival. We might have to make some infrastructure additions. But we have already begun to have county water. Contractors would be happy to build “dream” homes. If we are looking for “branding” and a marketing program, I think the suggestion of those two wise successful business people makes great sense. 

Is A Horse a Person? More education Needed....

     The man was explaining why he did not mind paying taxes. He knew that taxes were the way we invest in our future.  We build new roads for future growth. We build better airports. We expand mental health programs to make our future better.  He closed his comments by saying that he believed in paying his taxes and investing in education because he just did not want to live in a community of ignorant and uneducated people.
      The evidence seems to me to suggest that we need more taxes and more investment in education. The evidence just seems to point out that we have, regardless of public, private, home school, or whatever, a growing problem with education.
        a.  The refusal on the part of so many people to accept the work of science and the conclusions of the vast majority of science that there is a problem with global warming and human activities have a part to play in that warming.  Almost 200 countries gathered and agreed that there is a problem and they want to fix it, and we have political leaders and followers who want to refuse to fund our country's part in the solution.
       b. The second evidence for me is the incredible number of people who think the Donal Trump, Ted Cruz, or Ben Carson are equipped and qualified to be President of our country.  When other countries are already passing resolutions to refuse to admit Mr.Trump to their country how will he be able to conduct foreign affairs?  How do you make another country pay for a wall?
       c. But the greatest evidence for the failure of our educational efforts appeared recently when a huge number of people became upset when American Pharaoh did not win Sports Illustrated "Sportsperson of the Year." Somewhere, somehow, the failure to educate our people to understand the basics of "person" is disturbing.  The award is given to a person, not a horse.  It is not fun to live in a country or community with uneducated people. We need to invest more into public education

Same old issues in American Politics

We may find ourselves amazed at what is happening in our political arena in our country at the moment, but while reading an essay by G.K. Chesterton in the Illustrated London News of November 17, 1928 I found the following description of the American situation:

      "The election is not a conflict between Democrats and Republicans, or between Drink and Prohibition or even in the first place between Agriculture and Finance. It is , in the simplest sense of the very strongest phrase, a conflict between light and darkness, between things understood and things not understood; between people who take a certain view of the facts, and people who have never yet even heard of the facts, between principle and prejudice; between cosmos and chaos."

     Chesterton was convinced that America was too large for a campaign to be able to adequately express its ideas and objectives.  The size of the country and the number of people meant that there were just large blocks of people who had no idea what the issues were, no idea of what the candidates stood for and so voted on instincts, fears and prejudices.  His subject was the anti-catholic fears against Al Smith in that election. The great fear that a Catholic president would become a slave to the Pope.  The very "Know Nothing" Party that, Chesterton suggested, was a very apt name for the party because they really did know very little about the Catholic faith and the world around them.

     There seems to be much evidence that we have not moved there far from where we as a country were in 1928.  We have so many new toys and yet we still play the old games.

An annual tradition:

CHRISTMAS SONNET, 2015

It jumped so quickly in the news 

And not for the latte that they brew 

Old Starbuck got their dander up 

Because of some old plain red cup.

In Paris France the blood ran deep 

As music fans were shot like sheep 

On our West coast another scene 

Of guns and hate is now routine.

As leaders from around the world 

The global warming issues swirl 

They search for ways to give to all 

Solutions that preserve the ball

Yet somewhere in this ugly mess 

God’s grace is born for us to bless.

--- -rick brand 

May the season of the year renew your hopes and courage!

Rick