I have been spending a great deal of time in Raleigh North Carolina lately, what a solid town. Great job creation, slowly rising home values (slow is good and sustainable), good infrastructure and a solid foundation for long term growth, and a very conservative approach to spending.

Actually all of North Carolina is doing well, Charlotte is one of the banking capitals of the country. Second home and retirement buyers are buying from the coast to the mountains. It is hard to believe this was one of the states victimized by huge job losses and industry shrinkage (sound familiar?) not to long ago. The textile industry ripped through North Carolina like the automotive industry ripped through Michigan.

The rebound is at least inspirational, you can feel the positive in the air. This is relevent because it shows WHAT WILL HAPPEN HERE! When the government, business and the citizens got on the same page (as it is starting to do in Flint) great things started to happen. The area was blessed with great educational opportunities ( Flint too think Kettering, U of M Flint and MSU and Uof M a short distance away) with Duke, UNC and North Carolina State. They parlayed these institutes into opportunity for business. The RTP, Research TriAngle Park, was developed to incentivize business to come to Raleigh/Durham and hire a pool of highly educated workers were already there. Bio-Tech, High Tech electronics, financial, medical and Pharmacutical research are so prevelent that Raleigh Durham is ranked as one of the smartest cities in America. These educated and hard working parents demanded and took part in making the school district, Wake County Schools, one of the strongest and best in the country. Infrastructure was build correctly (very few orange obsticles) natural features such as lakes and parks were showcased, taxes were used for development not entitlement and the area is now ranked in the top ten in almost every catagory that matters.

One of the top five smartest cities in the country. One of the top five best places to start a business. One of the best places to live. One of the best places to find a job (in one quarter last year over 10,000 jobs were created paying on average $58,000 a year).

I mention this as motivation, this is what can happen in the face of change. Change for the better. The Raleigh area does not have the lakes southern Genesee County has. It does not have all professional sports with-in 90 minutes. It does not have Michigan Football. I guess it does have NCAA Basketball as my beloved Spartans found out last saturday night. My point is Flint has things many other very successful places do not.

Flint has great access to recreation & education (two of the biggest things young families are looking for), great housing value (another thing young families are looking for). Genesee County has waterways and lakes, fantastic freeway and airport access. Metro Detroit in 60 minutes, Chicago in 4 hours. Genesee County has one of the best cultural centers in the country for a midsize town.

We need to let this out and show (not tell) why this is great place to live. Positive attitudes, consideration for fellow citizens, support business that is locally owned and operated. (simple economics when a company or area brings in more money than it sends out, it will thrive. If we are doing business with companies that send a portion of revenue somewhere else it will not get spent here!)

The problem is simple, attitude. We need to appreciate what we have and support local assets. We need to quit reading the local daily that thrives on negative news and ignores the good. I swear if I ever see another story of children or young people dying on the cover of the Sunday newspaper I will, well nothing I guess because complaining will not help. There are some great assets physical and intellectual in this area, to survive we must all play as a team and realize our weaknesses and others strengths, quit chasing the quick buck and strive for long term value. This is not doom and gloom time this is an opportunity for the strong, intelligent and considerate of our area to reach a goal that will benefit not only our citizens but future citizens.

Again everyone needs to work together, I am amazed to find how many groups in Flint are actually wasting resources working against each other to get things done and in the long run accomplish nothing. Lets face facts, in a time of limited resources are organizations better off as a team/unit? What is more important the long term success realized by sharing resources (think one building, one copier bill, one phone bill, one receptionists, one head bill....with more money going towards accomplishing goals) or the egos of the board members? This sounds harsh but it is true! Too Many Cheifs, everyone thinks they are smarter than everyone else and nothing gets done. I have built very profitable working relationships in this town because I know I don't know everything, and this is very beneficial to my clients and coworkers because they know I will find the best solution and save money by not wasting my time or theirs on something I don't know. I wish everyone worked on a meritocracy, reward the brightest and hardest working.

Another big change that needs to happen is for Flint to get over the quick buck. House flipping sounded like a good idea until someone lost an eye or went to jail. Every forth citizen becoming a loan officer sounded like a good idea until Genesee County became the poster child for Home Foreclosures (this was not accident, it was pure greed by people that had or have no business dealing with someones personal finances let alone a home children sleep in). If you travel much you will notice the lack of get quick rich infomercials in other parts of the country. There is a reason for this.

Lets not think honest is negative, lets look for the lesson or create a thought process of our own and stimulate thought in others. Lets not take consideration for weakness.

Lastly lets be nice and positive, public relations is not an advertisement it is a culture. Yeild to the right when the left lane is closing in a mile, why pass the other people that are already waiting in line and making their wait longer? Why cut someone off with out a blinker or a wave, how about a please or thank you next you pay a cashier. PLEASE! When people see we care, they will care.

These are things that are done in Raleigh, not saying it is the only reason it is in a boom period, but geez I am willing to try anything.